“We did everything by the rules.
We moved out on time, gave the keys back,
and still they charged us for days we didn’t live there.
When we asked for an explanation, nobody answered.
It feels like they just expect people to give up.”
North Carolina, Aug 20, 2025 (Freedom Person)
Imagine this: a tenant discovers an error in their security deposit calculation, gathers all the proof, and sends a formal complaint to the property management company. In return, they get silence. Maybe an automatic email saying, “We received your request,” but no explanation, no resolution. Weeks pass, and still nothing.
For one person, it may seem like a small issue — just a few hundred dollars in dispute. But when a large company consistently ignores complaints, it raises a much bigger question: is this just bureaucratic inefficiency, or is silence being used as a deliberate tool to shield managers and maximize profits at the expense of tenants?
That is exactly the experience described by former renters in North Carolina who dealt with Morgan Properties.
How Companies Respond — and How They Don’t
Large property management firms like Morgan Properties often present tenants with centralized communication channels: corporate email addresses, automated ticketing systems, and “customer service” portals. In practice, this usually means:
- An automatic reply instead of a solution. The standard “Your request has been received” email.
- Redirecting the complaint to the local manager. Even if the complaint is about that very manager.
- No further response. After the first formal acknowledgment, communication often ends.
This pattern suggests a priority of protecting the company’s reputation and staff over resolving tenant concerns.
A Case at Kenton Place
At Kenton Place Apartments in Cornelius, NC, tenants who had lived there for more than two years and paid over $50,000 in rent faced over $2,000 in deductions from their security deposit. Among them was a charge of more than $500 for extra rent days — even though the tenants had returned the keys and vacated the unit before the lease end date.
Freedom Person published a brief report focused specifically on this “extra days” charge. Read the full investigation: When a Morgan Properties Manager Keith Varney Decides the Law Is Optional.
After Freedom Person published its article, property manager Keith Varney of Morgan Properties, overseeing Kenton Place Apartments in Cornelius, contacted the editorial team. Mr. Varney stated that Morgan Properties complies with North Carolina security deposit law and explained that any questions about deposit deductions should be discussed directly with the former tenant. At the same time, the tenant’s own written requests to the company received no substantive reply.
One of the tenants described the experience this way: “We did everything by the rules. We moved out on time, gave the keys back, and still they charged us for days we didn’t live there. When we asked for an explanation, nobody answered. It feels like they just expect people to give up.” This kind of testimony reflects the frustration many renters describe — a sense of powerlessness when a large corporation controls both the housing and the channels of communication.
Why It Matters
Silence in the face of documented facts is more than bureaucratic inefficiency — it reflects a power imbalance. When companies ignore tenants, they send a message: we control the money, the process, and the outcome.
Such systemic silence creates an asymmetry of power in the rental market. Tenants are left with stress, financial losses, and the burden of pursuing complaints through state agencies or courts, while companies face no immediate cost for inaction.
Until that imbalance is addressed, similar disputes will continue — and corporate silence will remain one of the most effective tools of control in the housing market.
For those who have experienced similar issues with security deposit deductions or unclear move-out charges from Morgan Properties, Freedom Person, in partnership with ProfitDwelling.com, is collecting reports from affected tenants. Sharing your experience can help bring transparency and accountability. More information can be found here: Freedom Person – Reporting Unjustified Charges by Morgan Properties.
By Victor Green for Freedom Person
