Over the last three years, my roommates and I have had ZERO issues renting in Bloomington--until we rented through Mackie Properties. Despite hearing horror stories about Mackie, we decided to rent with them due to our clean rental history. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a mistake.
The Good:
Living at the property itself was a positive experience. The rent was fair, we liked the property, and we always received proper notifications about upcoming tours or maintenance. Any maintenance issues were addressed quickly, typically within 24 hours.
The Bad:
1. January 2024, my rent payment bounced when I mistakenly had my rent funds in the wrong bank account. I received a $20 "Insufficient Funds" charge. This was my mistake, and I immediately contacted Mackie, explaining that I still had the legally allowed 3-day grace period to pay rent. I requested a refund for the charge, but their response was dismissive. They claimed that adjusting their accounting books was too difficult, even though it's literally their accountant's job.To prevent future issues, I went ahead and paid over $2,500 to cover the rest of my rent for the lease term. Despite this, Mackie refused to refund the $20 charge. To add insult to injury, their accountant at the time couldn't even calculate my remaining rent over the phone, leaving me to do the math myself.
2.During move-out, Mackie nitpicked every tiny detail to justify deductions from our deposit. They lumped these charges under one vague category called "Cleaning - Outsourced," making it impossible to dispute. When reviewing our move-out inspection, they claimed the master bathroom bulbs were burnt out, but the move-out photos clearly showed the lights were working. They also noted "limbs and vines growing on the side of the house," even though yard maintenance was the landlord's responsibility per the lease. Another: "dirty window tracks" that were never clean to begin with, and conveniently weren't photographed during move-in. These were just a few, of many.
To make matters worse, Mackie failed to return our security deposit within the legally required 45 days. When I called to follow up, their "Accounting Specialist," Ruth "Marcy" Medina, was incredibly rude--cutting me off multiple times and telling me that, "this conversation is useless."
Overall, I strongly advise against renting from Mackie Properties, no matter how good your rental history. While losing part of the deposit is frustrating, I can handle it. However, I can't imagine how devastating this experience would be for someone relying on their full deposit return, like an international student or someone on a tight budget. Consider yourself warned! read more
