I purchased a quad and already had a management company for my other rentals but since I bought…read morethis property from Mia Maddison, which the purchase and RE side has been great, decided to have them do management and renovations as well, it just made sense and maybe I would use them for all of my properties if things went well. I saw these reviews but I also have known the owners for years so just brushed it off as just outliers. The phone interview was great they said 10% fee which is normal. After getting a $180 lawn service bill for a tiny yard, I questioned the bills. Come to find out there's an additional markup fee on all vendor services. It was not clearly outlined in the management agreement nor was mentioned in the conversation at all. Through bookkeeping, I was then informed that invoices include a 10% markup for repairs and maintenance under $500, and 5% for amounts over $500. Then when communicating with the property manager that is not the policy, its 10% markup for everything, so even the departments do not communicate well.
When I questioned why this fee was neither disclosed nor clearly stated in the management agreement, they responded that it is "standard policy" and not required to be listed. That explanation is concerning. None of the other property management companies I've worked with--including those I currently use in Ohio--charge these types of undisclosed markups. Based on my experience, this is not standard practice, and at a minimum, it should be transparently disclosed.
Additionally, the lawn care charges were excessive. The $180 service took me approximately 17 minutes to complete myself with a push mower. Even the new provider I hired expressed hesitation charging $50 per visit, stating that was their minimum.
I am also concerned about the decision not to require renters' insurance. In my experience, this is a basic requirement across reputable management companies. Ironically, the one property where renters' insurance was not required is the one that experienced a flood, which introduced a separate set of issues.
The handling of that flood and the communication throughout the process were extremely poor. While I was overseas in Germany, I had to coordinate between USAA and the management company myself, which should not have been necessary. USAA had a very hard time getting someone on the phone to coordinate an inspection of the damages. Communication was inconsistent, and I had little to no visibility into the repair status. For months, I did not know whether the unit was still wet or if there were potential mold concerns.
There were also significant issues with billing and project oversight. I received an invoice for flooring 11 months after the work was completed. While I understand the vendor may share responsibility, it is difficult to believe no follow-up occurred during that time. Proactive communication should have been provided.
Furthermore, I made it clear that my goal with the renovations was to invest in cost-effective but durable, long-term solutions. Instead, the cheapest flooring was installed without properly addressing the subfloor. As a result, the flooring is already showing signs of failure and will likely need to be replaced again in the near future--this time requiring the subfloor to be corrected as it should have been initially.
I also repeatedly attempted to obtain a clear and final accounting of all expenses. Despite multiple communications with accounting, I was unable to get a definitive answer, even for known pending invoices. During our final meeting, I was provided with what was represented as the final balance, which I paid immediately via check marked "account paid in full." Despite this, I received an additional invoice one to two months later.
I like working with the main Real estate side and investment opportunities but will never go back to having them manage a property.
