From a landlords side I have to agree with the claims that these people are unscrupulous. A Ravenal agent leased my meticulously furnished home to a couple that they obviously did not even do a background check for. Then gave them the keys without even meeting them in person even to check them in at the property. The irresponsible tenants decided to take all the furnishings, art and accessories and carelessly dump them into one room, damaging drywall and all items in the process. Then they rigged the satellite to get a free signal and broke the washing machine. We were in the guest house when the tenants decided to move out within the first few days because their dogs did not like my sweet golden retriever. We did not see all the damages until they were gone. The Ravenal's made the determination that THEY could go to court if charges were pressed by the tenants so fully reimbursed them for the deposit! Avoid this company at all cost. read more

With the time to search for apartments in Charleston nearing, I have to warn young adults and students to stay far away from this (as previously mentioned in another review) joke of a property management company. If you are lucky enough to have a staff member pick up the phone, they are rude and are constantly blaming the issue on the person "above" them- and that person always happens to be on a business trip and is impossible to reach. I knew it was going to be a long year when I went to go pick up my street parking pass at the DMV. After getting to the DMV, I found out that the property I was in, was just outside of the street parking zone. I had confirmed with the property manager over three times that this unit had street parking- a huge factor for me. When I brought it to his attention, asking what my other options were, he responded with, "I might have said you would be able to get a parking pass, but honestly you don't have that in writing. So what can you do?" The property that I lived in, was above a family owned shop- the shop owner owned the entire building. The owner obviously cared far more about the property than Daniel Ravenel, and had fixed every problem I had before getting a response, if any, from Daniel Ravenel. Right before my lease was up, my roommates and I cleaned the place spotless. We have all lived in Charleston for 4+ years and are well aware of the move out expectations. We are also well aware of sleazy property management companies such as this one and decided to take a video moments before we left the property for the last time- documenting the condition of the entire property before leaving. We were shocked when each of us were only given a small portion of our security deposits back. After calling and e-mailing for weeks, I finally heard back from Daniel Ravenel. They charged us to repaint the entirety of the apartment. When I asked for an invoice of the painting services, I noticed they charged us for paint colors that were not even in the house. I was ensured that was a mistake and they would refund me- that's when they stopped fully responding. We were also charged an absurd cleaning fee. They argued that we left the place a wreck- claiming we left furniture that didn't belong to the property owner, left bags of trash, appliances, etc. They sent me photos old photos of the property as "proof"- they didn't think to remove the two year old time stamp from the photos. I pointed out to them that they were using old photos and I have *recent* video footage of the property right before I walked out. I then received an e-mail from Daniel Ravenel's attorney and was told I would have to go to court if I wanted to get the rest of my deposit back. I had recently taken a position outside of the state and didn't want to go through the hassle or costs, just for a few hundred dollars. Daniel Ravenel is completely aware that as young adults, we won't take it as far (or don't have the means to) as going to court over a few hundred dollars. It truly is a shame that this team takes advantage of that and is continuing to rip off and deceit its tenants. Please do your research and find another property management team! Avoid at all costs! read more

This property management company is a complete joke from the top down. Should have known this would be a terrible experience from our initial encounter with Ol' Danny and his sleaze bag disposition. When we first moved in, the apartment had just been painted which would have been great if the paint didn't have noxious fumes and cause us headaches whenever we entered the apartment. We consulted with a friend of ours who is in the painting business and he said the company either used expired paint or the cheapest paint available which led to the toxic fumes. Our apartment was on the first floor on a very busy street, so we couldn't open the windows or let it air out while we slept. They also painted the apartment next door at the same time which increased the toxic smell. When I called Danny Jr to try and remedy the situation he mocked me over the phone and said that it didn't smell at all. His solution was to have one of his lackeys come over and open all the windows to our apartment while we were at work/school without our knowledge. Again, our apartment was on the first floor of a busy street downtown and didn't have any screens or locking mechanisms over the windows preventing someone from entering. Thankfully we didn't have anyone steal anything. For anyone thinking I am exaggerating, one of the people living in the 2nd floor apartment had to be taken to the hospital because of the fumes. Luckily for us, we had a friend that let us crash their couch. If only that was end of our apartment nightmare... During our lease, the water pipes burst and required attention. They made us move all of our belongings into our bedroom (imagine furniture and and belongings piled to the ceiling) while the maintenance crew took their time ripping out the ceilings and walls for three weeks. The very shady crew even ruined two of our cloth chairs and didn't even address the issue. We were even left to clear up their mess, which if you have ever done any sort of drywall work, was extremely messy. During this entire ordeal we were not offered any sort of stay at a hotel, compensation or eduction in rent for our trouble. We complained multiple times and sent photos to them all to no avail. We went without an oven for an entire month over Thanksgiving because the owner couldn't decide if she wanted to fix the oven or replace it. I am sorry but if people are occupying your property you don't have weeks or months to just decide whether or not you want to do something, especially when it as important as an oven, especially over a holiday. We had upstair neighbors that would party and play fetch with their dog at all hours of the night. Which if you have ever lived in any old Charleston home you know the noise carries across the entire house for even the most mundane of tasks. Again we complained multiple times but the company never addressed our complaints. Do you see the trend here? They hired a guy to take out our garbage cans which was fine but he would slide them between the cars even if there wasn't enough room. He scratched the entire side of my car from forcing the large green cans between my car. Again I took photos and brought them to the company's attention and they never did anything. Unfortunately, sleazy and unscrupulous rental companies like this one are able to operate and rip people off time and time again with no consequence as there are no rules, regulations or departments in Charleston that look after renters and their rights. I am hoping this post will serve as a forewaring and buyer beware from anyone considering renting from these fraudsters acting as a rental company. read more

I've rented from them in the past, and wanted to make note of my great experience with their team. Renting through them gave us much relief knowing we could put work orders in through our tenant portals and they would always have someone out to repair the day of or day after. My property manager always kept us in the loop. They were Very transparent and the owner of our rental took great care of the house throughout our lease. Would rent from them again read more

Great pleasure to deal with! Very prompt to return all calls and worked with us start to finish and always made us feel like we were a top priority. We will always recommend them for rentals as well as buying / selling. Thank you for the great service! read more

Con men and crooks! Lied to us multiple times while we were renters and didn't help us at all when our air conditioning broke at our apartment. We had to go the entire month of July in Charleston without a/c because this company couldn't figure out whether they wanted to repair or replace our hvac. They were also very condescending and demeaning any time we had to talk to them. There are a lot of slum-lords in Charleston but these guys are some of the worst! Stay away from them. read more

I was relocated to Charleston for work rather quickly and only had a limited time to research and find a place to stay. I was referred to Daniel Ravenel Properties by another who had a good experience and I decided to contact them. We had a very candid conversation about what I wanted and where I wanted to live. I appreciated the discussion because the agent came back with options within my price range and in very ideal locations around Charleston. During my visits to each location, I was given a fair description of the area, what the perks/negatives were and what fit my lifestyle based on our initial conversation. The very last location he showed me was the most ideal in his opinion and I give him credit for being attuned to my needs. Ultimately, I chose the apartment he thought best suited me. I have now lived in my apartment for over a year and thus far have had no complaints. My unit had some minor plumbing issues but they were taken care of within a day or two after talking to the property manager. Since I have lived there, they have also implemented a tenant only section on their website that allows me to pay my rent online and submit any maintenance request. When I plan to upgrade, I will be using them to find my new home. read more

As an owner that used Daniel Ravenel to manage my long-term property, I would not recommend them to anyone. They are incompetent, unresponsive, and go against the directives of the owner. From the tenant side, they are also unresponsive. Want to go four days without HVAC in June before even getting a response from mgmt? Then use Daniel Ravenel. Want to have a security deposit refunded entirely despite extensive tenant damage? Use Daniel Ravenel. Want to move into a property that hasn't even been cleaned from the previous tenants and has holes in the wall? Use Daniel Ravenel. I can say from personal experience, this level of care stems from the top with the namesake himself setting the tones for his employees. Avoid at all costs. read more

Don't expect your full security deposit back. They rip you off and take forever to even mail the security deposit. Worst company ever. Don't rent with them. read more

I've rented from Daniel Ravenel for about 8 years now and it's been a wonderful experience. The property management team is very friendly and expedient when it comes to addressing maintenance requests. They are top notch! read more

Ravenel review Where do I begin with my experience with Daniel Ravenel Reality? I started renting a property March of 2017 and the whole process of getting approved and moved in couldn't be better. They were asking $1350.00 for rent on a property that had been on the market for over 50 days. I offered them and the owner of the house $1200.00 a month and they accepted it. The first 3 months were great, it was easy to pay rent online as well as sign the lease and have all the important documents in the palm of your hand anywhere you go. One day I came home from lunch to a random car I didn't notice in my driveway then once I parked another car quickly pulled up followed by one more car. It turned out to be the two property managers (Poole Holden and Steven Milonas) I have dealt with to rent the property. The third car turned out to be the owner himself, Daniel Ravenel. I asked repeatedly what was going on and the first response from Poole Holden was that he was there to give Steven Milonas the keys to my house and no real explanation as to why they were at my house. I then walked up to Steven and asked what was going on and he told me the owner of the house had passed away and that they need to inspect my house right then and there. I then asked why they were showing up to my house unannounced and why they had 3 cars surrounding my house and they claimed they had sent an email stating their visit. My roommate and I checked our email on the spot and either of us received any notification/email of their surprise visit. What they were doing was illegal in the state of South Carolina and they didn't apologize for what they did. Below is copied from scstatehouse.gov containing the tenants and landlords laws here in South Carolina. SECTION 27-40-530. Access (c) A landlord shall not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant. Except in cases under item (b) above, the landlord shall give the tenant at least twenty-four hours notice of his intent to enter and may enter only at reasonable times. (d) A landlord has no other right of access except: (1) pursuant to court order; (2) as permitted by Sections 27-40-720 and 27-40-730; (3) when accompanied by a law enforcement officer at reasonable times for the purpose of service of process in ejectment proceedings; or (4) unless the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the premises. My roommate and I didn't want any trouble and let them into our house as we had nothing to hide. Mr. Ravenel came Inside as well as Steven Milonas and continued to look through each room even opening closets. He made comments like "I hope their isn't any dead bodies in here". While they were there for their visit I mentioned a few things that needed attention like a door window that was broken when we moved in that decided to finally fall out as the door was opened and closed and also how the doors swelled with the heat and it made it very difficult to open and close the door. They replied that they would send their maintenance man out to repair the broken items and that an email would be sent out regarding when he would be there. A few weeks went by and we received an email stating that the new owners of the house decided to sell the house and they would need to come by and take pictures for the listing. Nothing about the repairs were mentioned, it seemed that they only had one thing on their mind and that was now selling the house. They set up a time that worked with both of our schedules for the photographer to come by. There were a few cancellations because of weather and was understandable. Finally the photographer was able to come and do his job and Steven Milonas joined him when he came. Steven told us that we would have to be able to have showings on the property in a 24 hour notice and we weren't exactly okay with that. Knowing we had to comply and agree with the owner selling the house and knowing it couldn't affect our signed lease. We told Steven we didn't appreciate them coming to our house unannounced and he showed no sympathy for us and didn't seem to care. He then went on to get an attitude with us and clearly didn't see why we were upset that our rights were being disrespected. I asked him what was going on with the repairs and he then replied that he would figure it out and send an email. I checked my email that afternoon and received another email from Daniel Ravenel Reality that they wanted to do a walk through the very next day, I replied that I was confused since the property manager of the rental property had just left my house. I received an email with the subject "two options" my two options were to stay in the house remainder of the lease or I could move out by September 30th. I felt it would benefit both parties if my roommate and I moved out by the 30th so they could get their house on the market and we could move on from this headache in our life. I decided I would move out and give them a 6 day notice even though they asked read more

I've rented through Daniel Ravenel at two different listing and couldn't be happier. Prompt, professional, friendly, and extremely helpful in every matter. I would definitely recommend this company read more

Please protect yourself and document everything to the Nth degree. Sad to say it, but you simply can't take them at their word. After a move out inspection, I was told my daughter would get her full security deposit refunded (and I saved the texts confirming this with the agent, as they had been so untrustworthy in the past). I was a co-signer on her lease. When the deposit was returned a month + later, they'd added bogus charges for cleaning and defects caused by their paint crew -- which they sent into the occupied house several days before the lease was up, unmasked during the COVID pandemic. When i asked about return of the deposit as promised at the walk-through, reply was "talk to our lawyer." I think they are so used to bullying young tenants they expect people to roll over. So now on to magistrate's court to show them the texts from the agent and the photos I took of every room. They'll lose, over a few hundred dollars, but want to make it as tough as possible. Sad, especially since my daughter and her roomies left that house in better shape than they found it. read more

Professional and personable and helped me find a charming rental in my budget. Would recommend. read more

We own a house in downtown Charleston that Daniel Ravenel manages. Dale Poulnot is our manager and she does a fantastic job. We were extremely dissatisfied with our first management company and switched to Daniel Ravenel in 2010. Our primary residence is 600 miles away from Charleston and we never have to worry about our property because Daniel Ravenel and his staff take such good care of everything! read more

We are currently renting from this company. I also have to state I own a management business in an other state also but moved down here for a new role after my divorce. I know the business well and have dealt with numerous companies over the years. This company is a "class act" from what I have seen so far and Dan really does care even if your just a tenant. Most management companies care more about the owners(because they own the property and the PM agreement is with them). Yes, its true and ive been on every side of the deal. We had some issues in the house with the owner of the property visiting and Dan has been very prompt and he follows up immediately as promised. Lets say that as a VA RE Broker from what I have seen here in Charleston SC with other companies Dan Ravenel Real Estate are in the top tiers of professionalism. Buy, Rent, Sell or manage with them and youll be in good hands. read more

I had just relocated to Charleston, SC and was in need of a temporary housing until we bought a house. I was introduced to Daniel Ravenel Real Estate by a couple of locals. I found Daniel jr, with whom I interacted very professional individual with a high sense of urgency to assist me. Within a short period of a couple of days he identified a few locations for me to look at and even though I ended up renting elsewhere, he extended outmost courtesies during and after the search. The pride Daniel has in their family business is very apparent in his behavior and I highly recommend him to newcomers to Charleston. read more

My family has been using Daniel Ravenel's management services for 6 years now and they have always treated us well. It can be very stressful owning property out of state and relying on someone else to handle everything. Daniel Ravenel and his team definitely put our minds at ease! read more