Property Owners beware! We are property owners and were clients of Production Realty Property Management, now Guardhouse Rentals for nearly 4 years. We were extremely dissatisfied with their Property Management and decided to terminate their services.
We hired Property Managers, Dan and Linda Verlin, to manage, but we have had to spend an enormous amount of time tracking their mistakes, accounting errors, lack of communication, times when the Property Managers failed to communicate internally, etc.
Financial record keeping. Production really screwed up our Property Management Statements that took over six months to rectify with Production owning us money. We had to catch the mistakes and then had to pursue and push to get the issues resolved.
Communications and follow through. On many occasions the Property Managers failed to follow through on what we discussed. It got to the point where after we had a phone call, we would follow up with an email to document what we discussed and what the action items where and who was responsible for those actions. Even so, they failed to follow through on all of the action items.
Owner Portal. Only two weeks prior to the final termination of the Property Management Agreement did Production give us access to the financial statements and "receipts" through Production's Owners Portal. For months we had been asking for copies of the utilities bill and for various reasons, they were not able to provide them or simply did not follow through. Upon getting access to the Portal, all the utility bills were right there! Additionally, when we received access, we found out that they were indirectly charging us a 10% fee for all maintenance work done through their "Preferred Contractors Program". What that means is that if you don't use the contractors they choose to conduct work/maintenance on your property, they will charge you a $95 annual fee for not using their Preferred Network. When asked what is the screening process/procedure they use to determine the qualification of these vendors, they did not provide a response. In reality, what they worked out with the vendor is a 10% kick back from the vendor, which they call a "referral fee" in the accounting system. In no area of the Property Management Agreement is this disclosed nor did they ever disclose this process at anytime to us. We have been over charged thousands of dollars due to this undisclosed practice.
The septic system need to be replaced. We asked that the $95 fee be waived. Please keep in mind that Production initially only provided one estimate because they informed me that we would have to go and get additional permits for each additional estimates. We are the one who called the County to confirm that information Production Realty provided was not accurate. Had we not pursued this further on our own, it would have cost us over $2,200 due to incorrect information. Only after we had the correct information, did Production seek other estimates.
In spite of all of this, we attempted to set up a phone call to discuss these issues, however, the Property Managers would not respond. We then attempted to contact the owner, Ben Latocki, to discuss the matter and our responses went unanswered. Nevertheless, we simply wanted help to resolve many of these issues.
We eventually had to take legal action and won a judgment in court. Even after winning the judgment, our attorney had to garnish Production Realty's bank account because they refused to pay. Shortly after the judgment, Production Realty Property Management changed their name to Guardhouse Rentals.com. I don't know if that was a result of the judgment or a coincidence.
Our main complaint in court was that they advertised that they made no money on maintenance. That was not true and the court agreed with us. Because of this, they changed their policy and now the Guardhouse Rental.com website states, "We do not add any charge to your monthly statement for using the contractors who work with us. Our preferred contractors pay us a 10% Administrative Processing and Handling Fee on all invoices." Basically, by using their preferred contractors, they are making 10% on all of the maintenance they do on your property. At least now it is disclosed. Their transition website states they, "still have the same owner, managers, staff, and policies. We have not been bought or sold, just matured into our own corporation." That should be a concern for future landlords! Bottom line, our advice is to seek a more competent property manager than Guardhouse Rentals in the Jackson area. There are not a lot of choices in the area, however, choosing Guardhouse Rental.com will end up costing you more.... in time, energy, and money! read more
