Caution! I'm going to be honest, I rented property from Backus due to the cheap rent. I went through the paperwork process required by the management company, met with the staff (whom were very nice and professional), and did not have an issue at all. Fast forward 1 year and 7 months, I was ready to move out. I was given a move out checklist and followed it to a tee. The guy who did the pre-inspection move out said we were, "in good shape." He didn't foresee any issues (the property was actually left in better shape then when we moved in). The final inspection was done and I got an estimate for my deposit return; was quoted less the half my deposit. I learned the lady I worked with when I moved in was no longer employed. Luckily, I took photos of the home. After proving proof via images, and receipts of cleaning services, and expressing my concerns, I received a bill in the mail... yes, a bill from Backus Properties! I now owed them money. I spoke with the manager and received bogus reason. I have not deposited my deposit and now filed a lawsuit. Looking back at the reviews, I'm having similar issues now that people wrote about over two years ago. The application process is quick and easy, rent is affordable, but in the long run Backus is just in it to steal your money. I urge everyone to use caution. I would NEVER recommend Backus to anyone, not even my enemies. We are all hard working people and can use our money for our kids and bills, not to be scammed. read more

This company has the worst customer service for their tenants. They do not respond to emails and they are rude and annoyed when you call. What kind of place charges you for communicating with them by phone? Are they trying to provide service or not? It really seems like they don't want any business the way they treat their tenants like second-class citizens. I would not go through them again. I urge all landlords who are considering hiring a property management company in salinas not to use them because they provide terrible service to your tenants and treats people without any respect. read more

I have worked with the Backus family for going on 4 years now. Molly is my primary contact and has always been great to my family and I. Before judging on previous posts I'd suggest you go directly to her. Bill is my property manager and has always been professional and honest. I would definitely recommend them to my family and friends. read more

The property manager called me to go over some issue the house had in the past. As I was inquiring more about it and kind of openly discussing it, he just said he was really busy and had to go. Practically hanged up on my face!!!! So rude and unprofessional... go to other companies... Can you imagine when you need something from them??? read more

No stars! They get negative stars from me. I don't have the time and space to write all of my complaints with these people: To summarize: First of all, I am a mature woman, a homeowner (for many years and rent my home out elsewhere), and a responsible, professional. I gave Backus a $1900.00 deposit and on my final inspection received a great report. Everything but the outside windows was "clean" . The tub/shower had stains that I could not remove (they were there before). I spent days cleaning and the inspector had even commented that it was clear that I had cleaned. I expected my pro-rated rent to come out of that deposit, leaving me with a refund of approximately $1000.00. I got none back. I was charged for bizarre stuff like a "supervision" charge - the long list goes on. I wrote a letter and made a copy of my final inspection, and after waiting nearly a month to hear back from them, I decided to take them to court. Right before I filed, I got a letter from them "compromising" and refunding a little over $300. After researching their charges and finding that most of them are completely unreasonable, I sent them another letter. They once again responded with another concession of an additional $100+. This still falls short of the $500 that they owe me. At this point, I don't particularly want to take the time to go to court, but I feel that I need to on principle. I really don't want them to continue to do this to others. PS~ They also totally screwed me on a couple of plumbing calls. One of which I got partially refunded after formally disputing it. read more

Sally and Bill do a fantastic job with property management, I highly recommend them.

Wish I'd read these reviews before we hired them. Terrible experience. Poor communication about what was happening with our property, late deposit of rent into our account, mystery charges like "general maintenance", etc. if you want rudeness, poor service, and your property management company yelling at you and insulting you on the phone, then go ahead an hire them. We fired them. read more

I would give these terrible people zero stars if possible. Long story short, they will rent to you, give you trouble for every little thing, and then when you decide to leave due to the terrible way they treat you, don't expect your deposit back. Homeowners, do not use this property management company... And renters... STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!! The owners of this terrible establishment do not care about you! They only care about money and will do anything to screw you out of it! read more

WARNING!!!! Home owners and tenants. This company and its people are not the right people to do business with. I just visited the office in Salinas to put in an application. I am a business owner doing work in the area. I wanted to inquire about possibly getting a property for a shorter time then 12 months. I was willing to pay extra and the entire lease up front. The "manager" couldn't be bothered to leave her office and spoke repeatedly through her assistants that just kept walking in and out of the back office. Still have no idea who the actual "manager" is. I inquired "wouldn't you agree this is special set of circumstances that would be very beneficial to your home owner?" "It would probably be good due diligence to at least run it bye them" they said no a rental is not for me and maybe I should I look to an extended stay! Hahahaha. So, home owners let this be a lesson. Your properties are being I trusted to poorly trained hourly staff with bad attitudes and a lazy "manager" that hides in the back office. The particular property has been listed for over 2 months. I wonder if the home owner would be pleased that 6 months of rent up front just walked out the door? read more

First of all Backus Properties is NOT raciest! My husband who is black and i who is white have rented from them for 4 years in Salinas. We have had nothing but great service from them. We are sad to be moving out from our property that is managed by Backus. Keep up the good work Sally and crew! read more

zero!!!! this company is horrible! do not rent from them. they will keep your whole deposit plus charge you extra for "damages" they have to fix. read more

One particularly rude employee is no longer with the company. Backus is working really hard to improve their customer service. Since Maegan Vidal was hired, my interactions with Backus have been very positive. Maegan is professional, courteous, returns your calls/emails promptly, and is pleasant to deal with. read more

I give this company NO STARS (it wouldnt let me post until I chose at least one)and would actually like to take stars away from them. First off, the people in the office are some of the rudest people Ive ever had to deal with in my life! Their lease paperwork is so long and extensive that its ridiculous. Almost like they want to put so much in there so you dont read it on purpose and then they can gouge you for money! They do not have a drop box at their office and do not accept personal checks, JUST MONEY ORDERS or ACH from your bank account. One month, the 5th fell on a Sunday and even though i know I shouldve taken the rent on Friday, I forgot. So I waited in the parking lot for the office to open and handed in my rent the second the office opened on Monday the 6th. I got a bill for $175 late fee 3 days later! AND they charges me $75 to NOTIFY me that i was late! $75 to mail me a notice!!! I tried to talk to them about it and asked since it was my first time ever being late (6 months into my lease,) if they would waive the fee one time, they said NO WAY. After this I had them automatically withdrawl my rent from my checking account and when they take it out, its not even til the 9th or 10th so I dont see why 12 hrs late was such a fuss. Sally Backus has sent me a fine for having a garage sale without a permit (which i didnt know you had to have) even thought the city didnt fine me, they just sent a notice. Shes fined me for dry grass (cuz she drives by my house EVERY WEEK) in August even though my neighbors that rent from her have dirt in their front yard,. She sent weed and feed guys to do the lawn and they broke my window (double paned, $400!!) and she said theyre not responsible. She's even talked to my neighbors about me and ask how I live. She asked them about a couple bags of garbage on the side of my house that were there for like a week and they said that i had taken them to the dump but she sent me a fine for violation of my lease for having debris around the premesis. A short time after I moved in the kitchen sink backed up into the bathtub so i called them, they sent a plumber. The plumber pulled a HUGE mass of BLACK hair out of the drain and then Backus sent me THE ENTIRE BILL saying I was responsible for it. I HAVE BLONDE HAIR!!! It was a $200 bill! Ive also received notices about the gophers in my yard that were there when I moved in. Because I wouldnt pay her ridiculous fees, she tried to end my lease 3 months early. When I told her no way, she tried to end it a month early and I told her Id be out at the end of my lease, or when I found a new place. I will not be cleaning the house when I move out because it was filthy when I moved in. Im sure they will be keeping my deposit anyway cuz of all these "miscellaneous" charges I wont pay. They charge you $75 just to send you a notification of 'whatever'. Just to MAIL YOU SOMETHING!!! When I moved in I had to call them like 3 times to get the cleaners to come wipe down walls, clean cat pooh out of the garage and dog pooh out of the backyard and deep clean the moldy, soap filmed bathroom and toilet. When I did the walk thru to initially view the unit they assured me it would be cleaned when I moved in. There was even Cheez Its in the rails to the closet doors and under the sink it looked like mice had been living there. The neighbors said some tweekers came one night for like 3 hours and cleaned and then left. Ive known the neighbors MY ENTIRE LIFE. They are very sad to see me go and tell me that nobody has lived in that house longer than a year for the 10 years they have owned the house next door. The people that rent from her on the other side of me are on Section 8 and never complain to her cuz she wont fix anything for them without raising their rent and they cant risk losing their section 8. Its sad. I dont know how anyone ever hires these slum lords to manage their properties, but yet I see their signs all over town and on Craigslist. THIS OFFICE IS A NIGHTMARE TO DEAL WITH AND I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THEM! read more

To the person (s) who read this review. I have no reason to waste my time with untrouths or rumors. I am writting this for YOUR benefit. Backus Property Management has EVERY INTENTION of keeping most if not ALL of your cleaning deposit. I do not care if you think you are leaving the place cleaner than you found it ( upon move-out ) read the fine print, they will repaint the entire place ( and charge you of course) we were non-smokers and lived there only a year. They will also clean the place again using Bill Backus' cleaning service (yep, you got it, a scam ) you see, you cannot (according to their contract ) clean the home yourself you must have it professionally done! there had better not be one single blade of grass longer than the other ( if you think I am kidding, I AM NOT!) or they will charge you a mowing fee and it aint $20.00! Now look, do yourself a favor DO NOT RENT from this company, Bill Backus does not possess people skills and is very very excitable and at times irrational. Backus Property management does not have YOUR interest at heart. Now, take a deep breath and look elsewhere, believe me as Monk say's "You''ll thank me later" read more

I highly recommend Backus Property Management. They have managed my property for ten years. I live in Connecticut, and I depend on them to take care of the property I highly value. They provide excellent screening of tenants, excellent supervision and maintenance of the property, and excellent communication. Phone calls, emails, inspection reports, photographs, newsletters, and, of course, financial statements are the forms of communication that keep me on top of what is going on. Tenant concerns are brought forward, assessed, and addressed. My experience has been BPM is on top of legal issues such as tenant rights and responsibilities, keeping up with current housing codes, getting appropriate permits, and using licensed and insured contractors. When I first interviewed BPM I let it be known that I needed someone to treat the property as if it were their own. I have not been disappointed. Their service is excellent. read more