Goldman Properties

I was in a difficult situation after a divorce, and being layed off after 15 years of service, and needless to say times were tight. I had to find a clean, safe and affordable apartment immediately to get back on my feet.
I spoke with Todd Goldman who answered my call on the first ring. He showed me three different apartments within my price range and I was approved and moved in within three days.
He really was a life saver. I had to move and find something immediately. This was six months ago, and now I am discussing what options are available with another bedroom. I really appreciate everything he has done

Todd is a personable person, so it’s hard not to like him in conversation. But as a business, Goldman Properties /​E&J Management isn’t professional except to stay within the confines of the law.
My wife and I moved from Chicago, and we found Goldman Properties on Craigslist. Our lease was up soon, and time was a factor.
After hitting a few dead-​ends on our visit to the area, we found Goldman Properties. I saw the property he was renting out on Google maps. Unimpressed, we still saw it as a stepping stone to better properties (we ended up buying a house).
Driving from Chicago all night, and having cleaned the old apartment the day previous, we called Todd and said we can meet at him at the apartment. He didn’t want to do this. We wanted us to drive an additional hour out of the way, and sign the lease at a restaurant. We obliged.
Instead of a 1-​year lease, of which was agreed upon on the phone, there was a 2-​year sitting in front of us. The car packed with our stuff, we begrudgingly agreed to it. It’d give us time to save for a house/​new apartment.
We drove back to the apartment and saw why he didn’t want us to meet him there. The apartment was filthy. There was dog hair on everything. Even on the stove, and in the back door curtain rack. And there was no gas, though I had asked him if everything would be ready to go, to be switched into my name. October, it’s cold, and we have no heat or hot water, though everything is in my name.
Turns out, the gas had been shut off for months, and there had to be a gas inspection, because there was a leak. Maintenance would come out in a couple of days, fix it, the gas guy would check it, and there was still a leak. Something that was supposed to be done by the time we got there. After 2 weeks, and both of us having the flu and allergy issues, the gas was finally on.
I work from home, and Todd decided to disconnect the building’s internet on a whim, when the lease mentions that all services to the building aren’t to be changed or disconnected without prior notification. Nope, not with Goldman Properties. We called AT&T, saying we had an issue with our connection. They came out, charged us $ 100 to tell us it wasn’t a faulty line or connection. Our landlord had AT&T banned from the property, and was going with Comcast as Comcast gave him a package deal and his own home free cable. Not a big deal, but this not only set me back 2 or 3 days of business time, but also $ 100 service fee to AT&T for coming out. A phone call from Goldman Properties? Not a chance.
The water bill also came through a mediator. Now as a home-​owner, I see what water actually costs, compared to the possible price-​gouge that Goldman Properties was most likely doing: Getting 1 bill, splitting it into 3rds (3 units in 1 building) with an additional pocket money for Todd. We cannot prove this, but it is our assumption, as there was no definite break-​down to which unit used what, and for what cost.
After our lease was up, we went to a month-​to-​month basis, as we negotiated and closed on our home. After 30 days, we didn’t get our security deposit back, though we had left the apartment in better shape than when we moved in. I even helped Todd out throughout our stay, keeping him up to date on building and neighborhood concerns.
Many phone calls and days after the 30-​day deadline, we had to seek out legal counsel and addressed the issue with litigation. Small claims court, my wife and I, and Goldman Properties finally settled on an agreement: Security Deposit plus some small monetary damages. We were entitled to double damages, but were merciful through a horrible 2-​year situation.
I’m 36 at the time of this review, and have never had such a residential nightmare from beginning to finish, and would highly recommend everyone not to use Goldman Properties. He’s friendly on the phone and in person, but wants nothing but your money with as little effort as possible.
Anyone else who is having a hard time getting your security deposit back, small claims court has a free service to mediate, and
has some free law advice with a chat/​email option. Highly recommended, if this is how Columbus landlords tend to treat its citizens/​customers.