Fenton Investment Co

It is my intent for this to be a fact-based, living review based on continuous interactions with Fenton Investment Co. It will be updated based on an ongoing relationship. In each update, I will state the previous rating and an updated rating. I am doing this to create transparency around Fenton's processes and to give the reviewee credit where credit is due over time.Application ProcessThis living review begins with a two-star rating ("Could've been better") based on my experience with the application process. My partner and I viewed two Fenton properties: one located in Armory Park which was a bit run-down; and another very nice property in West University. We submitted an application for the latter and were approved. Fenton requires submission of a holding deposit at application stage via money order. We submitted this, along with our application forms and medical documentation for an assistance animal directly to their office in Oro Valley. We submitted our application on a Friday, and it was approved on Monday. This was a straightforward process on our end.The week we were approved was a busy one for us, as we were both leaving on out-of-state travel. The application form states that a lease agreement must be signed within 48 hours of approval. This can be done digitally and did not pose a problem. However, they require the balance of the security deposit and first month's rent to be submitted by cashier's check, which was not possible for us on this timeline. We communicated that we could sign the rental agreement and requested a week's extension on the submission of funds until we returned to town. This was refused on the basis that it was against policy. I pointed out that application form does not state that funds are due at the time of signing the rental agreement, and they responded with details about internal processes and timelines not previously communicated to us. This escalated to Steven Fenton, who ultimately agreed to grant the extension.In a separate issue, the medical documentation for our assistance animal was overlooked and not noted in the rental agreement. The Fenton application form does not have a section for including information on any service/assistance animals or pets, only instructions to attach a request for an assistance animal. We followed these instructions. In a conversation with Steven Fenton, I was asked why I didn't declare a pet on the application form -- this was because there is no section or check box to do so -- and that they would have to assess whether our assistance animal should be treated as a pet for the purpose of imposing fees and pet rent. I responded with information about the Arizona Fair Housing Act, explaining that the responsibility of classification was not their decision. He conceded this point and suggested that we sign the rental agreement as-is, adding our assistance animal later. I declined this suggestion.Fenton redrafted the lease, adapting their standard pet agreement for the purposes of an assistance animal. I received legal advice that one of the clauses was not enforceable under FHA law and requested that the document be updated. They responded that they did not feel changes were necessary, then agreed to make the change upon my response that I'd received legal advice to the contrary.It is notable that Fenton ultimately agreed to grant an extension to submit the funds associated with executing the lease, redrafting the lease to include an assistance animal, and redrafting the pet agreement. However, these were all rife with conflict. I wonder how much more trust could have been established had responses been dialogs rather than arguments. We are moving forward on the rental with very cautious optimism. At this stage, we are fearful of retaliation based on the bellicose responses we received around exercising our tenants' rights. If you are entering an agreement with Fenton Investment Co., I strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with your rights and documenting communications. We were assured that most of their tenants are happy, and we are open to giving Fenton Investment Co. an opportunity to move forward with us positively.

What in lawsuit hell...like I don't even know where to begin, but heres my best shot..... after spending two weeks to schedule a viewing (where my cousin was going to go and FaceTime me, since I live in New York) I was never able to actually get into 1128 Tyndall, but what was frustrating is that I asked them if I could get an application anyway. As a real estate agent myself I explained that I could draw you a floor plan and give details as to how well I know how it looks based off of their listing photos. They declined, even after I was willing to sign a site unseen form. After many "reschedules" later they ended up sending photos (which I had already seen in their listing).---- Although getting a chance to view how the current tenant lived was a bit entertaining to look at. After getting the application I told her I would mail it out with photos of the checks ($50 credit check fee and $400 deposit) as well as the tracking number. Literally the next day "Avery" if thats her real name, said that an application was placed before mine..... after waiting two weeks to get photos which I already seen ...someone got there before me. She said that she sent the photos that were taken for me to the other party. Weird. At this point I really should have just parted ways, but because red flags pull me in like a tractor beam I begged them to consider my application as if I was some love struck teenage boy begging for a prom date. Avery said that they had to run the other parties credit and consider theirs first. So I emailed her a copy of my application while the other was en route in case they were doing a side by side comparison. While stuffing my face with taco bell and cookie dough watching "Once upon a Time" I get a call from Avery telling me that they were going to run my credit. I got so excited! Just the life change I needed, but heres the caveat. Since they are a "community based management" Whatever TF that means, she noticed that my application said I was married, she needed to have me add in my husband to the lease and I would be an occupant.It said on my application clear as day DO NOT CONTACT CURRENT LANDLORD MY HUSBAND AND I ARE GOING THROUGH A SEPARATION. Well without him I wouldn't get the apartment....So I called him and convinced him to fill out an application and send in another $50 to do so. Then I get a second call, Hi Courtney it says on your application to not contact your current landlord? We can't accept your application... Wait WTF lol you're kidding right? Let's break down the red flags shall we....#1. Asking to add my spouse to the application is a direct violation of Fair Housing for Family Status, especially since I have good credit, make well above the required amount #2. Lets forget about discrimination for a minute, the fact you took the time to find out that I was married on my application means that you also read "DO NOT CONTACT CURRENT LANDLORD" so the minute you asked for more paperwork proves that, that was not the reason why I was denied....so what was it? Application fees? You found out that my last name was Turkish? You might be able to screw over other people and their money, but I'm a good real estate agent with a solid source of financial means, I have no problem paying $1,000 for a $100 credit fee/ $400 deposit to stop slumlords such as this Company and I have way too much energy for one person. I'm not sure why they are avoiding my small claims paperwork that I have sent out twice, all of these fees are just getting tacked on to their bill, not to mention the potential city fines after my appointment with Fair Housing. They will most likely have to end up hiring a company to retrain their employees on fair housing as they should, and for what? All because I asked for my $100 fee back which I'm justly entitled to. Like, I'm surprised their knuckles don't bleed from dragging on the ground, honestly. Do better.

If you're in the market for a unique and historic rental that is close to the downtown or university area, I would check Fenton Investments. We were shown several apartments (Academy Lofts and a larger historic home closer to the university). Very different and definitely not the cookie cutter apartment complexes. So you have to be into something different when checking Fenton properties.Staff member that assisted in the showings was super friendly and answered all our questions. We were concerned at first looking at the other reviews but knew of someone who lived at the Academy Lofts and they never had a complaint.

I lived in loft 101 at the 420 S. 6th location, also known as "The Dorms at the Academy Lofts". Start to finish, it was the best rental experience I have ever had. They were responsive, flexible and just really nice people!From the very beginning they were accommodating to our specific needs. Because of a short sale on my then girlfriend's home, we needed to move into our loft inn the middle of the month. They made sure our place was clean and ready and allowed us to start our lease two weeks earlier than we had expected. When we moved in, the only issue we had was the fridge wouldn't go below 40 degrees even at the coldest setting. Instead of having to have someone come out and try and fix it, they just replaced it with a brand new one the day after we notified them! They were prompt on all of our service requests and we never had to arm wrestle with them to get things done.After our second year we were so happy with our loft, the community, and with the Fenton's as our landlords, that we signed a two year lease. We were concerned about a major raise of our rent because of the increase in popularity of downtown Tucson, but the price they gave us was very fair. Also, twice in our three years we screwed up mailing the check to them and even though we ended up paying late, they forgave the late fee.During the course of our three years at the Academy Lofts, we organized two block parties. We invited the Fenton staff to join us the first year, but because they couldn't make it they instead gave us a check to use for party expenses! Very generous and totally unexpected. When we threw the second block party, they repeated their generosity.Finally, three months after we signed our two year lease we discovered that my fiance was pregnant. While we loved our loft and would have stayed for at least another two or three years, it is not the right place to raise a newborn. We needed a place that had two bedrooms. We spoke with the Fenton's and explained our new situation. They were excited for us and told us that when the time came they would help us in anyway they could. True to their word, when we were ready to move out they found us a renter to take over our lease so we could move into a place with two bedrooms.The transfer of the loft to the new tenant was easy as pie and they refunded our full security deposit without hassle. I can honestly say that start to finish, we never had even one negative experience and I would rent from them again with confidence. They really treated us more like extended family than just a couple of tenants.

Terrible! They'll try to take everything they can from you. You'd be an idiot to rent from such a terrible business, especially after you read most of their reviews! Hell, I'm an idiot for doing business with Fenton!

Where is my money. it's been a month and you won't respond to my emails and phone calls with Audry go nowhere. Do I have to camp out in your office to get things done?

Do you want to live in an apartment complex with non-communicative management? Do you love discovering ceiling termites descending into your residence? Does being charged a carpet cleaning fee for your (heavily cracked) poured concrete floors sound like a good time? Then Academy Lofts is the place for you.Living here (not just reviewing based on a walkthrough and sales pitch), you'll never have to worry about receiving an annoying phone call from your apartment management ever again. Fenton Investments makes sure that no tenants at Academy Lofts receive any kind of call or email in a timely-- or any-- manner. Better yet, you won't even receive a copy of your signed lease! I enjoyed living here for the location and cost.I hated living here for the following reasons: - Leaks from the apartment above- Termites in the ceiling (Truly Nolen laughed when I asked if they had been out before; they said they've lost count of how frequently they came out)- Broken front gate- Poor / slow / no communication from office- Moldy shared washer/dryer (smelled throughout the whole floor)- Broken lock on doors- Even though the building is old, windows were painted shut (one way out only in a fire situation)- Massive cracks in the concrete floor Living in a historic building as old as this demands empathy as a tenant. Everything is aged, it's not full of upgrades, remodeling something from the late 19th century- that is clear to anyone who moves in, and is understandable. What is unclear is how Fenton Investment Co. employees not only lack management and communication skills, but pride themselves on that. Last tip, if this hasn't pushed you away yet: Make sure you read through your lease as fast as possible before signing (don't worry, they changed the language between the time they sent it to you initially and when you sign, but the less you know, the better, right?).Adding on, since I just read through the other reviews: I never did have any issues with receiving my security deposit back or payment issues, etc.

Stay away from Fenton Investment Co. and rent from someone else who is honest, competent, and uses proper and professional methods of doing business.The place I rented was in horrible shape upon move-in. Dirty kitchen and floors, broken glass, and even black mold growing inside a collapsed ceiling.Issues that came up throughout the lease never seemed to be addressed in a timely manner. I was often ignored.At the end of the lease, Fenton refused to give the security deposit back. After speaking with a few others who have rented from Fenton in the past, I learned that this is their common practice. I am having to take legal action with the state at this point.Steve Fenton is an incompetent business owner with no understanding of moral ethicacy. He will nickel and dime you for every single thing he can, leaving you with nothing in the end.No integrity, no honesty, no moral compass. Save yourself and do not rent from Fenton - I wish I hadn't...

Moved out, kept my deposit, didnt give me a reason why. Place had a problem with termites, I told them again and again, but they never fixed it. Were not helpful when I called, never did maintenance that I requested and cut corners on a lot of repairs around the place.

As a parent of a University of Arizona student, I would highly recommend any other company for your child's housing needs.BUYER BEWARE - good luck getting your deposit back.I'd rather get a root canal with no anesthetic than deal with Steve Fenton (owner) ever again.