FARGO — A Fargo man was evicted from his apartment after Goldmark Property Management said it failed to pay renters insurance and late fees that the company claimed.
But tenants have been purchasing renters insurance through third-party providers for years, he says, and rental companies have proof of that.
Robert Belke will appear in Cass County District Court on Friday, Oct. 4, where he plans to fight the eviction lawsuit filed by Goldmark on Wednesday. Goldmark claimed in the complaint that it has not paid $413.97 in “rent and late fees.” According to the complaint, Bolke pays $1,040 a month to rent an apartment from Goldmark.
“I had no idea what it was,” Bolke told the forum Thursday. “Why do I owe them so much money?”
Bolke, who has lived at the Prairiewood Meadows apartment complex at 137 Prairiewood Drive SE since 2019, said he obtained a ledger with late fees from Goldmark headquarters.
“I found out that what they were charging me for was renters insurance,” he said.
Goldmark had been charging Bolke $11 a month in insurance premiums since March, according to a ledger filed with court documents. Then, because he didn’t pay his premiums, the company started charging him $80 a month in late fees and premiums.
“This is where all these fees come from,” he said.
Goldmark requires tenants to carry renters insurance that covers at least $100,000 in damages. Residents can purchase insurance through Goldmark or submit documentation of coverage through an outside agent.
If residents do not provide proof of insurance, the lease states they will be charged $11 a month for Gold Mark insurance. The rental agreement also states that the tenant agrees to pay late fees.
Goldmark’s lawyer, Krista Andrews, pointed out in court that Mr. Belke had signed such a lease.
Bolke pointed to forum documents showing Goldmark purchased renters insurance through State Farm starting in 2019, three years before it began requiring coverage in June 2022. He said he gave the documents to Goldmark in April.
Goldmark Fargo regional manager Amanda Erdman said in court that the company did not have proof of insurance for Mr. Bolke.
He said Thursday that Mr. Goldmark never sent Mr. Bolke a renters insurance bill and that he did not receive any documentation of the terms of the renters insurance policy. An eviction notice was sent on September 6th, followed by a court summons on September 24th.
“The first time I heard about this renter’s (insurance) was when I got it,” he said, holding up an eviction notice.
He said this is not the first time Goldmark has unfairly charged Bolke extra fees. The same ledger shows late fees for not paying the $75 monthly fee from June 2022 to October of the same year.
Bolke should not have been charged a monthly fee because he has a long-term contract with Goldmark, he said. It took almost a year for Goldmark to completely cancel the late fees, he added.
“Now they’re doing the same thing here with this thing, but now they’re taking it to the point where if I don’t pay, they’re going to evict me,” he said.
Bolke said he has attempted to contact Goldmark multiple times to resolve the issue.
“Now they don’t want to talk to you,” he said.
After Thursday’s interview with Boelke, Erdmann told the forum that he could not comment on the situation of specific residents. She deferred questions to Simon Andris, Goldmark’s marketing director, who did not respond to messages left on the forum.
Bolke said he received a call from Erdmann after The Forum contacted Goldmark. She asked if she could settle the debt before appearing in court Friday, he said Thursday.
Mr. Erdmann acknowledged in court Friday that he called Mr. Boelke on Thursday afternoon to try to resolve the issue. She claimed she asked for a copy of his insurance card, but he refused.
Bolke told the court he was unable to provide insurance documents because he was at work.
“I worked until 1 a.m.,” he said.
When Belke asked why Erdman waited until 16 hours before the hearing to return her call, she said it is common practice to contact tenants before an eviction hearing to resolve the issue. said.
Bolke said evictions cost more than just late fees and housing. Goldmark asked Judicial Judge Scott Diamond to award the company $500 in attorney’s fees, along with late fees and renter’s insurance costs, along with other costs incurred in the court process.
He also had to take time off from work to attend a court hearing.
“At $40 an hour, you lose $320 just for eight hours, and another $120 for overtime,” he said. “You’ll lose $440 just by going to court.”
Diamond ruled in Goldmark’s favor, saying no evidence was presented in court that Bolke had provided Goldmark with proof of insurance. The presiding judge also granted Boelke an additional five days to leave the case.
“I can’t believe it,” Boelke said as he left the courtroom.
