Ripp Properties

Jess Ripp is a con artist. My daughter and I were in desperate need for a place to live, so I called a number on a sign of a location. Jess Ripp answered and told me they had another property available at their Dale Creek location in Greendale, WI. I had lived there once, with a bad experience, but he told me the management had changed. He sounded cold and mean, detached, like he wasn’t human. I told him about a past eviction that was dismissed, and he said that was okay, that I should call the manager. He snapped at me twice, with the number. I thought I would give it a chance, so I went in the next day, and this guy, Mark, wanted me to sign a lease and give him a cashier’s check. I asked if shouldn’t my application be reviewed first. He said, no, that it should be okay, and that I could even «run» to the bank to get another cashier’s check. During the interaction, he called Jess, and informed him that I wouldn’t sign the lease without approval of the application. Isn’t that the way it should be done? There was even a clause on the paperwork that I was to provide a «$ 100 nonrefundable application fee». WHAT??? Who gives a $ 100 nonrefundable fee to a prospective landlord??? That is illegal! Mark then got on the phone, and in ten minutes, told me I was disqualified because of my eviction, which I thought was already discussed with them. He refused to give me any of my forms or paperwork back. I called Jess back, and he told me that «he would never say it was okay for anyone with a prior eviction.» Hmm. Selective memory, I suppose.
The apartment, by the way, was GROSS. The carpet was supposed to be new but felt like gravel and looked like every cat in the neighbor puked on it. The bathroom had substantial water damage to the tiling… Mark told me it was just a little old and discolored due to age. RIGHT… The guest bathroom had dried blood on the faucet and sprayed everywhere, and there were little tiny bugs that flew out of the sink.
I would have loved the area, but the new management company isn’t any better than the previous company. Believe the reviews. Stay away!!! Oh, and don’t sign or give them any money, until they give you the keys!!!