This is a rental scam. The true property managers at the building being advertised had never heard of this person/company. The clue was when personal info was requested prior to being allowed to see the apartment. read more

This property managment company does what it can to keep the HOA fees constant and I am grateful for that. Living in the Canal Area of San Rafael where there is a 50/50% split between owners and renters is a difficult situation for any property managment company. This property services company holds monthly on line zoom meetings and very few owners attend. There just does not seem to be much interest because most of the residents are tenants who have no voice. There is only a very small community room for in person meetings so everything is decided by a small group of board members who are secretive. I appreciate the efforts of the landscaping committee designate Kathy Truett to plant drought resistant plants. I waited patiently for over 1 1/2 years to see my request fulfilled. I was pleased with the results. Nevertheless dogs and inconsiderate folks continue to "junk up the place with trash and dog poop" At least the needles and syringes and condom leftovers has improved. The driveway and carports areas were recently repaved by American Asphalt Company and they did superior and timely work. It was much needed as the old pavement was certainly last re-done about 20 years ago. This property is home to a very diverse cultural community. Many people are inconsiderate of their neighbors and the units are occupied by way too many inhabitants. Charles Properties does absolutely nothing about this and is totally tooth-less only sending out letters that are ignored by uninterested landlords. Smoking which is illegal in San Rafael continues in the car-ports and lawns generally trashing up the surroundings which are then cleaned up at great expense when a longtime resident/ower like me complains. Perhaps there is not much that can control this illegal behavior other than filing police reports. It is a sorry trash heap that amounts a smelly environment. My neighbors on Playa Del Rey are inconsiderate and nicotine addicts. Some try to clean up but Francisco the Guatemalan gentleman is on a collision course with cancer. read more

I lived in a community managed by Charles Property Services for 12 years. I am in a new community now and I look back and truly appreciate the way Charles Property Services handled everything. If I had a problem it was handled quickly and efficiently. Communication was open and direct. I always felt listened to. I feel that they did an outstanding job during the entire time I lived in my previous home. I am a satisfied customer! Anyone living at Baypoint Lagoons might want to send a thumbs up to Stephany Charles as she is the main reason this company is as great as it is. read more

They are now in the extortion business!! They will send letters with completely made up violations and demand that you attend their board meeting. If you are unable to make it, there is no phone number to call to contest, and they will fine for the fake violation. If anyone else has this issue, please contact me. I will be happy to sue this company. read more

When I bought my place, it was my first experience living in an HOA let alone dealing with a property management firm. I soon learned that it was going to be a bumpy ride. The property mgr at the time was not very responsive to owner requests and repairs weren't made in a timely fashion. Over the next few years it seemed like we hired every "fly by night" property manager in Marin. It went from bad to worse. A few years later I joined the Board of Directors and after about a year we found ourselves in the position of looking for a new mgr. We interviewed a few different companies, and finally hired Charles Property Services. When Stephany (Charles) came on board, she immediately got to work. She started fixing all of the problems that had plagued the association for years. The first task at hand was to help the Board with the daunting process of updating the CC&Rs. She kept us on track and provided us with great insight. At the same time, she started the process of having all of the buildings inspected to ensure repairs were made in a timely manner before more deterioration could occur. Where in the past other property managers REACTED to problems, Stephany was being PROACTIVE. A huge problem that had plagued our association were special assessments. In the first 5 years after buying my place, I paid upwards of $23,500 in special assessments. I won't go into the dirty details as to how and why this happened, but I will tell you that after Stephany came on board, there has not been an assessment since. Everyone at CPS is very experienced in managing properties. They regularly attend continuing education classes in order to keep their accreditation. They do not lie, they do not extort, they do not make up rules. They are professionals in their field. read more

I live in a Condo community located in Novato. Which is managed by Charles property services which handle all the HOA paperwork and other issues for our Condo Complex. Due to personal reasons I applied for a reverse mortgage loan. I am not sure how many people have experience going through reverse mortgage process. Getting any loan regarding to home or condo is pretty stressful. According to my experience getting reverse mortgage loan is more complicated and more stressful especially for the condo then getting conventional loan. Tons of documents were required from the HOA in very timely fashion by my lender. Some of the documents I never heard of. Charles property Services office staff was always there when me or my agent requested for any kind of documents we needed. They went above and beyond to provide us any documents when we needed. Documents were send to me and my agent within few hours of the request. Beside doing that CPS staff was there to educate and explain me regarding all the documents were required. I would like to thanks all the Charles property Services office staff and many thanks to Mary N in there office. My reverse mortgage loan process was made smooth and easier because of CPS office staff. There is no way I would of achieved my goal without the wonderful help of CPS office staff Beside this particular experience. When ever I needed help in any issue CPS responded in very timely and helpful way. I consider having CPS as our condo complex property management very fortunate. Lastly CPS you guys rock you are the best in my book. Mary N thanks again for your help. read more

Probably most unprofessional business I've ever encountered in my life. Why someone would be ok with owning a business with such low standards and poor reviews is beyond me. I was hung up on by receptionist Sarah because she didn't feel like having a normal conversation and answering simple questions. She then would not answer a single phone call that I placed back. When I showed up to the office to speak to whoever was in charge, Sarah slammed the door in my face, and Stephany, the owner, refused to come see me. Finally Mary, the manager, came out and immediately started screaming, saying that "because I'm a tenant I have no standing in anything." All I wanted to do was have a conversation with them about their lack of communication and awful awful customer service. Mary then again screamed at me with her eyes bulging out of her face and her veins popping on her neck, as she slammed the door in my face, locked it, and closed the blinds. Rest assured I will be filing a formal complaint not only with the BBB, but also with the County of Marin, as well as with my homeowners association. read more

I have to agree with those who have taken a great deal of time going over the details how Denise of Charles Property has made this community have so much hatred and distain for the HOA and the property management company. The times I have complained about things that are vitally important to me, my health, and the health of my neighbors gets washed under the table. And on top of that, once when I tried to complain again, they sent out a spy who found one tiny thing wrong on my patio, where over 99 percent of owners have the same thing, sent me a threatening letter demanding me to change it or I would be fined!!! I tried to explain that 99 percent of the other owners have the same situation and Denise simply said, this is none of your business!! Here is what gets me the most. LAUNDRY ROOMS. I have watched the so-called laundry service people come in. I timed them on several occasions. BOTH service people who went in to my laundry room left in under 20 SECONDS!!! They do nothing to help prevent the germs, pathogens, and filth that keeps building up, even with new washers and dryers, which are back to being filthy. They don't clean anything!! They empty the trash and leave. THAT'S IT. This is a MAJOR health concern. If I drop something on the filthy floors, I have to wash it again. And it gets expensive to have to do this. Also, there should be a rule whereby everyone using the laundry rooms should agree to use unscented detergents and dryer sheets. Because the laundry rooms don't vent out the roof, and I'm not sure how they get away with that, we are all left with toxic fumes billowing out of the vents. These toxins are especially dangerous to the elderly, the sick, and children. But nobody seems to care! NOBODY should ever be using detergents that are scented with the over 23 petrochemicals that effect their health, and ESPECIALLY when they use them in the outside laundry areas that plague everyone who inhale the fumes! Of course I tried to bring it up over and over and it got washed under the table. This complex uses Pacific Landscapes to do the grounds. I see this same landscape company all over Marin doing a beautiful job on other complexes and public spaces. But here, NOPE! They come in and butcher everything!! Why? because nobody is managing them here!! They race in here, butcher plants, and get out as fast as possible! This is an extremely unprofessional company and Denise should be fired. She is brash, cutting, emotionally unstable, and critical. She is abusive in her tone, and very vindictive. And because of it, the "energy" here totally sucks. Nobody likes living here. NOBODY!! And this is why everyone wants to rent out their condos. There is no feeling of community. Its a damn shame because Charles Mgmt could do something about it! read more

I have to give an update on my situation. CPS is the management company of Shelter Ridge (don't ask me why they hired them, given the horrible reviews). Regardless, they have failed in their duty in so many ways. They have failed to update their website with Minutes from board meetings until last month when they uploaded three years of meetings. They never updated the new board members names until June (elected in December). They almost never answer their phone, are unhelpful and rude when they finally do. But the biggest travesty is how they abuse the homeowners rights. They do not send notices about hearings so the owner won't know when there are complaints against them, then they start charging extra fees (legal fees) even before they have tried to get penalties paid, they set the legal fees at random, use no basis to apply them, and advise the board very poorly on the boards ability to do this. They don't provide the board members with communication from the HO, and they actually refuse to answer any questions regarding the fees, the legal fees, or why the HO weren't notified of the hearings. Then they collect checks and wait a month or so before saying the check was written incorrectly and there will be more penalties because of their delay. They will very likely cause huge harm one day to a HOA and the poor HOA will probably have to pay huge legal fees as a result. STAY AWAY from them and pay attention to this and all other reviews! read more

CPS was the property management firm which managed a family member's condo over the past year. Sarah and Stephany have been responsive and helpful, and understanding when I made a mistake regarding requirements in our HOA. I see there are negative reviews on here; all I can say is I haven't seen anything but a professional organization in my interactions with CPS (and better than the HOA which manages my current community!). read more

Our community is approaching our 6th year with Charles Property Services (CPS). I have been on the board for most of that time. We are in our 3rd year with our current community manager, Diane Kay. She has brought to our board a breadth of knowledge that she has gathered during her extensive career in property management. She holds very informative and productive monthly meetings taking care in explaining procedures and making sure the Board has all the necessary tools to make informed and appropriate decisions for our community. Her demeanor is professional with a sense of humor and kindness. She inherited several items that were considered 'differed maintenance'. She got right to work and addressed these longstanding items through a network of outstanding vendors that she has cultivated through the years. It has been a delight to work with CPS; specifically, Diane and the owner, Stephany Charles along with their staff: Sarah, Mary and Martha. My communications with them have all been very pleasant and helpful. I would highly recommend this property management firm to efficiently and expertly handle all your HOA needs. - Ruth Gould, Board President read more

They are supposed to manage Roundtree Condominium Complex in Marinwood. Manage? It's absurd! They shouldn't be able to manage gluing paper rings much less any properties! ‍ I have lived here several times and love this complex and it's surroundings. But the quality of people living here has steadily declined as owners move out & units are rented out by such low class people that Barbier Security was employed to patrol the complex.....in Marinwood! Where the average home price is inching closer to a cool million by the day, the most sought after community in Marin County. While there are still some lovely elderly people and stable families, they are crowded out by the majority: people w chronic substance abuse issues, unemployed (via their own merits) disabled (though I suspect fraud) chronic alcohoics, smokers (it's a non-smoking complex, but you wouldn't know it thanks to complete absence of an MANAGEMENT, much less enforcement of any kind) single parents w anger/drug issues, loud out of control kids, cranky older people who live to shout at kids for "playing too loud" (apparently bouncing a small ball on the ground, laughing and having fun come under this heading) older obnoxious teens who lack any parental supervision (unless you count the attempts through slurred, unintelligible ebonics in between hiccups ) running amok and vandalizing for fun..most who own dogs (the perfect pet for less than 900 ft condos w no fenced grass/yard) confiined to a 4x6 cement patio 23/24 hours a day=24 hour barking/whining/crying/scratching- their daily highlight? Two 5 minute "walks" to go the bathroom. Those are your neighbors. But the real showstopper? LAUNDRY ROOMS. A literal pit of bacteria. These insect and rodent-dropping infested rooms, continually updated with spiderwebs, cobwebs and whatever gets spilled, are THE most heinously filthy, nastiest,unhygienic, disease/pathogen ridden laundry rooms I've ever seen. High volume truck stop bathrooms hold a higher standard. Complete w cold, damp, pitted/cracked, stained cement floors, mold/mildew, filth of undetermined origin lining the 30+ year old dirty never washed mostly cracked windows, the nastiest filthiest stain covered dirty washers with mold crusted over the rubber trims with such foul odors emanating from the inside bins, so atrocious you end up washing in your sink. The equally revolting dryers have stains smeared inside,w a smell so noxious, you'd rather wait days for clothes to dry than subject anything clean to such nastiness. The combination of which, if you're forced to follow through, ends up with clothing dirtier than before washing! I'm not kidding - my clothes ACTUALLY SMELLED ten times worse after using, and with three times the amount of soap and dryer sheets. The constant noise levels of blaring t.v.s, music, yelling and fighting - drug runs/deals at all hours, cue dog barking and the loud demands to "shut up" that follow. It's like nails on a chalk board listening to this obnoxious garage every day. You cannot relax & be at peace trying to hear the leaves in the wind or birds singing. Again: The caliber of people is in stark contrast to the normally gracious, polite and helpful people that are synonymous with Marinwood. The Roundtree HOA needs a HUGE wake up call to hire COMPETENT MANAGEMENT in order to bring these Condominiums back to the stellar community that it was built to be. Property Management companies are PAID for their CONTINUED services, which includes taking a PRO ACTIVE stance, ensuring personal upkeep and a meticulous appearance in keeping with the reputation of Marinwood and OWES it to all the community and it's tax payers. I've called, emailed and written complaints numerous times over the years, without any changes whatsoever. 2017 UPDATE: I heard at least some of the washers/dryers were replaced after I'd moved (I'm hoping in part because of my TMI description) due to the the HOA....not Charles PM. Floors/Windows/Walls remain the same. So my recommendation still stands: Toss this Property Management company to the curb where it, and all the other old, archaic and USELESS trash" belongs! ***ALWAYS SET AN EXAMPLE- DO MORE THAN EXPECTED*** read more

Charles Properties just took over (10 days) our building and I have called their office numerous times leaving messages and as of today no one has responded by calling back. This is unacceptable, irresponsible, and this reflects on they unprofessional business. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. By far the worst property management company ever. Not professional. Denise clearly does not know how to do her job professionally. Hopefully this company will realize that Denise is not capable of handling her job. Hopefully they'll let her go and hire someone that's professional and actually listen to their clients. read more

This company manages the Knollwood Townhouses out near McNears in San Rafael and they have done an extremely poor job thus far. This community used to be very quiet and now it is constantly filled with noise from various projects, and obnoxious gardeners. They don't send proper notice of construction/repair plans, and you never know when you are going to suddenly find yourself enduring endless noise from painting projects or repairs that they fail to notify you of. They will only notify you of work being done on your unit or building, but not the building 20 feet away, which surely is just as important. On the days when the gardeners come, they run their blowers all day long, pushing a couple leaves around in circles, making insane amounts of noise to kill time. When you call their office to bring things to their attention you will most likely deal someone who has hardly ever(or never) even been to the properties they manage. Stephany's employees in her office seem entirely uninterested in hearing about what is happening, and one gets the sense that they have 'better things to do'. Last time I called they said that I should just email Stephany. When I called them to ask about the current painting project timeline, they were mostly clueless about the project and just said it was going to continue "weather permitting". It is so noisy that it is unlivable here. It is only common courtesy to notify everyone of this in advance. I would had moved out for a few weeks had I known. I've dealt with other management firms who will notify you if there is even going to be 20 minutes of sawing going on by your building on a single day....that's good management. Charles Property management wont even bother to notify you when there is going to be weeks of daily incessant generator and compressor and construction noise 20 feet from your head! Many of these noise issues have been brought to their attention over the years and previous weeks, and nothing has been done about it. This is what happens when you hire managers that don't live in the complex they are managing, or when you hire managers that oversee too many properties. There is no oversight, and unless the board makes a big stink about something, nothing gets done, and individual owners/renters are not taken into consideration. When the noise issues are address at Knollwood and Greenside I will consider updating/revising this review. read more

Last night was our first HOA meeting with Denise from Charles Property Services, i t was exactly as others have mentioned. Denise is rude, arrogant, acts as if she has no time for you, and insults clients as well. Interesting way to handle a new business client. My favorite part of the meeting was an older couple who was concerned about their dues being late because they had only received the payment coupons 3 days before the due date. They had lived on the property since 1979 and never been late once. Denise turned away from them and put her hand up to her head, (I guess to try and separate herself more), and started mumbling to no one that the dues was due on the first and considered late on the 15th blah, blah, blah. I don't think I have ever seen anything ruder. I think it's going to be a rough ride with this company. read more

Efficient, professional, accountable property management. Works closely with the HOA Board. As a homeowner, I appreciate their timely responses to calls and e-mails; and, how they schedule frequent walk-throughs of the property. They work with carefully selected vendors/contractors which provided high quality repairs and maintenance. read more

Well I'm another property owner disgusted with Charles Property Services. I pay A LOT each month in HOA fees and, believe you me, I am NOT getting my money's worth. I'm not even getting a penny's worth. They do not return phone calls or respond to emails. They do not post notices of maintenance activities or board meetings. In short, they are taking residents' money and doing NOTHING. There must be a supervisory agency in the state or county government that regulates such businesses. If any of you know of one, please post so that the MANY people suffering at the hands of Charles Property can take action. read more

If there were the ability to give A no star rating I would. Beware before you buy any condominiums always check to make sure Charles property management Is not the company in charge. They are the worst. They don't return phone calls or emails, they don't do what they're supposed to and they charge you for every little thing. And they are rude and have attitude when you ask them for anything. read more

Charles Property Svc has done a terrible job of managing my complex. They never return phone calls, and apparently have no plan to repair even the smallest problems here that make the property look run down and cheap. Most of the problems could be fixed in a day with a can of paint and a screwdriver. Then there's the more serious issue of defunct electrical boxes with dozens of wires hanging loose. I asked CPS to take a look to be sure it isn't a fire risk. Two months and they still haven't replied. They could at least communicate their long term plan. read more

I can see why this company has horrible reviews, many of which mention, their representative, Denise. She was not only unhelpful but offensive and patronizing to say the least. read more

Terrible! Worst management company in Marin, and Denise is miserable to deal with. Avoid Charles Property Services at all cost.

If you are on the Board, you are treated as "the customer", if not, you are treated like a second class citizen. Every single homeowner is "the customer". No one likes to attend the Board meetings because she has set an "us" against "them" tone with the Board. There is never a "welcome" or a friendly smile. It's a negative experience overall and if a survey was taken by a third party, they'd get a big fat ZERO. My wife and I would never recommend them. Enough said. read more

Not good.They are unclear about creating and following up on work orders for maintenance requests. I get a run around every time I contact our representative, Denise. She is defensive and dismissive every time I talk with her. The president of the HOA seems to be focused on pursuing her personal vendettas with neighbors. And the management company seems to be following the same path. read more

Unfortunately, the property manager Denise does not even know how to reply with civility to issues. Stay far away from anything they manage.

I always try to speak with Gina; she is helpful, calm and understanding when I'm upset, and gets back to me quickly. Gina is very gracious, and Charles Property Services needs to clone her a few times. Smile. read more

Denise of Charles Property has been a life saver for our association. She is responsive and keeps her promise to oversee any and all projects. She works extremely well with our association board. Many of our owners have told the board that they have had positive interaction with Denise. I highly recommend her. read more

The people that work here are extremely unprofessional and rude. Any time I request help with the property, it turns into a fight. Any questions turn into arguments and any negative remarks subject the home owners to constant harassment. The woman who answers the phone, Denise, is ready to fight as soon as she answers. The organization is led by someone from New Jersey who learned that the Client is always wrong. They also don't have any information on hand regarding board meeting times and notes. read more

I have had similar correspondence with Denise Wolford, as other yelpers have stated, where she was dismissive, hostile and rude. The way I handled it was to write a letter of complaint to the owner of Charles property services, (Stephany Charles) our board of directors and reached out to my fellow home owners and my fellow yelpers to do the same. Maybe if enough complaints come to peoples attention, maybe Denise will consider her approach and be more respectful?? read more