ORLANDO, Fla. — Last month, Kathaleen Jones was at her wit’s end after moving into an Orlando home she described as “unlivable.” Rental company Florida Beach Coast posted photos online that disguised the three-bedroom home’s true condition, Jones said, and stonewalled her when she tried requesting help from management.

Now, Jones is out of the home — but another family has already taken her place.

Wilnise Saint-Clermont has only lived at the Lake Lawne Avenue home for less than two weeks — she moved in April 22 — but already she’s working on an exit plan. Mildew, plumbing issues and pest concerns make the home an unsafe environment for her three young children, she said.

“Every time I flush, everything that's coming from that toilet is coming up the tub and does not go down for a whole hour or two,” Saint-Clermont said.

City records obtained by Spectrum News show more than a dozen unresolved code violations at the property, including mildewed windows, a damaged HVAC system and a bathtub that needs to be replaced. Orlando’s code enforcement department began citing the property in February, records show. 

Saint-Clermont says she called the city after trying, unsuccessfully, to scour the house clean. The responding code enforcement officer validated Saint-Clermont’s concerns, she said.

“He came to tell me no, it's still not up to code,” Saint-Clermont said. 

Hiding “behind a phone”

Before ever stepping into the home, Saint-Clermont said she had a bad feeling about Florida Beach Coast. It all started when she went to pay her deposit and pick up her keys. Saint-Clermont thought she’d be meeting her landlord — but the address she was given led her instead to a post office in Gotha, where the company is registered to a P.O. box. 

Already feeling suspicious, Saint-Clermont answered a call from Florida Beach Coast staff, who told her the landlord was busy and to instead wire over the $2,000. Saint-Clermont, who moved to Florida from Michigan, said she felt she had no choice.

“I moved here, I need a place,” she remembered thinking. 

After sending the money, Saint-Clermont stopped hearing back from Florida Beach Coast. But she still needed her keys. Finally, after texting them persistently, she heard back — but the news wasn’t good.

“I get a call...saying 'oh, the house is not done yet, and it's not up to code, and it needs to be fixed',” Saint-Clermont said.

At first, Florida Beach Coast told her the work would only take a week. Saint-Clermont tried calming herself down; she could stay at a hotel for a week, she figured. But a week turned into two, then three.

“Okay, April’s almost over,” Saint-Clermont recalled thinking. “I wrote them, saying I need my money back or I need the keys.” It was only after she threatened to call a lawyer, Saint-Clermont said, that the company finally gave her the keys. On April 22, she moved in.

From there, more problems ensued. The refrigerator was teeming with roaches, Saint-Clermont said. The toilet overflows when it's flushed, and seems to trigger the bathtub to flood. There’s no stove in the home, even though Saint-Clermont was charged a $50 fee for one.

She's also charged a $50 fee each time she calls Florida Beach Coast. It’s a written stipulation in her 33-page lease, but Saint-Clermont doesn’t think she should be blamed for not noticing it.

“Nobody thinks if they call their landlord or their property manager, it's gonna backfire on them, or they're gonna get charged $50 for a call,” Saint-Clermont said.

Florida Beach Coast is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, which ranks the company with an “F” online. After seeing her concerns mirrored in comments posted to BBB’s site — and speaking with Jones, the former tenant — Saint-Clermont said she feels Florida Beach Coast tricked her into moving into an unsafe home.

“They think that's OK because they're behind a phone…nobody sees them,” Saint-Clermont said. “I don’t know who I’m renting from.”

A pattern of deceptive behavior

Under Florida law, landlords are obligated to maintain the premises and comply with all applicable building, housing and health codes. If a landlord does not do so, their tenant may notify them of something called material noncompliance. Seven days after receiving that notice, if the landlord still hasn’t resolved the cited issues, the tenant may exit the lease without penalty. A template, available online, can help tenants draft that notice if necessary.

Additionally, Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA) protects consumers from “unconscionable, deceptive, and unfair trade practices.” Real estate attorney Charles Gallagher said it’s likely Florida Beach Coast is acting illegally under FDUTPA — particularly because the company’s actions appear to be part of a pattern.

“This is not just a one-time event of misconduct,” Gallagher said.

He characterized the property’s open code violations as “quite significant.” 

“Having a property that has deferred maintenance, or maybe is not the prettiest cosmetically is one thing,” Gallagher said. “But when you have code enforcement, which sets a baseline of what's required for...a habitable residence, and you fail to meet those issues, and it’s been ongoing...that's a very significant issue on the wrongfulness of that landlord.”

For her part, Saint-Clermont hasn’t really unpacked. After what her family has been through, she says she doesn't want to stay here.

“It's a scam,” Saint-Clermont said. “It is a really sad situation to be a part of, and I just feel bad for whoever they feel like they'll get in here next.”

The outstanding issues at Florida Beach Coast’s Lake Lawne Avenue property will be brought to Orlando’s next code enforcement board hearing on May 12, according to city records.

We again tried to contact Florida Beach Coast via phone and email, with no response.

Molly Duerig is a Report for America corps member who is covering affordable housing for Spectrum News 13. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.