I noticed that very few reviews are from tenants, so I thought i would add my two cents to the mix.
I found that initially Wendy was extremely cordial and helpful, however, as my time at the house went on, the tone became less so. Upon getting the keys to the home I found that nothing had been cleaned. Parts of the house were so filthy I was able to write in the the dirt with my finger. The dish washer was unsanitary and covered in black leftover food. It was scary. I had to wash and re-clean the bedroom floor so that I could sleep in it prior to my furniture arriving. After discussing the issue with her, she spoke to the owner who agreed to spend $100 for cleaning. That amount allowed me to have a service come in and clean the kitchen. The rest of the house stayed a mess until I did a deep cleaning.
When I let her know about broken items I was told that the owner would simply not fix them. For example the ice maker needed a small part. Her comment was, "Well it still makes ice, doesnt it?" Well yes it did, except it became one big block of unusable ice.
When the outdoor lights burnt out I was told it was my responsibility to replace them even though they were large spotlights encased in fixtures that needed to be disassembled. When I turned on the heat for the first time dust and dirt blew out of the vents since they had not been cleaned in many years. Not very helpful, eh?
The carpets in the bedroom were stained and uneven with padding lumps under them. When I asked about that issue I was told that the owner was going to replace them. ( I was even asked if I wanted them to replace the carpet with fake wooden flooring while I was living there. Why they thought I would want to make the bedrooms unusable as well as manage their construction project is beyond me.) The carpets stayed that way.
It was a surprise when I was ready to move out and received a call from Wendy telling me that the owner "suggested" that i get an estimate for a carpet cleaning, make a check out to Porchlight Properties, and she would take care of it. She even suggested a cleaner (one who has a review here) from whom to get the estimate. I did as asked and asked her for a receipt for the cleaning.
Within a day Wendy called me and told me to retract the request for a receipt and stated, "We both know the owner is not going to take your money and get the carpets cleaned." She went on to say that if i didnt withdraw my request that the owner would "get her panties in a knot" and give me a hard time getting my deposit back even though I left the property in much better shape than when i received it. (I hired a cleaner for $300 to clean the entire place.) Given I had enough at that point I retracted my request because I wanted my money back.
So bottom line - I'm so glad I am out of that place. At no time did I feel Wendy was on my side about anything. I understand that the owner might have been difficult, however as a property manager Wendy should have made sure the house was in good clean shape before renting it out and communicated more effectively with the owner to repair items. read more