When I signed up with Will three years ago, I got the sale pitch everyone else received. However, he had a great Office Manager who was thorough and professional. She left mid 2016 and things went South after that. I never received a Move Out report, pictures of my unit or communication. I had to ask for status updates. The only reason I stayed with them to manage for the 2017-2018 lease year was because I decided to buy a house and it was not a good time to switch managers. This last lease year was the worse. I discovered inaccurate rental ads about my unit. He blamed Realtor.com for one. His excuse would have worked, however my significant has been a Broker for 30 years, so I know how that works. I terminated my agreement. Do not use UrbanaRe to manage your property. read more

Stay away from this company!!!!! They will take your 50$ applications fee and u will never hear from them again. It's been two months & I have been calling and calling and most of the time there is no answer and when I do get a answer They tell me the same thing "Mr. Williams is not in the office we will send a email and he will follow up." Eventually I got tried of hearing it and decided to go to the office myself in dc only to find out they moved from there in 2016 so I decided to head to the office in Va only to find out it doesn't exist. I believe this company is a BiG Scam so please use caution when applying for a home with them!!! I wish you all good luck in your search! read more

Please look elsewhere for all your real estate needs. I unfortunately have to join the stack of negative reviews regarding Urbana as someone who hired these folks to manage the rental of my unit while I was out of pocket. The experience was tooth-pulling painful from the beginning to the end for myself and my eventual tenant and to top it off they charged me an unjustified buyer's commission on top of the flat "no hidden charges" original fee. If you'd like to understand why I would give a 1 star review (first time ever), here's the gist: 1) we agreed to rent property furnished with furnishings noted in lease agreement in as-is agreement and they would help me take an inventory (they did not help and the lease I was presented and tenant was presented omitted a furnishings addendum adding much confusion) 2) I chose a tenant and then Theresa delayed for 3 days trying to find a longer term tenant without clear communication to me or the tenant I FOUND ON CRAIGSLIST. We almost lost this tenant as a result. 3) I was not furnished the move-in checklist in a timely manner which was sloppily assembled and did not mention any particular as-is issues with the property such as a stain on carpet which I noted to her or the cracked tile. There are others. It's clear no time or effort was put in here which would have been done as either the seller's agent or buyer's agent if handled comprehensively. When I recently rented in CA I got a list of damagers from a mutual walk through with pictures from the seller's agent. Theresa agreed to assist with the move-in inspection especially given I'd be out of town and she did nothing in this regard. 4) Theresa did not check on the fact both front and back door keys were working (the back door was not and I had to handle this matter directly).​ 5) My proactive outreach to manage the quality of the listing, pictures, pricing, tenants under consideration, and lease terms was essential to the process, more so than was clear at any point during the initial contracting process. Whenever I called I did not get call backs until well beyond 1 business day and usually I got an email instead even on matters that required a discussion. 6) There is still a lock-box on the door which Theresa said she would add and remove as part of our original agreement. 7) Somebody without my permission or my tenant's permission tried to view the property after it was already rented. 8) I filled out their direct deposit form per your requested online edoc program yet Theresa said she didn't receive thus delaying processing of my misdeducted partial rental payment from my tenant. 9) My tenant received a bill pay request even though he paid in full. 10) I was charged a buyer's commission on top of the original fee because they said it was inferred since they showed the unit (my friend was on call to do so and they didn't need to show the unit) and they negotiated the lease (I negotiated the lease and they wrote up the terms incorrectly). They then said they would hear me out if I wrote a request explaining the situation and I never heard back. I now have to pursue this matter legally - how annoying!!! Expect tons of headaches if you work with this company or avoid the headaches and find another more reputable, attentive, ethical firm. read more

I wish I could give this company 0 stars. They were the worst property management company that I have ever worked with. I really loved the layout of my apartment but upon moving in the microwave was broken, the patio door was broken, the owner left a bunch of things including paint and wood. Despite those things, I moved in and had a very hard time getting maintenance requests filled. I have numerous emails between Theresa the property manager at the time (she has since left) and I. To make a long story short, they ended up billing me (keeping my security deposit) for the items that they refused to fix throughout my year lease. My security deposit explanation and cost breakdown was not given to me until I requested it and was handled very unprofessionally. Needless to say, I am a young professional in business development for large IT corporations, and this was definitely a learning experience of what poor company ownership looks like from the start. I would never expect for a property management - service organization to be slum lords--collecting a check where they can, by any crooked means. MY experience with Will and this company is one that I have shared with many of my civil lawyer friends and brokers in the northern Virginia area and have been advised that due to the small amount of my deposit I should let it go and just tell everyone I can that this company is a SCAM! Their unlawful practices are sure to result in a future civil lawsuit. read more

Urbana was our property manager for almost a year. We had to rent the apartment sight-unseen as we were moving to Arlington after being stationed overseas. From the very beginning, the owner of Urbana, Will, was abrasive and neglectful as a property manager. He refused our request to meet up and do an initial walk-through. We found out why when we did the walk through and found the carpets throughout the unit had not been cleaned, walls were scuffed, sinks that didn't drain, ceiling fans didn't work, refrigerator didn't work and had to be replaced, garbage disposal didn't work, etc. Complete disrepair. It took more than a month of our time just to get the house in livable condition (Will never came to the property or accepted any responsibility). Our relationship only went down from there. Despite advertising a unit with air conditioners, he tried to argue that the AC's were in the unit, they didn't have to work. Only after getting lawyers involved and the Arlington County Code Enforce involved did Will offer to refund me to replace the AC's (less than $200). Arlington County also sent Will's office a notice to make the property safer with railings along the stairs and functioning fire detectors. Those requests were ignored by Will (I doubt the property owner ever knew). Later, we had issues with lights burning out throughout the house, likely caused by shoddy wiring. Our requests to have the safety issues went unaddressed. Living in this property was the worst renting experience I've ever had. We never met Will throughout our entire stay. The only way I could get problems addressed was through the help of Arlington County Building Code Enforcement. As an owner of other properties who employs property managers, I can't understand why anyone would hire a manager who goes out of his way to have an antagonistic relationship with his tenants. No matter how much your saving, his negligent method of managing properties and antagonistic personality is guaranteed to lose you money over the long term. read more

I used Urbana to rent my home in 2015. The initial rental process went well with the property manager. Then she left the company and was replaced by the owner Will. All went well until I decided to sell the house with Urbana. EPIC FAIL! Will is terrible. He is unprofessional. Doesn't return phone calls. I've never met him in person. My renters had to hunt him down to get their deposit back. And he never refunded me my money that I had left over in my reserve account. While it was only like $200, it's the principal. I had to drop him as an agent and hire someone else to take over the sell. Come to find out, he doesn't even have a license! Stay away from this man and company because he is a fraud! read more

If you're a property owner looking to use Urbana as your rental management company, RUN, do not walk elsewhere. While the "flat rate" management fee may be attractive let me tell you, you pay for it in the long run. These guys have no idea what the Fu#@ they're doing, it is litterly like Fisher Price "My First Property Management". I don't think there is anyone over the age of 35 that works here and their immature attitude and lack of experience shows at every turn. They are incapable of communication, will not return calls or emails, and will not notify you (the owner) of issues with your property, they will however make expensive decisions in your name without even consulting you! They had a gate replaced for my tenant at the cost of $500 and did not even mention it to me until I got their statement a month later...here's the kicker, the gate was not mine, it was part of the condo's property, so not my responsibility to cover or fix. To add insult to their inaptness, they didn't even bother to get a second quote, so now I'm stuck with a bill that shouldn't have even been mine in the first place...ONE simple call or email, or text or fucking fax to me before OKing this work would have saved me $500 and them a client. Oh, and their book keeping is for shit. I once got hit with a $200 plumbing bill a year after they sent out a contractor to do the work. Oh, and when one tenant moved out and another moves in... yeah, they don't even bother doing a move out/ move in check. My previous tenant had left my home a mess, leaving closets full of their belongings and damage to the property. That all should have come out of the security deposit but Urbana didn't bother reporting it to me. If you really want to find a flat fee management company there are others. Don't waste your time and money with Urbana. read more

I rented out my condo in 2014. Will, the owner of Urbana RE, gave a good pitch so I hired Urbana as the management company. After signing on the dotted line, service deteriorated. Urbana let the tenants move in before the contract started. I got a call the weekend before the contract started where the onsite community manager said I needed to come in and sign a form so my tenants could move in. Awkward. I didn't want to meet the tenants. And they shouldn't have had the keys this early. The contract said Urbana would do 6 month checkups on the property. That only happened once in the 3 years they managed my property and that was 8 months into the 1st year of the contract and I had to initiate it. If I hadn't brought it up, it never would've happened. Seems like they just didn't want to drive out to the property so they came up with excuses not to even though the 6 month check ins are something they advertise as one of their services. I asked for pictures, something they advertise in the pitch, but got told that they only take pictures if something is wrong. At first, I was notified of all service requests before they happened. Once the assistants all left (they had a lot of turnover), Urbana would then have maintenance performed without informing me. I wouldn't find out until I checked my statement and saw that the cost was deducted from my rental income. I asked why I wasn't notified prior and they said they have so many customers that they can't spend time telling owners and that waiting on owner approval would be a disruption to the tenants. Uhm, what about the owners - the people who are paying you? Also, Urbana would pick high priced contractors. With my home warranty, a service call cost $60. A Groupon cost $90. But no, Urbana chose to go with one of the contractors they liked to work with who charged $150. When I was renewing the lease with the tenants, Urbana increased the rent by $10 without asking me. I asked where the increase came from and Urbana said it was a mistake but that the tenants agreed to it. So I left it alone, but how do you err on the rent amount in a contract? As far as communication, it'd take days to get a response. One time it took 3 days and multiple calls to get a response. When I complained about that, Will actually told me that I "wasn't their only client." Another time when I complained about my calls going unanswered, Will told me that email was a better way to reach him. So I'm not your only client and I should email you instead of call you - when I'm paying you $115 a month. Hmm. And they're not proactive. You won't find resolution unless you ask them multiple times. After 3 years, I decided to not renew the lease with my tenants and thus not renew the management agreement with Urbana so I could sell my condo. Will told me the move out inspection was at 10AM. Instead he held it at 9AM and texted me at 9:30 saying it was done. This prevented me from being present during the walkthrough. So I had to go through the place by myself. I noticed that the painter Urbana hired before the tenants moved in only painted halfway up the living room wall. I had vaulted ceilings. The paint only came up to eye level; you could clearly see a line across the wall as to where the new paint stopped. Urbana was supposed to send me my reserves refund back within 30 days. After 30 days I emailed Will to ask where my money was. He said I'd get it on the 6th, the day my tenant's rent would normally be deposited into my bank account. That's not what the contract said as far as when reserve funds would be returned; it said 30 days. Not 36. This experience has turned me off from ever being a landlord again and from ever dealing with a property management company. read more

We have had ongoing issues with this company ever since we moved in to our rental property in Woodbridge, VA. They are truly terrible. We have had an ongoing pest infestation and maintenance request issues that have not been addressed for months. They do not respond to email requests, phone calls, or messages through their online portal. I cannot state how completely shocked with have been with the lack of professionalism and common industry best practices Urbana RE has shown. read more

The Washington DC metro area has many bad property management companies and Urbana RE is one of them. For three-and-a-half years Urbana RE was the property manager for the duplex apartment I rented in Washington DC. I don't know who owns Urbana RE but I dealt with Theresa Waters for the first year or so who then quit or was fired. I then dealt with William McCoy for the remainder. Both William McCoy and Theresa Waters lied to me repeatedly and were uncooperative about repairs and allowed the landlord to evade his responsibilities. McCoy would send me insulting e-mail message replies loaded with pathetic excuses for his failures, often blaming me without any justification. Urbana RE just wants to collect the rent from the tenants and their fees from the landlords. Urbana RE is aware of their bad reputation: is that why they have no public website and only a Facebook page? Avoid renting from Urbana RE at all costs. read more

Urbana Real Estate and William McCoy helped me sell my home when my husband died. I was in a great need to sell the house because it was just too much to bare regarding the maintenance and memories. The Urbana RE team helped with contractors, professional photos, negotiations and everything else I needed to help me sell my home. I also appreciated their flat-rate listing fee since I really needed the money from my home sale to pay for my relocation to another state and assisted living. When it comes time to sell my investment property in Washington, DC I will be using them again. read more

We used Urbana RE to buy our first home. We had not had the best luck buying a home for various reasons. If it was we made too much for this program we didn't make enough for another program option. William and Henry worked tirelessly to not only make sure our first home purchase worked out but that it was done in record time of move out date from our apartment complex. Thanks to Urbana RE we now own our first home and our family couldn't be happier. read more

Mr McCoy managed my property from around May of 2013 through September of 2019. I did not receive a September owner's statement. I attempted to contact Mr. McCoy through numerous phone calls and emails (I live in California) -which were ignored. Through phone calls to my neighbors and to the utility companies, I found out that my tenants moved out over Labor Day weekend and that no one was living there. On 9/9/19, Mr. McCoy finally emailed me back that "the tenants have not paid this month's rent and this is the reason for no payment for September. They have already been sent a notice regarding this. The next move is eviction processing." I found out that my lease had expired on July 31, 2019. I received no notice from Mr. McCoy. I emailed and called him to let him know that, asked him why he didn't know/make me aware, and that I wanted to know where my keys were and who did the final walkthrough inspection (as defined in my lease agreement). On 9/10/19, Mr. McCoy emailed "I have taken a position out of state and as property owners' tenants vacate, we end the agreement." Again-I received no prior notice, no notification from Mr McCoy. I emailed and called him again, asking 1) Where are the keys to my house 2) When will the final walkthrough be completed as dictated by the terms of my lease? As of today,9/23/19, I have received no response from Mr. McCoy as to where my house keys are and when a final walkthrough will be performed. His conduct and attitude are completely unprofessional. Again-I am asking for my keys to be returned, and that a final walkthrough be done by him to ascertain and damage that the tenants have done which will be covered by the deposit-including a move out cleaning that they are responsible for as well. I also have not received my reserve refund, but he did take his fee out of my last statement. Shocker. Judging by the rest of the reviews, I am not the only person to have the same experience. Go elsewhere, or do it yourself. read more

If it were possible I would be giving NEGATIVE stars - minus 10 at the very least - I have mistakenly been using them for the past (almost) 2 years (currently trapped until this eviction is processed, if ever) and I have to agree with EVERYTHING that Chase H., Jay T., David P., Joshua K., Bre B., and Laura C., and more!! The tenant I was talked in to leasing to came from a foreclosure of her home which said to me she could not manage her money but they convinced me that they would oversee the rental and keep me informed if there were any financial issues - NOT!! She is a single woman who has now moved in a grown son, whom she refuses to name on the lease, after an initial short term renewal the association raised fees and I in turn raised rent (to cover the fee increase) on the NEXT short term renewal she requested. After talking me down to half of that increase and signing a new short term lease she bounced the very first check and has not paid rent for the last 4 months!! She has broken her lease in more ways then I can count but URBANA still has done nothing even after that has been pointed out on multiple occasions. There is constant arguing, yelling and fighting in the unit (I live directly below my rental unit), things are getting slammed around and I am terrified what they are doing to my unit but Urbana is not doing ANYTHING to move the eviction along that I had requested URBANA's owner to begin eviction proceedings on October 1st - it is now December 12th and NO action has been taken but they have billed me every month for their FEE!! He does NOT reply to either email, or phone messages. I provided two names of my preferred maintenance men and if they do not reply immediately to his request he complains they are not responsive and sends some flunky out that boosts the bill, lies, and tries to get over on me for repairs that are not needed, and at the same time, charge me an inflated fee for their service. If I refuse their service I get hit with a bill for having made an inflated, flat out lie of an estimate that is absolutely outrageous. When I point out that issue he ignores it and bills me anyway. I have requested on multiple occasions to be copied on ALL correspondence with the tenant but that NEVER happens either. They are sneaky and unethical, they make excuses if you challenge them on anything. ALL they are interested in is collecting their monthly fee and as stated by others their bookkeeping is a disaster, nearly unreadable. The "statement" is confusing and incomplete often with significant mistakes. Once this eviction is completed, their contract will be terminated (that is probably why they have not made any move to evict the tenant)!! Please, if you value your property and your rights as a landlord, DO NOT contract with URBANA. read more

We rented a house for almost 5 years from someone who used Urbana RE as their management company. Horrible response time on even the most minor repairs and even worse move out experience. So glad to finally be out of the rental world! read more

Things happen. People are fallible. The question is whether they are making EVERY effort to do and be the best they can... My answer is a resounding "YES" as it pertains to Urbana RE. Primarily by choice, I have been a renter for the entirety of my adult life - everything from places at huge rental apartment complexes to homes rented directly by the owner to those who utilize a leasing/management agency as the go-between, and I can honestly say that THE LAST YEAR OF MY RENTAL EXPERIENCE WITH URBANA RE as the management agency HAS BEEN THE BEST. While neither the home nor the agency is without imperfections (in fact, we got off to a marginally rocky start), I say that leasing under the management of Urbana has been the best for me because never before have I experienced an agency that makes that "EVERY effort" I initially spoke of like this agency. The agency is always readily responsive to my questions/concerns and repair requests, and the current property manager (not my first one with Urbana) has a unique combination of professionalism, patience and pleasantness bar none! I just renewed my lease, this time for a two year period, without ever having laid eyes on or speaking directly with the property owner. I attribute my willingness to do so directly to the leasing agency and their manager. Thanks, Urbana! I look forward to two more great years :-) -- vjw read more

I rented an apartment for two years through Urbana as agent in Arlington, VA. I was the perfect tenant. I never missed a payment. When I moved I had the apartment professionally cleaned and left it spotless. I even took the time to make the company a spare key on my own when they realized they did not have the correct key to put in the lockbox for showings. I returned all keys, passes, etc. The only thing I did wrong was I missed giving the notice that I was moving by 1.5 weeks (less than 60 days). I changed my mind about renewing and the management company knew early on. Despite all of this the agent, Theresa Waters acted cagey when I asked about getting the deposit back when I was in the office. She stated that she had nothing to do with it and that it would be handled by their "accounting department." The next day I received an email from her stating that they would be keeping my deposit because of the notice requirement. She knew very well when I asked her that they intended to keep the deposit of $1799. It seems to me that the company and/or owner would work with a good tenant to at least refund part of the deposit. Most likely they will rent the apartment again and receive a windfall of $1799. All i can say is "buyer beware" when dealing with this company. read more

I did not have a very positive experience with Urbana. I should start by saying my condo was built in 2014 and I rented in 2015 so the unit was new. When the tenants did the walk through they only marked one or two items which I then had fixed. Over the course of the next month, the tenants submitted items for replacement that I felt were excessive (ex. discolored floor board, blinds were slightly bent, closet door had to be pushed shut (it was an easy access latch), light bulb is flickering, they claimed the front door lock was broken). Our property manager didn't let me know which items I had to fix or not, she would just send them all to me, or in some cases just fix things without asking and then bill me. After a while I got really upset because the place was fairly new and I didn't understand how a brand new front door lock could break twice in two months, it seemed to be the tenants were careless. Later I asked her to schedule and HVAC cleaning and after several months I followed up with her and it had not been done. She seemed to be constantly asking me for contact information for the building, which I had sent her several times and overall I got the impression she just didn't care at all amount managing my unit. read more