This is a cross posting / summary version of the review I wrote for Laus Investment Group, which is the same group of people as Good Earth Realty (I rented 777 5th Ave, "Good Earth Realty" advertising sign was on the building and "Laus Investment Group" was on the lease). I sincerely hope that you are reading this review BEFORE signing a lease. Based on my experience, the people involved in this business are at best grossly incompetent and at worst purposely manipulative and irresponsible. When my roommate and I moved in, nothing was cleaned, a lot of things were broken, and there was even a dirty ladder left in the room (see photos). Long story short, no one answered the phone number on the lease, Laura Costello (the leasing agent) blamed Kennan Lau (the landlords' son), Kennan blamed Laura, and the landlords did not answer my calls or emails until I threatened to break the lease and sent certified mail of details of the issues with the place. As an aside, Laura said the landlords are very old and don't use email, but turns out the landlords were plenty fine at using email, at least when they wanted money from us: one month when our rent hadn't arrived in their bank account by the second to last day of the month, they emailed us asking about it. My overall impression of Ms. Lau (one of the landlords who became the main point of contact) is that she is very manipulative and stingy. I'll highlight two of the many exchanges we had: - When we first moved in, the apartment was so filthy. We weren't able to get in touch with Ms. Lau until the 3rd day (due to the whole Laura-Kennan blame game) and when we finally got in touch with her, she said that her cleaning lady was too busy to come clean due to COVID-19 increasing demand for cleaning. This was a ridiculous excuse as we know that there was no one occupying the unit for at least 3 weeks before we moved in based on when we viewed the apartment, and it was frustrating that she still didn't prioritize the cleaning. I asked her if we could find our own cleaner and get reimbursed, and she gave us a budget of $80. There is no legitimate cleaner who would clean 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen for $80!!! We eventually haggled to $150 and that amount only covered the kitchen and the bathroom. - We were given only one set of keys for two people on the lease. When I pointed this out to her she said "you can just make a copy" and when I asked her if she would reimburse us for it she answered "it's not a big deal, just do it yourself." The missing set of keys was one of the smallest problems compared to everything else so I let this go, but I think this exchange sheds some light onto how she does business. Time skip to the end of our lease: trying to get our security deposit back. We took photos and videos of the whole place when we moved in so that we couldn't be blamed for any damages that already existed. Ms. Lau tried to blame us for floor scratches, missing curtains, chipped paint, and other damages that already existed when we moved in. I tried to reason with her, showing her the initial condition photos and videos that I took to prove that we did not cause the issues, and then she said, "Look, there's no point in fighting about these details, just tell me how much you think is reasonable for you to pay." After we settled on a number, she found a different way to withhold a lot of the security deposit: a whole years' worth of shared utility bills, and she said she would "waive" the damages fee as if she were being super generous. No one ever billed us while the lease was ongoing, and the shared bills were calculated to be split among the number of occupied units rather than the total number units in the building even though the garbage and shared PG&E would be the same total amount no matter how many units are occupied. With only half of the total units occupied, our portion was insanely expensive. Tldr: Only rent with Laus Investment Group if you are ok with losing your security deposit and paying ridiculous amounts of your time, money, and effort dealing with people! read more

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Sell your building on 4th and balboa so the neighborhood blight gets better. Units have been vacant for 10+ years with no signs of even showing to renters. Hopefully the city starts fining you. read more

Do yourself a favor or two before you go into business with Mrs Lau: Check the DBI records http://dbiweb.sfgov.org/dbipts/ for the address of the apartment that you're considering leasing. Look up the 311 complaints about the building. Look up "Sophie Lau" and "Good Earth Realty" and "Lau Investment" and "Laus Investment" in the superior court docket (http://www.sfsuperiorcourt.org/online-services). Check out how many times former tenants have had to sue them for the return of their deposit. Think about how many tenants were too tired to take them to court, or didn't know how. Think about how many tenants just moved because they didn't have time to wait for the DBI or didn't know how to go to the rent board to get repairs made. If it is too late for you, if you are already living in a one of their buildings, know that you have recourse. Get your hands on a copy of the SF Tenant's Union manual. Talk to a counselor at the Rent Board. It is possible to hold them accountable, and get repairs made. But if you're looking now, for a new apartment? I know they aren't cutting you a break. You can find better deals anywhere. Don't get embroiled in their shenanigans. Trust your gut and walk away. We spent months asking them to fix the most basic things in our unit: leaking faucets, taps that fall off in your hands, lights that just don't work. And then the rains started and our apartment was flooded and we discovered that countless previous tenants had complained and eventually moved out. They just patched the paint and found new tenants. She tried to make one neighbor pay for paint damaged by the leak in his unit, and told us we'll have to pay for a cleaning service because you can't actually do your makeup in the reflection on our stainless refrigerator. It is plenty clean, just not polished to a perfect shine. They will do anything to avoid the most basic repairs. Mrs Lau will lie, outright, to your face. And Good Earth Realty will fight tooth and nail to keep your deposit. You don't want to live like that. Nobody does. read more

I would also give Sophie Laus and Co a negative rating if possible. I am currently renting a unit from them that has consistent electrical problems and they refuse to fix it. Apparently a microwave, stove and refrigerator in the kitchen is too much to ask. They will give you the run around on every possible item. They also send illegal aliens for maintenance and repairs. Also any security deposit they ask for is refundable - do not let them tell you otherwise. I am now sitting in an apartment without power with my 7yr old son. Sophie's response to my call was to call PG and E. When I told her it was her property and she needed to make the call she hung up on me. My refrigerator has been leaking gallons of water for weeks now. They refuse to fix it. They also have an electrical extension placed on the floor next to the refrigerator that is leaking. The bathroom sink leaks non stop. Mr. Lau came to fix it and his fix was to shut off the hot water to the sink for a week. My bath tub is now leaking as well. Non stop drips. I asked them to fix it but told them that under no uncertain terms would I approve of the hot water being shut off for a week. Rent of you are desperate but beware, it comes with a price of constant nagging and hazardous living conditions. How these people are even in business is beyond me. read more

Good Earth Realty - Extension outlet dangling behind the refrigerator - Real Estate Agents Near Me - San Francisco, California

We rented from Sophie Lau from 1998-2002. It was a 3-bedroom hovel on Greenwich at Columbus. Highlights: Our "kitchen" was so small the refrigerator would only fit in the living room closet. One January day, our gas heater exploded and shot a fireball out the bottom, setting the carpet ablaze. It took eleven days of calls and letters, and finally an in-person visit, to get them to address the problem. Their solution: Mr. Lau used a Dirt Devil on the inside of the heater for 30 seconds, then left. No heat. January. We gave over 30 days' notice when we left. Mrs. Lau tried to keep half our deposit for nonsense reasons. We sued and won in small claims court. She called to tell me she wasn't going to pay, that she could make it really hard for us to collect the money, that I should just accept a check for a substantially smaller amount. I told her to fuck off. She appealed. She lost the appeal too, and paid us after the decision. In the 10 years leading up to 2002, she had been sued over fifty times under various DBAs. The court clerk recognized her at first glance. For good measure, KRON did a consumer advocacy segment a year later, profiling Sophie and Good Earth as "the worst landlord in San Francisco." They caught her coming out of (where else) the courthouse. Three guys -- reporter, cameraman, boom mike operator -- chased her up the street to her SUV. I slept the sleep of the vindicated that night...a deep, restful sleep. It's not the dotcom era anymore. You can find another place to live, I promise. This lady is a crook and it has made her very wealthy. Don't get screwed by these people -- and trust me, they will try. read more

SOPHIE LAU IS A CROOK!!! If I can give them a 0 star review, I would. All the other reviews speak for themselves. Here is my situation; She was renting out an apartment, my roommate and I agreed to meet her and view the apartment. THE APARTMENT WAS TRASH. The sinks and toilets were taken out...the place was unlivable. She said that she would he doing a total renovation and would hold the apartment (for a deposit). She promised that we would give the deposit back if 1) the renovation was not up to our satisfaction 2) it was not done in a timely manner. SHE LIED. She tried to keep the whole deposit after it was not completed in time and we needed to take another apartment in a pinch. NEVER GIVE HER BUSINESS...NEVER GIVE HER MONEY!!! STAY AWAY...PLEASE. read more

My first San Francisco apartment was owned and managed by these horrible slumlords. The WORST rental experience I ever had. Of course, this was back in 2000/2001 when the market was such that people could get away with charging crazy amounts of money for run-down crapholes in Lower Nob Hill. I am not exaggerating about the ridiculousness of these folks. My roommate called to notify them that there was water flooding into his bedroom and mold problems, and they couldn't bother to send someone over that day. It was not just a leak, it was freaking flooding! And the building had rats periodically making it their home! We had to move out for our health, safety, and sanity. But this was considered "breaking our lease" even though I cannot justify how they were living up to their end of the bargain. So we lost our deposit to these incompetent, evil, profiteering people. read more

I'm glad we didn't fall for her scam! Ms.Lau is shady! Everything that has been stated in this forum is 100% true as far as I'm concerned. She tried justifying a ridiculous amount of money for a deposit in a rundown building. She told us that she spent $40,000 on the kitchen and needed to pay the bills with it! She wanted our deposit to pay for her kitchen?? She also called the property a 2BR when it was actually a kitchen, living room, and a bedroom. No Second bedroom at all! DO NOT RENT FROM THESE PEOPLE! STEER CLEAR OF MS.LAU! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED! read more

There office looked like some sort of illegal operation, I wasn't sure if this was a methadone clinic, crack house, squatters home, or real estate agency. I was 10 minutes early with my girlfriend & the place was empty nobody was inside it was a ghost town and me and my girlfriend waited kind of with a WTF look on our faces. Finally after calling the cell # listed outside of the office someone came to the door. Mr LAU came limping outside to greet us. He say "5 minute ms lau be right with you." Then 10 minutes later both Mr an Mrs Lau exited along with there dog (dinner perhaps?) Mrs. Lau virtually yapped at her husband in Mandarin (I thought it was the dog) and refused to acknowledge either me, or my girlfriend (And she's hot, wtf?)! She said "He will take you" and went on with another customer looking at some run down retail-space probably another dollar store. We were taken around the corner of the same graffiti ridden, trashed up, asbestos infested, street corner IN THE SAME BUILDING as the "Realty Space." He rang the doorbell over and over until whom I would imagine to be the current tennant with a WTF Annoyed look on his face like they bring people to look at the apartment every hour. We walked in and it smelled like water damage and roaches, I actually FELT bad for the guy who had to live there. He looked miserable and upset not to mention angry with the Lau's. There was definitely no ventilation or air in this apartment, the whole thing was tiled like a Pilipino slum. I was like "is this a street market? or an apartment?" After viewing the apartment we quickly ran away as Mr. Lau stayed behind to argue with the current tenant. This review is not exaggerated just the truth to help prevent others from having to waste there time with these people. Mr & Mrs. Lau are SCAMS They are not real estate agents, There is no "Good Earth" here. Dear Mr. & Mrs Lau, You missed out on a great potential tenant $$$$. Not that we would have wanted to live in that slum you call an apartment. Cheers! Harrison read more

Updating with a new username. Three and a half years ago I moved to SF in the top of a market for a new job. The Lau's are the worst landlords in SF. They are keeping my entire deposit or trying to at least. Ms. Lau tried to come to a walk through with the papers and told me that qualified as a walk through. FYI - not legal. They also charge a cleaning fee - not sure why considering it was the dirtiest apartment I ever moved into with leaky faucets. It is illegal to wrap a cleaning fee and admin fee into a lease. She also refused to give me a copy of the original walk through until I moved out and then was sent one via email. She noted that the floors and walls were brand new. NOT TRUE. She tried to get me on the hook for the screens that had holes in them... they were exactly like that when we moved in and told me landlords don't even have to provide screens so I would replace them myself. Now she wants to point those out on her illegal walk through as if I am responsible? Reprehensible woman. Also, the son will get involved as convenient and makes promises to repair items. Buyer beware, he spends an hour crying about his mommy treating him badly, then will stab you in the back and sends BS charges to the office to try and make the tenants pay for extras. Bad people, I don't understand how they are allowed to stay in business with all their fraud and illegal activities. PS it's illegal to have undocumented workers working on the apartment. Wonder how the INS will feel about that? read more

HORRIBLE! DO NOT do business with the Lau's under any circumstances! They are absolutely terrible. I have never had a more awful land lord experience in my entire life. There is a reason the two units next to me have not been rented in over two years - no one wants to deal with these people. Save you self the trouble and STAY AWAY! Agree with the other comments, the new girl Ruth is so rude and condescending. Please read the other reviews and do not rent from these people. They are crooks and robbers! BAD!!! read more

If I could give the Lau family a negative score I would. Our experience started off when viewing the apartment we ended up renting (we were desperate and naive). While walking around the apartment, I noticed that the place was dirty and there was even food left in the freezer. I asked if the unit would be cleaned before move-in and was told that it was cleaned already (but the food would be taken out of the freezer). That should have been a red flag. At this viewing, we were told that if we wanted the apartment, we would need to give a $500 cash deposit. We immediately went to the bank, and upon our return, were told that the apartment was to be given to someone else. We confronted Mrs. Lau, and I think since she saw the money in our hand, won the "contest" as to who would get the apartment. Upon move-in, we found our apartment to be filthy, the food in the freezer, and even found marijuana left by previous tenants. This did not seem like a place that had been cleaned for new tenants--especially since we were charged a $300 cleaning fee. Upon calling Mrs. Lau regarding this issue, we were told that "everyone has different standards of clean" and ours were too high. The first night we were in the apartment, the electricity in half of the unit went out--the kitchen, living room, and walk-in closet. All of our food that we had purchased was spoiled and we did not have power in that half of the apartment for three weeks. The Laus did respond to our issue and brought an illegal immigrant into our apartment to fix the electricity. He had no license and brought his family with him while he worked. He failed the city's inspections three times. I asked the inspector how long a job like this usually takes and he said "about two days." The Laus try to take shortcuts to save money (like hiring people who charge little for the work that they do) but end up costing themselves and their tenants a lot of stress (not to mention more money). We have lived here for two years and live in fear that things will break, which is inevitable in this 80 year old apartment building because when we call for help from our LANDLORD, she yells at us and tells us she is "not a babysitter" and tries to force us to pay for maintenance costs. Our most recent incident was a clogged shower. We tried everything before calling Mrs. Lau, but found that we would need professional help to get our shower to drain. She tried to tell us it was not her responsibility to ensure our shower was working. Finally, she showed up with a "plumber" who could not de-clog our shower. Mrs. Lau ended up calling her son, husband, and the site maintenance worker (the most incompetent and lazy worker I have ever encountered) for advice on how to get the shower to drain. After that call, she turned to me accusingly and asked, "How often do you use this shower?" As if showering daily is an abusive and irresponsible practice. Fast forward three weeks, numerous e-mails, and phone calls our drain was finally fixed. We had to drain our shower with buckets--not a practice you would expect for people paying $2241.80 a month for rent. All in all the Laus only care about money. They have no interest in the well-being of their tenants. They will blame you for any problems that might occur within your unit. Maintenance issues will go unresolved unless you put up a huge fight. This has been the most unpleasant renting experience I have ever had. I wish we had done more research before renting with these people. read more

DO NOT do business with Good Earth Realty or it's owner Sophie Lau. She is truly evil and not a fair or honest person. My son and his friends were getting ready to sign a lease with her for an apartment yesterday. She was requesting CASH for the security deposit. That in it's self should have been a BIG RED FLAG, but they are young college students and really didn't know better. Luckily his ATM withdrawal limit is $500, so that was the most he could give Mrs. Lau in cash and he wrote her a check for the balance. His roommates were all going to do the same. He gave her the money at 3:00 yesterday and headed to work. His roommates were suppose to follow through and do the same. Low and behold at 3:45 they learned of this women's reputation for being a cheat and slumlord. A roommate tried to get the $500 returned and she refused. These kids signed nothing. There is no lease, but she will not return the money. My son called her again this morning asking to get his money back. She told him to take her to court she would NOT be returning his money and then hung up on him. My advise to him was to immediately file a police report for theft. He also went to the court house to file a complaint to take her to court. $500 is a lot of money to a college student who works to support himself. My fingers are crossed that it gets worked out for them. Lesson learned not all people are honest and reputable. Always do your research when dealing with a stranger. Shame Shame Mrs. Lau. Mad, Sad mama bear Found this information on the city and county of San Francisco rent board www.sfrb.org Security Deposits Applicable Law: Security deposits are governed by state law, not the Rent Ordinance. Under Section 1950.5 of the California Civil Code, a landlord may generally collect up to the equivalent of two months rent for deposits on unfurnished apartments and up to three months rent for deposits on furnished apartments. State law requires the landlord to refund deposits within 21 days of the tenant vacating the unit. What Constitutes a Security Deposit: Before a tenant moves in, a landlord may ask for some type of deposit. No matter what it is called-a key deposit, a pet deposit, a cleaning fee, a damage deposit, a move-in fee, or last month's rent-the law treats this initial payment as a security deposit subject to Section 1950.5 of the Civil Code. There is no such thing as a "non-refundable" security deposit-all money paid in addition to the first month's rent is refundable. read more

*ALERT* DO NOT NEGOTIATE WITH MRS. LAU..... She is one of the sketchiest, most untrustworthy, scamming landlords out there. She will try her best to make it seem she's giving you a deal and pressure you to act quickly but don't even bother getting yourself into that situation. My two friends and I tried to rent one of her apartments and she have us the hardest time. Constantly changing our agreement, sudden fees that that she never mentioned until the last minute, asking for money up front. We thankfully saw past her bullshit and were smart enough to not give her a single penny. If anyone is desperate enough to decide to rent something from her, don't give her a single penny until you have carefully looked over the lease and she has given you the keys right there and then. Otherwise just walk away. read more

Really bad experience. Bad service, rude, cheap, dirty hallways, enters apartments without permission. Tried for 3 years to get rid of rodents. Finally complied. Awful. read more

I called Good Earth Realty about a empty commercial space and Mrs. Sophie Lau picked up. Worst call I have ever been on. She was condescending, mean, and made me feel stupid for even calling her. I knew the space had been available for over 4 years, but she lied and told me it had only been a couple months. When I questioned her about it, she got mad and said it was a stupid question because who cares about how long it's been available. Stay away from this Realty group and landlord. Avoid at all costs!! read more

Stay away from 1600 Clement St owned by the Laus and run by Good Earth Realty. I'm a current tenant. Today is 34 degrees in San Francisco and we have no heat, which we have not had in the many months I've lived here. The owners treat people horribly, and repairs only get done after multiple phone calls, confusion, and conversations with Sophie or one of her people who are either utterly incompetent or extremely rude. Don't get fooled by the beautiful hardwood floors and the great location. This place is a hellhole!!! read more

I didn't actually rent from this management company, but after reading your reviews I'm super glad I didn't. Mrs. Lau (As she calls herself -- I never got her first name) tried to sell me on a $2,500 a month Inner Richmond two bedroom that in reality was a one bedroom in the Richmond with no lock on the front gate (the mail boxes were totally unprotected), poor lighting in the hallways, and a death trap posing as an elevator. Not only that, she was going to charge a whopping $290 dollars a month for a parking spot in the garage. WHAT!? When she said she wanted two and a half times the rent for a deposit on an already overpriced apartment I told her good luck on getting that, and walked away unscathed. Hopefully no one got suckered into the deal. read more

I would give her zero stars if I could. She is awful. Be sure to document EVERYTHING and be prepared to go to court our your deposit will be gone read more

Run! This woman used whiteout on the contract to change dates and alter it! Electric problems, sewer problems and mice. Go to a hotel. DO NOT GO NEAR THIS DUMP AND DEVIL. She will devour the kind and inexperienced tenant. Building needs to be condemned, and she should be fined. Place is a Firetrap. We are filing our small claims case with our attorney tomorrow. She's gone too far this time with fraud, altering a legal contract. read more