Client
This review describes my experience with landlord James K. Wetzel at his Gulfport office, I believe it should also be visible at the Biloxi location since both operate under his name. TL;DR: As a first-time business owner renting a commercial property (285 Gulfwater Dr. in Biloxi, MS) from James K. Wetzel, I paid $26,000 during the course of my lease. When I moved out and returned his key on April 30, he did not return my deposit within 45 days. Instead, 6 days after that deadline (51 days after I had moved out), he deducted "$600 per hour" for the cleanup of items that were present in the unit prior to my lease. His real estate agent told me at move-in that those items would be retrieved. I ultimately received only $1,600 of my $2,200 deposit on July 1 -- 17 days beyond the legal deadline. My last certified letter requesting a legal explanation has gone unanswered. Based on this experience, I would not recommend leasing from him. This was an expensive and stressful lesson as a first-time business owner. April 30 - Lease ended, keys returned May 9 - Letter about charges for 2 trash cans + other items not mine (no dollar amount) June 14 - 45-day legal deadline under Miss. Code SS 89-8-21 June 20 - Deduction letter for $600 (6 days late) June 27 - First refund check arrived, but not cashable July 1 - Final refund check received -- 62 days after move-out, 17 days past deadline During our final walkthrough, Wetzel told me everything looked fine and that my deposit would be returned once I gave back the key. I returned the key on April 30, the last day of my lease, but he didn't follow through. Under Mississippi law, he then had until June 14 to either return my deposit or provide an itemized list of deductions. Instead, over the following week he repeatedly called insisting I remove "my personal belongings," which I refused because they were not mine. On May 9, I received a letter stating I would be charged for "old files, boxes, and other items and two full trash cans." I accepted responsibility for only the 2 trash cans. On June 20--six days past the statutory deadline--Mr. Wetzel issued a deduction letter charging me "$600 per hour" for removal of all the items, without providing any receipts or invoices. Aside from the trash IN the cans, these items had been in the unit before I moved in. During my initial walkthrough with his real estate agent, I raised concern about roofing shingles, filing cabinets, and other stuff left by prior businesses (one of which still had its sign outside). She assured me they would be removed, but later Mr. Wetzel insisted I should handle them myself. The original listing photos for this location show one of the filing cabinets I was later charged for. From what I observed, it had been left behind by a prior tenant years earlier, then used by the next tenant, as it was filled with roofing paperwork from their business. It was never removed before I moved in. When I took possession, that cabinet was still there along with other abandoned items -- roofing shingles, a laptop, an iPhone, and more. Because these items appeared valuable, I left them under the good-faith belief they legally belonged to Mr. Wetzel and were not mine to discard. Despite this, my deposit was still reduced for them. In his May 9 letter, Mr. Wetzel wrote it was "7 days past my expiration date," which I take as an acknowledgment the lease ended no later than May 2 (though he miscounted). By my calculation, that still put him past the 45-day statutory deadline by the time I received a properly written, cashable check on July 1. The first refund check did not reach me until June 27 -- 13 days past the statutory deadline -- and it was written incorrectly, despite my certified letter specifically warning against that exact issue. Because it could not be cashed, I ultimately received only $1,600 of my $2,200 deposit on July 1 -- a full 62 days after move-out, which was 17 days beyond the deadline set by Mississippi Code SS 89-8-21. I sent one last letter requesting clarification, but never received a response.