Fox Chase CAN and WILL terminate your lease at ANY time that they want, and there's NOTHING you can do about it!

If you're reading this, then there's a good chance that you live at Fox Chase apartments, and are curious as to what the web address I left on your door is all about. This page has numerous large images. Please give them time to load. Let me explain:

On Wednesday, the 21st of April, I got a knock on my door and answered it to find a woman hand-delivering a letter. She had me sign for it and headed out. The letter stated that there was some "concern" about my apartment, and that the following day they would be doing an inspection. I knew that recently they were supposed to have come through to replace some filters, and I assumed that there was something in my laundry room they weren't able to reach (such as to check the water heater or something). I'm a bachelor, and to say the least, keeping up with laundry isn't my forte. At the time, I thought it was a bit odd to have a hand-delivered letter stating that they would come through for an "inspection" instead of simply asking me to make some room, but I didn't think much more about it. Being prior military, I'm used to having my barracks inspected, so I straightened up my apartment a bit, did some laundry, got everything dress-right-dress, and went to bed.
The next day, I went to work without thinking much about the previous night's letter (I'd even thrown it away). Around noon, I received a call from a friend of mine who had gone by my apartment to borrow my vacuum cleaner. She said that when she got there, two women were in the apartment, and startled her. One was very cordial and friendly, the other was abrupt, rude, and appeared angry. The two women left almost as soon as my friend arrived, and she noticed the woman, who was being rude, take a picture of something on my front porch. My friend called me at work and told me all that had happened.
At this point, I was concerned, so called ARMC to find out what was going on. They told me I would need to contact the woman who had done the inspection to find out. I left my home phone number as well as my work number for her to call me back. After an hour, I called again to contact her. This time she was in a meeting, but they assured me she would call back. Sure enough, she did call back twenty minutes later, and I asked what was going on. She informed me that there had been a report that I was not maintaining my apartment, and that was why they went to do the inspection. While doing the inspection, she found a list of "fire hazards" and because of these, they had terminated my lease! Needless to say, I was in a bit of shock. I got out of the Army in 2000, and this is only my second experience with renting. I was floored to think that they could so easily kick me out of the place I lived.
I asked her what was wrong with the apartment, and her exact words were that it was "a fire waiting to happen." She listed the following infractions being the reason I had my lease terminated:

  • Lighter fluid found in the closets
  • Flammables found in the closets (dental acrylic, will later explain.)
  • Stove "dangerously" dirty
  • Drug paraphernalia (I was stationed in Egypt on my last tour, and own 3 shisha pipes.)
  • Drip pans missing from stove.
  • Aerosol can in garbage with cigarette butts
  • "Sticky" red stuff "all over" the front porch attracting "swarms" of bees.

She also stated that I would receive a letter listing all of the problems found. As of yet, I haven't seen a letter, but will update this site when I get it.

Now, on the surface, that list sounded bad to me, too. Particularly the stove. As a fairly typical bachelor, I only clean the stove when I think it needs cleaning, and figured there was a chance that I could've missed something, or let it go too long. However, the other items on the list, even at that point, seemed incredibly petty to me. I'm a smoker. I use lighters, these require lighter fluid. Her argument is that the contract "clearly states" that you are not allowed to have any flammables in the apartment, including lighter fluid.
Now, the idea of having NO flammables in the apartment is ridiculous. Pretty much anything will burn when you put fire to it. As for liquid flammables, this would rule out having rubbing alcohol, super glue, modeling glue, most liquors, paints, fingernail polish remover, liquid candles, hair spray, pam cooking spray, perfumes and colognes, sterno for fondue pots, etc. etc. etc. My assumption when reading this in the contract was that by "lighter fluid" they mean charcoal lighter fluid (since they go on to explain that charcoal grills are also prohibited.) At the time, I assumed that they meant not to keep anything stupid in your apartment such as kerosene, etc. Take this as a warning, all smokers out there! They can and will terminate your lease for having fluid to refill your lighters in your apartment!
When I got home from work, I immediately checked the stove to see how bad it was that they had terminated my lease. When I saw the small amount of charring beneath the heat plates I simply couldn't believe it. I immediately grabbed my digital camera, and started taking pictures of the entire apartment exactly as it was at the time of inspection. Those pictures follow:

 

This is my front porch:

 

This is what the living room of an apartment that isn't being maintained looks like:

 

This is what the dining area of an apartment that isn't being maintained looks like:

 

This is what the kitchen of an apartment that isn't being maintained looks like:

 

This is what the stove of an apartment that isn't being maintained looks like:

 

This is what the hall closet of an apartment that isn't being maintained looks like:

 

This is what the bathroom of an apartment that isn't being maintained looks like:

 

This is what the bathroom sink of an apartment that isn't being maintained looks like:

 

This is what the bedroom of an apartment that isn't being maintained looks like:

 

This is also what the bedroom of an apartment that isn't being maintained looks like:

 

This is what the bedroom closet of an apartment that isn't being maintained looks like:

 

Now that you've had the walkthrough of the apartment, let's go through it step by step and point out all of the infractions that caused me to have my lease terminated:

.

    First: The front porch.

    1.) The aerosol can in the cigarette butts that was such a fire hazard, is a nearly emtpy can of WD-40 sitting in my recycle bin. At some point, I was lazy and emptied an old ashtray into the bin. Now, if we want to assume that I'm a complete moron, and dumped an ashtray I had recently been using, I would agree that this was a fire hazard. However, this was not the case. (To my best recollection, I believe that I placed the WD-40 on top of the air conditioner the night that I received the letter. I certainly don't recall throwing it away, since I use it on my rollerblades, but I've no way of proving that someone might have moved it.)

    2.) The "swarms" of bees are the carpenter bees (note the violent single bee swarm...) that plague the Fox Chase apartments. Anyone who lives at an apartment here, particularly those that face the sun, have seen them in droves. Carpenter bees are not terribly difficult to get rid of in such small numbers. In the 2+ years I've been here, Fox Chase apartments has done nothing to control them that I'm aware of. The females can sting, but are very docile, and it's not likely you'll even see them. The males are very aggressive, but have no stinger, so are actually harmless. (The males are the ones that buzz around in your face.) Carpenter bees are not attracted to garbage, paper, cardboard, or anything else. Their only interest is in the wood railing in the front of your apartment. The circle at (4) shows where the bees have been boring in the wood. They generally come out of the wood in April/May as the season warms up, and this is the prime time to see them fighting for nesting. Basically, the woman obviously knew absolutely nothing about the bees, but was really reaching to try and find reasons to terminate my lease.

    3.) The "red sticky stuff" that's "all over" my porch is a series of 7 spots on my own cooler from a spring-action paintball pistol I purchased last weekend. As anyone who's ever played paintball can tell you, the paint is more of a soap substance, that almost immediately disentigrates when hit with water. It is by no means "sticky" and a bee would have no more interest in paintball paint than they would have in the plastic cooler it's on.

 

The stove's missing drip pans :

As I'm sure many of those living in these apartments are aware, the drip pans purchased for the stoves are the wrong one. The drip pans that Fox Chase apartments provides are actually as much of a hazard (if not more of a hazard) than not having a drip pan at all. When the drip pans are placed into the stove, the following happens:


As you can see, the metal coil of the stove cannot set down with the drip pans in place. This poses a greater hazard of spilling when trying to cook on the stoves like this. After having hot grease splash out of the side of the pan, and land on the hot coils, creating what I determined to be a "fire hazard" (evidenced by the burn scar on my arm) I finally decided to remove the drip pans all together.

 

The drug paraphernalia:

1.) These three Shisha pipes have been discussed with the people at Fox Chase before. When I first moved in here (years ago), someone came through to do a pest inspection, and left a note stating that these things needed to be kept out of sight if I wanted to keep them. Now, I do appreciate that they didn't immediately terminate my lease without saying anything. However, I hold a security clearance and can't have people thinking I'm doping it up in my apartment. I immediately called the apartment complex and informed them that these pipes were Shisha pipes, used to smoke Shisha (Seen in circle (2)) which is a mixture of tobacco, and fruit. It's very common in all Arab countries, and in fact, there's a Shisha bar right here in Waldorf where you can go and sit, and enjoy a meal and some Shisha. I picked them up while I was in stationed at NAMRU-3 in Cairo, Egypt on my last tour in the Army. They are no more used for smoking drugs than my spoons are used for cooking crack. At this time, I informed them that they were more than welcome to come in and test anything in my apartment for any kind of drug residue. They apologized, said it was fine, and that it was no longer an issue. Well, obviously this wasn't the truth.

 

The hall closet:

There's really not much to say here. This is your typical little bottle of butane for the butane lighters, and Zippo fluid for (believe it or not) the Zippos. If you're a smoker, keep in mind that this is enough to have them terminate your lease.

 

Now, last but not least, the Dental Acrylic in the bedroom closet:

I purposely left this for last, because it has an absolutely surreal story to it.

First off, I'm sure you're wanting to know, "what is dental acrylic?" Dental acrylic is a liquid that mixes with Dental monomer to create false teeth. In the Army, I was an Animal Care Specialist/Medical Researcher, and worked with this stuff all the time. (Believe it or not, lots of dogs get false teeth. Especially military working dogs.) When I got here, I was talked into joining the theater group in La Plata (Port Tobacco Players.) This got me interested in theatrical effects, and I began the hobby of creating custom fake teeth. (Contact me if you need some custom fangs for halloween done cheap, although I don't know where I'll be living at that point.) One of the ingredients in the Dental Acrylic is Ethyl Methacrylate. On the same token, one of the ingredients in "The Works" drain unclogger is hydrochloric acid. Just because it's IN the mix, doesn't make the mix equally as dangerous.
Dental Acrylic has a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) rating similar to that of crazy glue. (Note: Crazy Glue is also a fire hazard that could get your lease terminated.) Basically, the rules are, don't throw flames at it, and use it outdoors (the fumes stink) and you'll be fine.

So, I get home on Thursday and take these pictures. (These were taken immediately after I got home, and nothing was touched. In fact, the coil on the front right of the stove was still lifted from the inspectors.) I figured I'd use them to appeal the case, since this whole case is absolutely ridiculous. I go to bed, have a restless night's sleep, and end up calling in sick to work the next day. And thank GOD I did.

At around 1600 (4:00 PM) on Friday, the 23rd, I hear fire engine and ambulance sirens getting close. In fact, I got to thinking they must be very close. Then there's a knock on my door. I crack the door open to see FOUR FIRE ENGINES, AN AMBULANCE, AND THE SHERIFF IN FRONT OF MY APARTMENT!!! The fireman, in full gear at the door, asks, "Do you have a hazardous fire condition in your apartment?!"
I responded "Not that I'm aware of!" threw on some clothes, and invited him in to take a look around. He seemed a bit confused, and called a gentleman over to talk to him. They chatted awhile, went back to their vehicle, chatted some more, and came back saying they'd had a report of a "dangerous chemical found in my apartment." I immediately knew what they were talking about, and could not BELIEVE that Fox Chase apartments had wasted THIS MANY of the city's resources over this petty little game they were playing! It's just fortunate that I was home at the time, and they didn't knock down the door with their axes. (It was several minutes that the blonde woman and her partner showed up, as far as I could tell. For several minutes, there was just a lot of confusion.)


Note that the hose is at the ready to douse the dangerous dental acrylic!


(Note other fire trucks, ambulance, and sheriff's vehicle to the left.)

I was mortified, having all of this attention in our neighborhood, and having it directed at me. This went WAY beyond harassment. I decided then and there that I wasn't going to appeal, because I had NO interest in staying in an apartment complex that treated its tenants like this for no apparent reason.
I took the fireman to my bedroom, and pointed out the dental acrylic to him, and explained what it was used for. He stated that apparently the people that own the complex didn't want me to have it in the apartment, and that he couldn't make me take it out, but asked if I would. I told him I would've been glad to take it out of the apartment even if THEY'D asked me too, but they certainly hadn't so much as hinted that it was so urgent. He seemed almost as embarrased as I was that he'd had to deploy so many of his own resources for what was obviously a bogus phone call.
Next, I had a discussion with the Sheriff, which basically went the same way. During this time, the blonde that had been causing all of this from the start showed up with one of her friends. After the Sheriff and I finished our discussion, he called them over to inform them that I'd be removing it from the apartment. When I asked why they hadn't bothered to just call me and ask for it to be removed instead of putting on the horse and pony show, the woman who had been so rude informed me that she didn't have my home phone number (which I had just given to her the day before.) Apparently a knock on the door was too difficult as well, assuming she had actually lost the number.
As the officer was getting ready to head out, I would've thought that at least one of these women would apologize to someone for the bogus phone call, the harassment, something... Instead, what did they demand to know? If they could come back through to "verify that it was removed" on Monday. I informed them that they could come back in 15 minutes for all I cared, because that's about how long it would take me to move this oh-so-dangerous dental acrylic to a friend's house.


(The woman who seems to be heading this up is on the right.)

In closing, I'd just like to say that I only WISH I knew what had prompted all of this in the first place? As far as I can remember, I've never met either of the women before, so it's not likely that I've insulted them. I've only once ever even called for a repair at my apartment (my garbage disposal blew up when I first moved in, over 2 years ago) so it's not even like I'm a complaining tenant. Since finishing my tour in the Army, I'm now a computer programmer, and seldom leave the apartment, and seldom make noise. I can't imagine that I've ever had a complaint from any of my neighbors. I really can't figure out what prompted this mess in the first place, but I would very much like to find out. The best I can figure is that I pay $920 a month in rent (now, since the yearly price hike) and perhaps they figure they can bring someone in to pay more.
During Christmas this year, I'd gone home to visit my family for a few weeks, and forgot to pay my rent before leaving the state. When I returned, I immediately paid it (even before returning to my apartment) and was 22 days late with the payment. I received an Eviction Notice several days later, and when I called about it, I was told they'd already gotten the payment, but the paperwork had been filed BEFORE I made that payment. (Eviction after about 20 days late on a payment. Keep that in mind, people. I called and asked them about this, and they said it was "policy.") They told me not to worry about it, since everything was fine now. I can only guess that this is what put me on their radar.
The reality of it is that I'm really an incredibly easy to get along with person. I don't like rocking the boat, and I certainly don't go out of my way to make life more difficult for others. I simply can't understand what the motives behind these people are. Perhaps it's just these people at this particular apartment complex, or maybe this is par for the course throughout the entirety of ARMC. Either way, I think it's equally as important that you, as other tenants of Fox Chase are aware of just how flimsy the document you signed really is.

If you're a tenant at Fox Chase apartments, let this be a warning to you. They can and will find a reason to terminate your lease whenever it's convenient for them. With the kinds of things they terminated my lease for, I guarantee you that they can find similar things in your own apartment. It might be a good idea for you to find a back-up plan in case your lease is terminated. I wish I'd had one.

UPDATE: It's now Monday, the 26th, and the fun hasn't stopped. Today, they were supposed to be coming back to verify that the Dental Acrylic had been removed from the apartment after the show on Friday. They have given me no reason to trust them, so I had my friend (the same one that went to borrow the vacuum) house-sit so someone would be there when they came through. This time, it was the two women shown above, and a man with them. Apparently, they weren't just there to "verify that the Acrylic wasn't there," since they walked through the whole apartment again, and stopped at various places to take notes. (Once again, they hovered around the stove for a bit.) They left a note stating that they had been through for a "re-inspection." Now keep in mind that I have yet to receive any paperwork telling me what all the problems with the apartment are in the FIRST place. Then, I have ten days from that time to fix the problems and appeal the case (and this is according to the woman who's heading this thing up.) However, I have gotten no paperwork, and yet they came in to do a "re-inspection" without my permission? I only authorized them, (in front of the Sheriff, fortunately) to verify that the Dental Acrylic was removed. (I also removed the butane, zippo fluid, and emptied the garbage just to be safe.) There's something incredibly shady going on here.

If you are a lawyer that would like to take this case up, or anyone from the media that would like to see this go public, contact me at: foxchase@javin-inc.com

FINAL UPDATE: After months of dealing with this nightmare, all was finally made clear. First, I contacted the chief of the fire department to ask him what the procedure was for filing a formal complaint that Fox Chase had knowingly, and purposely filed a false report to the fire department. His response was that they "work with them all the time" (work with them?) and that this was a simple misunderstanding. Basically, nothing needed to be done. Next, I sent contacts to 40 (count them, forty) different lawyers asking for one to pick up a harassment case against Fox Chase. I received precisely ONE response. That one response said, and I quote:

"ARMC is a large corporation that owns all of Southern Maryland and Puerto Rico. It's kind of a 'good ole boy' justice system down here. If you want to find anyone that will be willing to go against them, you will have to hire a lawyer from out of state. Sorry."

Fox Chase never did supply me with *any* paperwork stating what problems they found with the apartment. Ever. After this entire charade, they never once sent me a shred of anything that they knew could be used as evidence in court. As my lease was coming up due for renewal, they instead simply refused to renew my lease, forcing me to move out just as effectively as an eviction, still with no reason cited as to why. When I put up this website, they threatened to sue me if I didn't take it down. I ignored them, knowing they never really want a judge to see this. Finally, after moving to a friend's house (I was unable to find housing on such short notice) I called Fox Chase up to ask if they had any apartments open, out of curiosity. "Certainly!" they said, as they'd "just had one open up." The rent? $1400 a month. For my apartment, they'd wanted to be able to charge an additional $500 a month rent. Since they couldn't legally increase my rent by more than 50% in a single year, this was their solution (and I would later find out, their policy) all along. They tried to find a reason to evict. When I didn't bite on that, they resorted to harassment. When I still fought back, they simply refused to renew the lease. I now know why I had my home taken from me: so Fox Chase, and ARMC could make some extra money. After asking around at work, I found another woman who had received the same treatment. She had a pair of boxer shorts she wore around the house (the crotch was sewn closed) and she was single. When they came in to find a reason to evict her, they stated that because she had a pair of boxer shorts in the apartment, and that her razors were blue instead of pink, that she had a boyfriend living there, a violation of the lease, and they evicted her. I say again, she was single. She didn't fight back at all, and was fully evicted.

I say again, they can, and they will eventually evict you. And there is absolutely nothing you can legally do about it. When they decide to throw you out to bring in a higher paying tenant, they will. Period. There are a lot of Military personnel at these apartments too. Trust me, the fact that I was a veteran, and that this was my first apartment in the States after a year and a half tour in Egypt made absolutely no difference to them. Don't believe they won't mess with you because you're a military family.

I strongly recommend you start making plans now, and be ready to move at a moment's notice. Consider yourself warned.

When (not if) it happens to you, send me an E-Mail at this site. I will continue to update this page with stories of the other families that Fox Chase has thrown out of their homes so they can bring on tenants that will pay a few dollars more.