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A Tennessee-based rental company rescinded a request for some of its tenants to pay their rent again after its former property manager allegedly stole the initial payments.
Volunteer Management & Development Co. sent a letter on July 21 to some of its residents stating that even though the manager, Casey Oiler, was at fault, they would still need to pay rent again by the end of the year. But in a follow-up letter, at least two residents were told they no longer needed to repay, that the first letter was not authorized to be sent and that it "did not contain factual information."
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"As someone with a terminally ill child, I cannot work because I have so many doctors appointments to check on his bone marrow transplant," said Angel Baker, a resident of the company's low-income housing complex, Holly Tree Apartments. "I don’t have the funds to repay rent."
"I just don’t like how someone had to get the news involved to make a difference with this situation," she added.
Baker said she received the second letter Friday night, hours after Fox News asked the management company for comment on the first notice. The update indicated that residents would only be asked to repay if Oiler was ordered to provide restitution directly to them.
A second letter Volunteer Management & Development sent said the first contained false information. (Courtesy of Angel Baker)
Oiler was charged with theft of property in June, the Warren County Sheriff's department confirmed to Fox News. She is also under investigation for stolen payments in Dechar, Tennessee, reported WSMV 4.
Volunteer Management & Development, based in Jackson, Tennessee, declined to comment on the first letter and hasn't responded to a request for comment on the second.
Casey Oiler was charged with theft of property in June, according to the Warren County Sheriff's Department. (Courtesy Warren County Sheriff)
Oiler was fired before Volunteer Management & Development learned money orders were missing, the company told WSMV 4, though it didn't say why.
"Starting in August you will need to start paying the amount that is owed on your account that she took," the first letter read. "I understand this is difficult times and this was not your fault but this is the way Corporate and our lawyers want to handle this [sic]."
Volunteer Management & Development sent a letter in July asking residents to repay rent that its former employee allegedly stole. (Courtesy of Angel Baker)
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"Again, I am sorry," the letter said. "You entrusted someone with your money and it was stolen from you."
The author added that allowing a balance on the account causes "bookkeeping issues."
John Wilear, another Holly Tree Apartments resident, told WSMV 4 he's angry about the situation.
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A resident of Holly Tree Apartments said he's upset that his management company demanded he pay rent again after its former employee allegedly stole money orders. (Google Maps)
"Once it is in there, my responsibility is over," he said. "It is such a big mess."
"This is a low-income housing," Wilear added. "I work at Walmart, you know? I don’t make a ton of money."
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On alleged money orders Baker provided to Fox News, Oiler's name is written over "Holly Tree Apartments."
"I paid it, so I shouldn’t have to pay it back if I already paid it," Baker told WSMV 4.
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