I am so fortunate to have found Terry Gardner for my landlord. She is one of the few quality individual landlords to be found, rather than the cold, greedy, corporate behemoths that so dominate the Bay Area. Terry values people and prefers quality long-term tenants over price gouging opportunities. She has always been quick to send in repair folks to get problems fixed. While I have been going through a difficult financial situation she has been generous and supportive to me as I take steps to get back in the groove. And Terry knows that rescue pit bulls make the best fuzzy companions! I didn't have to call my girl a "terrier mix" on the application. If you get a chance to live in one of Terry's PADCO properties, go for it! read more

PADCO Property Management - First day in our new digs. Already feels right at home. - Property Management Near Me

I have so many fond memories of renting from Terry Gardner. I lived in one of her Emeryville properties from 2014-2019 during grad school and loved the building and the sense of community she fostered. She was always very responsive regarding (rare) maintenance issues or anything else, and I was always happy to see her. I liked that the building was older with nice Bay Area character and nicely renovated units - the building felt fresh with a really sweet courtyard. Even 5 years later she and her building stand out as gems, and I'm grateful to have had such a considerate landlord. I recently reached out for a rental reference and we caught up a bit - definitely not a corporate property management experience. Wishing her the best! read more

Terry Gardner is the owner of Padco and as busy as she was, she ALWAYS made time for me and the other tenants in the building. I lived in one of Terry's units for 10 years, she was very responsive, kind, fair, and even let me move back into my apartment after moving out for a month. I had changed my mind about moving, she let me come back without any questions, and without raising my rent. The only reason why I left was because I bought a house. I would recommend anybody to rent with Terry because not only is she a great landlord, she's a great human and I am forever grateful. read more

I recently vacated one of Terry's apartments because I have relocated from the Bay Area to Southern CA. I lived in the Bay for 10 years and Terry was the best landlord we ever had. The home we lived in was older so from time to time there would be things that needed fixing, she always immediately had her staff come and quickly resolve any issues we had. I love that Terry has a passion for keeping Oakland the diverse community it's been known for. We have a large dog and always had a challenge finding a place that would accept us and Terry welcomed us with no question. If I ever moved back to the Bay, Terry would be the first person I'd reach out to because I trust living anywhere that she manages would be a great experience. Thank you for everything!!! read more

I just moved out of a unit in El Mirador, and what an incredible place with a wonderful owner. Terry was kind and helpful from the beginning, and was flexible with us whenever there were issues. One thing that stuck out to me was that when I first visited the unit that we would end up renting, Terry called out from the get-go that I was there during one of the few times during the day when the unit got more light, and that it otherwise was a bit of a cave (the rest of the units in the building get plenty of light, but this one has a unique situation where it's located). It meant a lot that she was upfront about it rather than hiding the issue until I signed, which is what I've experienced with other landlords. I'm going to miss that apartment, I'm going to miss the El Mirador community, and I'm going to miss Terry. read more

I lived in the El Mirador apartments owned and managed by Padco for 7 years. I appreciated the historic Spanish style of the building, a close community of neighbors, and my beautiful apartment. When initially looked at the apartment and determined that we couldn't afford it at the time, Terry gave us a discount for our first year of our lease so we could move in. I always appreciated that. It was a great place for our first apartment. As with many older buildings, El Mirador is not well maintained and required frequent repair and maintenance. This tended to be even more of a a challenge with the minimal to poor communication from the property management/owners. It would take weeks for simple repairs to be made, at times requiring negotiation with the property owner directly. There was no dedicated team of employees for regular building maintenance or an actual system to log issues. One thing I really disliked was that the property manager was always one of the tenants in the building. It felt unprofessional at times to follow up with my neighbor (whoever the property manager was at the time) to make sure things were getting done. Doing things like signing a lease, paying rent, getting your deposit back were all very manual and tracked in physical documents. Additionally, policy changes were made at random and without consultation with the tenants. We had to get together as a community at times to push back on these policy changes because frankly, some were illegal. We ended up leaving because the building fell into extreme disrepair and became uncomfortable to live in, especially during the pandemic. read more

Terry was a wonderful property manager -- she was always responsive via text or email and resolved any property issues in a timely manner. She always worked to improve the property and provide a safe and comfortable living space for her tenants. The move in and move out process was smooth and seamless as well. I am so bummed to have moved away but enjoyed my time living in the PADCO property I did. read more

I lived in one of Terry's apartments in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Oakland for 3 years. Since it was a unit in a duplex, Terry took care to make sure that there was a friendly sense of community and that neighbors were getting along. Because it was dog friendly that was a big perk too. Greatly enjoyed living there for that reason, even after I moved out I still like to come back and hang out with the old neighbors. Terry was responsive when I had problems or concerns including: trimming trees, lawn maintenance, etc. She also upgraded my stove to a brand new stove and redid my bathroom while I lived there -- without raising the rent on me at all in 3 years. She was patient with me when I went a little overboard with native wildflowers in the lawn. In the end when I moved out it was just because I was ready to buy my own place. Thanks Terry! read more

I was reflecting today about how it had been two years since my boyfriend and I moved into our little cottage apartment and how much I love it still and felt I should leave a review to express that! Terry has been great! Finding a dog friendly place in the Bay Area that's affordable can be really challenging. I really appreciate the fact that Terry had a private showing when we applied instead of holding an impersonal cattle call open house type showing. She allowed us to bring our tiny little dog along so we could show her how little trouble she would be. And she made the whole process quick, which I loved because we had been looking for awhile and it's such a bummer to wait for days for a response. In the two years that we have been here, we have no complaints! It's an older building so there have been some plumbing things that needed to be fixed but she sent out someone ASAP to fix it. We never went without water or anything, it was a quick turnaround. We live in a duplex and our neighbors are wonderful. Love our place! Really grateful to have Terry as a landlord! read more

My girlfriend and I had the pleasure of renting from Terry for about 3 1/2 years in one of her Emeryville apartments. When we first met Terry, it was our first time living together, and we were so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Terry through this process. At the time of move in, we had no animals, had no idea how much space we wanted/needed, and we were back and forth on what we wanted to do for a while. Terry first showed us a small studio, which is what we originally applied for. While we were there, we were unsure if it would fit our needs. She decided to show us another unit that wasn't available yet, but she felt it could potentially be a better fit for us. She was extremely accommodating with this process. Once we moved in, we got a cat and a dog within 6 months and she was more than welcoming to our new family members. In terms of the unit itself, it had normal problems, but whenever an issue arrived, Terry was quick to solve the problem. Water leak? Plumber came out that same day. Heater not turning on? Electrician came out that same day. The only problem we had consistently was a bit of mold. I think it had a lot to do with the insulation of the building, but any time it started to build up, Terry made sure someone came to clean it. We tried to stay on top of it ourselves the best we could. The area that the Emeryville apartments are in is also so amazing. We made friends with the neighbors up and down the street, and we still talk with them now. It's super close to running, walking, biking paths. Target is around the corner (this proved to be dangerous for us!). I-80 is literally 1-minute away. After 3 1/2 years, we just started to outgrow the apartment and wanted to look for a more permanent living situation in a home. However, we really loved our time living there, and we appreciated Terry's flexibility and accommodations! read more

Lauren P is exactly right. I dont even know where to start. Let me begin by saying as tenants, we minded our own business, we paid on time and didn't complain much unless it was a significant matter. We learned to deal with living in an old building. You sign up for that. But the issues with Terry go far beyond that. There have been so many in our 13 years of renting from her. I will just hit the low points. Terry bought the building two months after we moved in. We did NOT choose her. She owns a beautiful old historic 1930's building in the Grand Lake of Oakland. This place has wonderful neighbors, great location and fairly responsive resident mgrs who really did try. This is why we stayed. The problems occured when dealing with Terry. This is why we left. For 14 months, Terry allowed our unit and 2 others to be without electrical power to our kitchen stoves which were all connected on the same power line. We could not cook with our stove. To compensate, she gave us a toaster oven to cook with. We bought a hot plate - and that was the end. Imagine cooking like that for 14 months? We followed up repeatedly to no avail. Empty promises and straight up lies. The electrical was still broken on the day we moved out. Lets talk about the LEAD in the paint of her Grand Lake building. It was peeling in our unit. I told her I wanted it abated. She said she didn't believe there was lead. I said let's test it. She then changed tactics in the next breath and threatened me with raising my rent and charging me a bogus pet deposit. Yes, she shut me up right quick. I didn't dare ask again. You may ask how I know there is lead? I know because her Resident Mgr got sick from lead poisoning from a paint flake in his coffee and they left 2 months later. His wife told me the whole story. Better hope you don't get robbed. My husband was robbed at gunpoint in the neighborhood a few years back. I immediately reported it to Terry and our resident manager because they took his keys. We were terrified after the experience. What does Terry do after learning that my husband was victimized, she told us she would have to charge us for the re-keying of our entire 40 unit building. She said she couldn't afford to "keep re-keying" the building and had the gall to say "well, don't you have renter's insurance?" Wow - just wow. Let's talk safety - that building floods every time it rains. She puts sand bags between the garage and lobby to hold back the massive quantities of water that fill the lobby. And I am speaking of 13 years of history, not just the 2016 crazy year of rain. She has never repaired the issue. In a nod to further electrical issues, fuses are overloaded and are blown any time you and your neighbors try and use power at the same time. Better get on a schedule to blow dry your hair in the morning. Terry Gardner plays hardball. She may let you think she is so helpful and sweet as pie. I guarantee you if you QUESTION her or in ANY WAY cause her to spend any money, she will change her tune and will threaten you with additional expenses or worse. She is practiced at doing that and it has proven effective in the Bay Area. Apts are expensive to rent and hard to get. I would venture to say that she wanted us long term residents out of her building since our rent was much lower than market rate. Pretty convenient reason to not fix our electrical to the stove don't you think? I write this essay because I don't want anyone else to be subjected to her abuse. I also don't want former tenants to think they were alone in their struggle with her. This stands as a record of what happened to us. Don't let it happen to you. read more

Finding a pet friendly apartment in the Bay Area was more of a challenge than expected. It was what led me to find a property that was full of charm, and best of all, a very caring landlord. From my first conversation with Terry, I knew I had found the "one." She and I clicked from the start, and I felt as though I was not only moving into a great space but had found an ally. Over my 2 years living there, Terry was super responsive to any concern and made my renting experience that much better. Circumstances necessitated moving to my next place, but I already miss the relationship I had built with Terry. My new property management company is just that--a company. Really value a landlord that cares. read more

I lived in one of the Oakland properties Terry managed for almost 3 years. She was a fantastic landlord who was very responsive to all issues. She also was very accommodating when I downsized apartments and let me move into a studio in the same building without too much hassle. I would recommend anyone living in a building managed by her. Oakland needs more landlords like Terry! read more

My partner and I have lived in one of Terry's buildings for a year now and have only had positive experiences with her. She's super personable, understanding, responsive, and accommodating. It has been a pleasure to rent from her. read more

Agree completely with positive reviews... fixed any issues I had, no questions ask. Fair and kind. So thankful the building I lived in was dog-friendly. Very grateful I found this place and got to interact with Terry. There needs to be more management like this in the east bay - and everywhere! (note, I moved out a month ago and still felt compelled to write this). read more

I came to the bay area with a new job and new hopes on starting a fresh adventure. Unfortunately, I was not able to complete my transition completely. I have a dog, a large breed which can be difficult to keep in the bay given that such breeds are restricted nearly everywhere with decent pricing. I was near the end of my rope when I stumbled upon a listing from PADCO properties. The place was very well kept and had an old town Spanish feel to it due its elegant high arch way just above the breakfast counter. Maybe it was the style of the place, maybe it was the awesome location on the border of thriving Emeryville and the welcoming neighborhood in Oakland, or maybe I was just in need of a place . But what is certain and instantly apparent was Terry's (The outdtanding property manager) commitment to matching me with the correct unit. What's even more intriguing was that she seemed more interested on renting to me after I told her about my dog and after she met him she may or may not have wanted to keep him for herself. Anyway, I lived in that unit for 2 years and throughout that time Terry was very attentive to my maintenance needs and general concerns. If you're worried about bad neighbors Terry has an excellent screening process. All my neighbors were great and welcoming people. If you're worried about commuting to work, then fear not because the bay has multiple public transit stations within walking distance. If you are worried about safety, Terry manages properties in excellent locations. I never felt insecure within my own neighborhood. I cannot say anymore than this. Thank you Terry my time in the Bay was well spent because I didn't have to stress about the roof over my head. Your communication was excellent, sincere, and casual. read more

I came in the Bay Area straight from France and I had no idea what to expect from the housing market here. But luckily, Terry is exactly what California has best to offer: A cheerful, patient, extra nice businesswoman who take matters seriously and is overly helpful. I came here with nothing, no furniture, and no plans to buy any since I was staying for only six month. Terry not only proposed to furnish the apartment for me, but literally asked me what colors and what style I liked. And you know what ? The result was awesome. I have probably harassed her with a thousand annoying questions and every time she answered me with the greatest kindness. Best place I have lived in so far, and best landlord! Thank you for making my stay in California so awesome! read more

Great landlord, super responsive and easy to deal with!!

Terry is so awesome! She was responsive, personable, and incredibly knowledgeable. She showed me and my partner two different apartments, but unfortunately neither worked out with our timeline. Even after it was clear we wouldn't be able to rent from Terry, she offered advice on renting in Oakland, and gave us great tips on finding a place that fits our needs. I would love to have Terry as a property manager!! read more

I rented a beautiful apartment from PADCO in an old building. It was cleaned, painted and Terry installed a new bathroom for me. Sadly I had to leave after a year but in that time I referred a friend to live in the. Holding I loved it so much. Terry was the first one I called when returning to the Bay Area. With the charm of any old building there are needs for upkeep. It's part of living and well worth the exchange for a place that was safe, beautiful and dog-friendly. My mom rents to people and I know both sides- being a landlord and a tenant. PADCO was a great choice for me and if I have to rent again I will call Terry. read more

This Review is long over due. Terry Gardner is a saint. We moved to the Bay in July 2012 to a property she had on Lakeshore. She helped us get everything set up and squared away even from long distance. The building is kind of old and had a few cricks in it, but what doesn't in Oakland. The building and common are were well kept and maintained. We had a furnace problem and the repair man was there that day. Did I mention she allowed our 2 large boxers to live with us :) seemed impossible to find a place that would allow it but she did and with open arms. Last but not least we had to break our lease early due to family issues in AZ. We did help in readying the place and finding replacement tenants but she let us out and returned our deposit without issues. I cant tank Terry enough, she was overly helpful in many ways that she didnt have to be. Thank you Terry. read more

As a landlord, Terry displayed trust and responsive attention. She showed me several locations, helping me find a good fit. The apartment was in good condition and she responded quickly to maintenance issues. Thanks for a good experience as a tenant. read more

5 Star! Lived there just over 4 years and Terry gave me everything I needed to be happy. At the time it was a little different, she was involved and supportive. Always available and communicative be it email or phone. Clean and kept up. I'd do it again. Thank you Terry!:-) read more

Terry is the most unprofessional and corrupt landlord I have ever had. Not only were proper safety inspections not completed, almost every appliance in our unit broke down within two months. After the fact, Terry badgered us with questions and took as long as she could to postpone the repair. After attempting to come to an agreement, we unfortunately were forced to take legal action. read more

I don't quite know what to say for folks who gave low ratings--I don't want to invalidate their experiences--but from my experience, Terry is amazing, and she does a wonderful job in not only up keeping her spaces, but making tenants feel welcomed. The building I live in truly feels like a community and home. I feel so grateful that landlords like her even exist these days. read more

Terry has been very good to me and my dog Mickey over the years. I've rented two places from her and she's been a really cool non-corporate type person to deal with. That's getting more and more rare. I'm moving back from LA soon and reached out to her about finding a place to live again. She says she has something and I'm beyond excited. It's hard to find a place these days with a larger breed dog and i love her passion for animals. read more