If you are looking to be overcharged for a service that takes 10 minutes these are your guys. They are working in tandem with the escrow companies, flat out scam. Overpriced you need this or we cant close. BS read more

I've used Metro Retrofitting twice recently, and both times Alvaro was the technician. He was great--on time, polite, and professional. He worked quickly but thoroughly, explained , and answered all my questions. Super friendly and knowledgeable, which made the process really easy. The office staff was also very helpful. They fit me in for an appointment quickly and were flexible about scheduling a return visit. They even turned the paperwork around right away for escrow. Overall, smooth experience from start to finish. I'll definitely be using Metro Retorting again and recommend asking for Alvaro if you can! read more

Metro Retrofitting gave me a bid that shocked both me and my escrow company. I called another company and their bid was 1/6 of Metro's! 1/6!!! Also, while the Metro inspector yanked on my security bar releases, one broke and the inspector left saying I should call a welder. When I told the escrow company this they said, "That's not right! Call them and tell them THEY should fix it." I did, and the person on the phone said "I'll speak to management and get back to you." Didn't happen. I left a second message. So far, nothing. Go with someone else unless you love paying 6 times the going rate and not have a call returned when there is a problem. ** After I posted this I did get a call. The "management" said their side was that the bars were old and breakage often happens. OK, I can buy that. But then he said their figure wasn't "written in stone," if I'd like to work with them. No, fooled once shame on you, fooled twice shame on me comes to mind. A bid 6 times as high as the next retro company? Not even a chance. read more

Service representative lied on a recorded line when I asked if they issued 9A report. They said yes and I scheduled the inspection. When they emailed the "completion" it was not the 9A report but a certificate for plumbing. This was a waste of money for a technician to replace smoke detector batteries. This company is useless. Do not hire them! read more

This company was used to inspect my house that was in escrow. The house was uninhabited and had been vacant for over a month. Additionally, it has been thoroughly cleaned. Despite all of the above this company charged me a 7% Covid surcharge. I find it absolutely reprehensible that this company is using the pandemic to make a little extra money. It is not the customers responsibility to pay for your PPE. I certainly don't get paid a Covid surcharge for doing my job and don't anyone else that does. I'm disgusted by this opportunistic, money grab and think people should know how this company really operates. It isn't the amount that was the issue for me, it was the premise of the charge. read more

Metro Retrofitting Inc - Example of surcharge - Home Inspectors Near Me - Chatsworth, California

I called them to schedule smoke and carbon detector installation and also to install earthquake shutoff valve (if none is at the property per the city's files). The woman I scheduled with said, "no problem the tech will AT LEAST install the smoke and carbon detectors and we will check with the city to see if an earthquake shutoff valve has already been installed and get back to you on that" Cut to the day of the appointment. The "tech" shows up and said we need to put in all new smoke and carbon detectors because we have none, but he can't do the work because he has no parts with him. WAHT?! AND they did not check with the city to see if we have eq shut off valve either, as promised, but says we need one and tech has to come back another day. No estimates given or timeline. Paperwork goes to office and office will contact me to give estimates and schedule another day for the work. Called their office. No paperwork because tech did not give them report. I have to wait for that then they can produce estimate THEN they can schedule the work. Beyond ridiculous and colossal waste of my time today!! Do NOT use them. Find better customer service and actual work done elsewhere!!! read more

We called Metro to install impact glazing film on a sliding glass door because of an unexpected City requirement related to having our roof replaced. Hector came out on time, and was eminently pleasant from the beginning. He had to maneuver around the debris and chaos of the roofing adventure and did so with good humor. But here's the real reason for the review. Hector discovered something my wife and I both could not discern from the faded inscription on the window; that the glass we had already met code. He saved us most of the cost of the job, where he could have just installed the film without saying a word and taken the full fee. Instead, we only needed to pay a trip charge. This kind of integrity and ethics is far too rare. I really appreciate Hector, and want to applaud any company that promotes putting the customer first the way Hector did today. read more

DO NOT USE, EVER! They totally fabricated what my client needed to upgrade in their home in order to comply with government mandatory retrofit requirements. However, none of what they said we needed was accurate. It was totally FABRICATED for the monetary gain of this company. My clients home already had existing low flow toilets and new smoke detectors and CO detectors, yet they invoiced us for all new ones. My client purchased this house a year ago, at which time it passed inspection and received a Retrofit Certificate of Compliance. Metro Retro insisted that we needed a new toilet as well as smoke and CO detectors. Interesting, since they were all just installed a year ago by a trusted and licensed company, Metro Retro Are NOT HONEST...OR they DON'T know what they are doing! Either way, they are NOW OFF my company list of trusted vendors. Cecile B - Realtor since 1986 read more

Always fast and easy. 5-Star Service! Th I appreciate the "I'm on my way" call from the technician so that I can coordinate my arrival without much wait time. Technicians are courteous and professional with my clients. The office staff is friendly and make it easy to set appointments. Turnaround time for the delivery of documentation is fast. Always dependable, always punctual. I consider "Metro Retro" part of my team! read more

Justin from Metro Retro was great! Really friendly and even wore booties to keep our floors clean. He checked all our fixtures and glass doors, determined we were up to code and quickly finished up. Very easy and professional experience. read more

Short review: Russell L. is THE BEST! He is an absolutely skilled professional that is prompt, courteous and efficient. As if that wasn't enough, Russell is also incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. I will request him from Metro Retrofitting for any relevant future work and wholeheartedly recommend Russell to anybody I know. Boring, longer review: About a week ago, Russell first did an inspection of windows, smoke alarms, water heater strap, seismic shut-off valve for gas and various other items for California Health and Safety Code compliance on a home I am buying. During his inspection visit, a required hallway smoke alarm (now installed) was missing and HUGE sliding door/window needed safety film to meet legal requirements for sliding glass doors that are not tempered glass. About a week later Russell came back to inspect the now-installed smoke detector and to apply the safety film to the sliding glass door. He worked quickly, but not sloppily. The sliding glass door is now safe and looks phenomenal. On both visits Russell exhibited absolute professionalism AND friendliness. Thank you to Russell and Metro Retrofitting! read more

Was told Metro Retro was through with their inspection and signed off. Upon entering the home on final walk through few days after their inspection the smoke detector in one bedroom was still low battery beeping since day one! Water heater not strapped properly. Gas shutoff valve couldn't be turned if in an emergency. Pulled a smoke detector down in another bedroom. No batteries? And these detectors were dated 1999! They said they'd send a more experienced employee out. No thank you! You've cost me few hundred so far. I'm doing further investigating. Left message for the owner to call me still no call. Think twice. read more

Every time someone from Metro Retrofitting inspects a property for my clients they do a really good job. Always on time and very nice employees. They are my exclusive Retrofitting company. Reasonable prices. read more

They met our time constraints, were thorough and knowledgeable, and helped us to complete the updates and still close escrow on time.

Amazing customer service. Zach was phenomenal and got me an appointment when 13 other people could not accommodate. Stoked!

On their email it stated "**We are currently scheduling work 5 to 7 days out, please keep that in mind when scheduling the work to be completed**" Keeping that in mind, that means they should make it by my close date for sure. But no, I had to sign the estimate before I was able to schedule an appt. So after signing, I was told the soonest would be 10 days out. The buyers will be moved in by then and what buyer would like or want that? They could not follow their own promised timeline so now I am stuck, as the realtor, to frantically find a new retrofitter to do another inspection who can do the work on time. Time is of essence! Wasted my time for their inspection and thank God i found a backup with this short deadline who was not only little cheaper but asks upfront my close date to ensure if they can complete the work on time which yes they could. MetroRetro staff did not even seem to care at all that they could not perform as promised and knowing my time was wasted and left to frantically find backup. Never using them again. But one Star for the Inspector who came out, he was very awesome :-) read more

The office staff and others were extremely rude and unhelpful. They went out to the property twice when it only required once visit for inspection. The bill amount kept growing higher for additional things they claimed needed to be done. Since I am not a contractor, there is no way I could verify that the additional items needed to be done. I would not recommend this company to anyone. T. Reyes read more

Hired to do an inspection before our house was sold. The worker found compliance issues, so he wouldn't pass us. BUT refused to schedule us to have the issues fixed. This company even acted like they would schedule us to fix the issues. They made us sign a quote and then said they sent the info to their scheduling dept.. never got back to us. We ended up having to pay for inspection with a different company and they had to fix the issues. This company wasted our time and took our money. I see other negative reviews had the same issue as us. We had such an intensely frustrating time with this company. read more

I'm a realtor and called this company because their business cards were left on the shelf for vendors . It was the only retro fitting company whose cards were there, so I called and mad an appointment. First of all, they changed the time on me twice the day of the appointment. Secondly, they did not tell me there was an $89.00 inspection fee, and thirdly, even though I was clear that we were going to close 6 days after the inspection, they could not get it together to set an appointment to have the world done before the day of closing. They said that the if the seller approves the invoice , which was $470.00 (LA Low Flush did all the work for $320.00 and were able to get us an appointment even though they were very busy) , they would clear the compliance paperwork so we could close. I will never call Metro Retro again. The fact that they offered to rush the paperwork prior to doing the paperwork is not kosher. That bothered me more than not talking about the $89.00 inspection fee. read more

I work at a real estate office, and MetroRetro is our go-to for retrofitting inspections and repairs! They are on time, do a great job, and their prices are reasonable. I highly recommend them! read more

If' you are reading this review, it would be safe to assume you are a real estate agent in a bind. Looking for great service, at a great price for your client, and need it done yesterday. Don't bother calling anyone else. What is retrofitting? Here are a few examples Los Angeles requires when a property is transferred: Low flow toilets Smoke detectors Carbon Monoxide detectors Earthquake shut off valve Low flow shower heads Water heater bracing Every single person I was in contact was professional, courteous and knew what they were doing. Michelle and Imee are FABULOUS. The office staff have a great understanding of the urgency for real estate transactions, so are more than willing to accommodate last minute requests. The service guys were Charlie and Russ and they are AWESOME. They are far from the stereotypical contractors. This must be a great company to work for, and it shows with the level of professionalism and enthusiasm each of the employees carry. Truly nice guys. Last minute request, and concerned your client will be gouged? Not quite. Metro Retrofitting prices are clear, fair, and consistent. When speaking with Russ the friendly service guy (While he flawlessly was installing a smoke detector) he said this company has about 6 trucks, and cover all sorts of homes from the San Fernando Valley to the OC. With this bit of information, I am surprised I am the first to leave a Yelp comment. Now I am just babbling. Good luck on your escrow! read more

avoid at all costs. do not let the point of sale requirement scare you, these people will take advantage of you. from lying customer service to exploitative management. Look for anyone else. Avoid at all costs. read more

I asked Metro Retrofitting for a rush order to inspect for LA Department of Water and Power (DWP) compliance issues among other requests. The staff and inspector knew the urgency of the order. All low flow shower heads and toilets were in place during the inspection on September 26th. Escrow closed on October 3rd, the completed COC came back from Metro Retrofitting on October 7th, eleven days after the inspection. I had to ask another contractor to come out on September 30th to verify compliance. DWP has strict timelines to follow and we would have been charged a late fee if we would have waited on Metro Retrofitting. I asked for a $25.00 refund from Metro Retrofitting for the DWP inspection, but, they refused to refund. read more

Reliable, dependable and always on time. Their work trucks are always well equipped in order to provide the services required. Employees are courteous and friendly. A very good service business for retrofitting needs. read more

not happy with this company, my second time using them," shame on me " I have been in the real estate industry for over 30 years the service from Metro is an all time low, along with the company's bad followup, and look out for those charges on your bill along with a fee for PPE for COVID , guys stop stinging the customer ! read more

I recently had my first sale in the Sylmar area of LA - Hector was our inspector, came out to the property, was professional, on time, explained the process and everything to expect after the inspection - the invoice came in the timeline he quoted and the prices were reasonable. Myself and my clients are impressed. Definitely looking forward to using them again read more

We use MetroRetrofitting for all of our Retrofitting appointments, and they are fantastic! Their technicians will come to San Pedro for appointments and services, and the turn around to Escrow and Buyers is less than 24 hours most times. Lani, Jordan and the rest of the team are great, and Redfin is thankful to them for keeping our clients happy! read more

Stay away! As other reviewers have noted, these guys prey on home owners and realtors who don't actually know the law. When real property changes hands in California, the owner is required to make a written statement to the new owner that the water heater is in compliance with Health and Safety Code (cited further down). Most people hire a company such as Metro Retrofitting to make an inspection, perform any required work to bring the property into compliance, and to guarantee its compliance. Metro came out and did an initial inspection. The inspector, Hector, said that one of my two water heaters needed "additional blocking." When the quote came in, they wanted several hundred dollars to build an elaborate frame around my already strapped, and code compliant, water heater. When my real estate agent and I made multiple inquiries, we were given the run-around, handed off to different people who had no knowledge of the situation and no authority. We never were able to reach a Decision Maker in the company. All we wanted was for the company to cite the section of code that requires all of this "additional blocking." We had, in fact, hired a different company to provide this same service just two years prior when I purchased the property. At first Metro pointed us to several "best practice" guides that various water heater manufacturers put out, some of which dated back to 2013. Then, they finally quoted the California Health and Safety Code, which is correct. California Heath and Safety Code Section 19211(a) states: "Notwithstanding Section 19100, all new and replacement water heaters, and all existing residential water heaters, shall be braced, anchored, or strapped to resist falling or horizontal displacement due to earthquake motion. At a minimum, any water heater shall be secured in accordance with the California Plumbing Code, or modifications made thereto by a city, county, or city and county pursuant to Section 17958.5." The part of particular importance is the reference to California Plumbing Code. 2016 California Plumbing Code Section 507.2 Seismic Provisions states, "Water heaters shall be anchored or strapped to resist horizontal displacement due to earthquake motion. Strapping shall be at points within the upper one third and lower one-third of its vertical dimensions. At the lower point, a minimum distance of four (4) inches (102 mm) shall be maintained above the controls with the strapping." The water heater in question meets all of these requirements. The technician who came out to do the work, Jose, could not cite any reason why the blocking had to be installed other than "because of code." When I spoke with Ray (customer support) on the phone, he didn't seem to know or care about what the minimum requirements are. He offered up a wonderful story about how a magnitude 5 earthquake could still knock it over. There are a lot of hypothetical situations about what may or may not happen in various situations, which I would classify as interesting but irrelevant. What the Code says is all that is required. He finally agreed that the water heater is in compliance and that the blocking they want to charge me several hundred dollars to install is a "nice to have upgrade from the bare minimum." He affirmed that the company would not sign off on the compliance unless I pay them several hundred dollars for the "nice to have upgrade." Metro Retrofitting is well aware of this extortion practice and most people probably just pay whatever they ask, because they are supposed to be experts and professionals, and the cost usually gets wrapped up in all of the other fees that come out of a real estate escrow account. I strongly urge home sellers and real estate agents to use a different retrofitting company. read more

Having professionally interacted with Alina and the office/field staff for over 6 years now (and over 75+ inspections/appointments later), they have always gone above and beyond to offer my clients and I the education and information needed to ensure the properties that are being sold are in compliance, up to city code and in safe, operable condition. They even helped me out in my own home with some plumbing services for a very affordable price. It's like family when you find a good quality contractor who knows what they're doing and you can help build your network of vendors you can count on. Reliable, trustworthy and affordable! read more

I'm a local LA realtor and have work with metro retro for years. Their service technicians are always on time and thorough and customer service are always willing to work with my clients. read more

NO Thanks. Two techs were sent out to do some work prior to closing escrow. One tech was super cool, but the other refused to put a throw down on hardwood under the ladder. Said " Its ok has rubber under the ladder legs" Regardless you should do what is asked of a customer. Just my opinion. I wasnt asking to do anything dangerous or to compromise his safety. If he had scratched the floors I woulda held the company liable for the repairs. read more

As with any retrofitter, beware and make sure you really need the work done before you agree to it. Metro Retrofitting told me I needed over $700 worth of work (plus their $89 inspection fee and $25 for a compliance certificate) to get up to Code. They told me they couldn't do the work for 10 days. I didn't want to wait so I went somewhere else. The other place told me that all of Metro's proposed work was unnecessary. For instance, I didn't need hot and cold faucet flow valves with new supply lines "to meet local city ordinance," as Metro had indicated, because the property was in the City of LA, not Beverly Hills. Over $300 for smoke alarm work was not needed either. The new company gave me a certificate of compliance for $100 total. To Metro's credit, when I brought all this to Metro's attention, it refunded my $89 inspection fee. read more

Been using this company for awhile and is great and fast! I recommend Metro Retro for all your retrofitting needs

They came out and recommended smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors that I had just bought and installed the week earlier. Stay away. They have a reputation in the business (coming from the firm I ultimately gave the business to) of recommending things that aren't needed. read more

Appointments are always on time, efficient and the workmen are always happy to explain issues, repairs and answer questions. We have worked with Metro Retrofitting for years and have always been very happy with the service. read more

I find MetroRetro to be reliable, knowledgeable about retrofit requirements and easy to work with. They are my first choice when I need to be sure one of my listings is compliant with local retrofit regulations Dorene Martin Realtor/Global Luxury Specialist Coldwell Banker Studio City, CA read more

Use caution!!! with this company. My real estate agent used this company for an inspection on a home I was selling. When they realized I was going to do the labor on installing low flow toilets, they made up the fact that my emergency gas shut off valve had to be replaced. They wanted to charge me $500 plus dollars to do it. I called them out on it and they refused to resend their inspector to talk to me. So I did my homework and eventually called an LA city inspector. LA city came out the next day for free and confirmed that the valve was just fine. In fact the inspector also confirmed that this company wanted to pull a fast one on me. When the realized that I wasn't as dumb as I looked and called them out on it, they waived the inspection fees. The owner came out to do the re inspection, but he didn't have the guts to bring it up. read more

As far as we are concerned, there is no one else in the industry. We use Metro Retro exclusively and have done so for many years. Great service, friendly staff and just all around good people. read more

I called in to schedule an appointment for work needing to be done in my home. I spoke with Heather, she was extremely nice and helpful. Charlie, the tech / inspector, arrived (on time) today and was able to quickly complete the necessary work. I felt he was very honest about what really needed to be done. He also spoke highly of his boss Fabian. It's not often that you hear of people actually liking their bosses these days. Excellent customer service, good price and great job. Thank you!! read more

The installer is 42 minutes late. This review will be updated. The retrofit inspector was on-time for a later appointment.