Property Managers

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Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • Property management company recommendation?

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    Jul 28, 2024

    I am helping my senior father rent out his property and would like to hire a property management company to keep things simple, safe and professional for him. This is a single family home located in El Cerrito.  Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

    Jul 28, 2024

    I do not recommend Premium Properties of Berkeley. While it was many years ago, I found Sam Sorokin and Craig Beckerman to cut a lot of corners (yes, I talked with them directly). I would rather have my renters happy and well-treated than get the most rent possible, which means practices like having cheaply done repairs. Even if your objective is the most money possible, I can't recommend a company whose leaders have a history and act the way they had.

    Jul 31, 2024

    I have been in a rental house in El Cerrito for five years now, that is managed by Castle Rock. Keith has been an absolute dream to work with from a tenants perspective. Any issue has been responded to quickly and with top notch professionals. I have been a renter in the Bay Area for 12 years now, this is my sixth rental and I have seen it all! At this point I would be hard pressed to ever rent from a property owner again.  

    Jul 31, 2024

    We have been using the Cal Agents for the past 5 years and have been happy with them. I recommend working with Charlotte.

    Jul 31, 2024

    As a long-time renter, I do not recommend Lapham Property Management. While there are some nice employees, many of them have been rude to myself and other tenants, the company does as little upkeep and maintenance as possible on their managed properties, and they've tried to illegally pass along fees to renters. They have a large presence in the east bay, but savvy renters do their best to stay away from Lapham.

    Aug 7, 2024

    Unfortunately, as an owner I had a different experience with Castle Rock than the previous poster. While at times Keith could be helpful, when I stopped using their services I found that my property had not been adequately maintained and I had to have several repairs done for things that should not have been neglected. I also learned that many repair and maintenance requests by tenants had not been performed or properly responded to, which I had no knowledge of at the time. Additionally, some repairs that were handled by their own crew were substandard and seemed hacked together (yet were still expensive). Overall, I cannot recommend.

    Aug 12, 2024

  • Property Management

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    Apr 5, 2024

    I am toying with the idea of renting my house in North Berkeley while I live elsewhere. I want a pretty hands-off approach to renting and am looking for recommendations about Property Management Services. Ideally, it's a service that both the parties (renter and rentee) like. The goal is to get income while being a good landlord.

    I found a few posts on this topic here, but they are pretty old.

    Apr 5, 2024

    Sorry, no recommendations for you, but just wanted to strongly recommend that you join BPOA - Berkeley Property Owners Association. Renting a property in Berkeley is not for the faint of heart! Best of luck.

    Apr 10, 2024

    I understand wanting hands-off but here is the alternative that has worked for me. I have left for 3-6 months maybe ten times over the years. 
    The families that have rented my house have been experienced homeowners so I have them attend to repairs, etc. So, instead of paying 15% to a manager, I pass the discount onto the renters, assuming they are in agreement with the responsibility. I leave them with a detailed list of contractors that have worked on my house over the years - plumber, electrician, locksmith, house cleaner, handyman, gardener, etc. - and they have the responsibility of addressing the clogged drain, etc and I reimburse them. I communicate with each contractor before I go. 
    I use a nolo press fixed-term rental contract and spell out what their responsibilities are. For repairs under $500, such as a clogged drain or leaky faucet, they don’t need to contact me, just get the work done and provide a receipt and then the charge is deducted from the next month’s rent. For issues greater than $500, they must consult with me because at that price point there are often choices and I want to be involved with the decision. For a major earthquake or if the house becomes uninhabitable, I can’t remember how I handled that; it hasn’t  happened yet. 
    We keep in touch at least monthly by email assuming there are no issues. They have to use my housekeeper when they leave at their expense. I allow pets. 
    In all the years of rentals, one family needed a plumber once. Only one person left the home in less than stellar shape but she came for a summer to help her daughter (with terminal cancer), husband and two young kids make it through her daughter’s passing. I paid for the extra cleaning needed myself and never burdened my grieving tenant. 
    I feel that the tenants got better service by scheduling work themselves. 
    Most of my renters have been families moving to Berkeley from afar and wanted to rent a furnished home short-term while they decided which town/neighborhood they wanted to settle in. So they only move furnishings once. 
    Assuming your house is well-maintained, this option might work for you. 
    Good Luck and safe, fun travels!
     

    Apr 10, 2024

  • Property Manager- Oakland

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    Apr 16, 2023

    Hi All,

    I'm looking for a new property manager for my home in Oakland. I'm very unhappy with my current company and am looking for someone new when our contract ends. I'm looking for someone who is (1) knowledgeable and can offer advice on the market/pricing; (2) who is responsive, particularly because I spend most of the year out of town and can't personally address maintenance or other issues that arise; (3) who is proactive and doesn't wait for me get in touch for glaring issues; and (4) who doesn't try to push me to accept tenants who don't meet the rental qualifications. If you've worked with anyone you recommend, please let me know!

    Apr 16, 2023

    We've been very happy with the Cal Agents. Although I still keep an eye on things, they have been very good. They (without me asking) conduct a yearly inspection of the property. This has been helpful to find any problems that need to be fixed and keep up with any maintenance issues. I really like working with Bea and Diego has been amazing dealing with maintenance and repairs. Team - The Cal Agents Real Estate

    Apr 20, 2023

  • Looking for a property manager for a condo in Berkeley

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    Sep 4, 2020

    We're looking for a trusted property manager for our 3b/3ba condo in Berkeley because there is a possibility we might move out of bay area. The condo is in great condition and won't require much "management" but we would like to not worry about renting it out or dealing with leases and maintenance. 

    If you know of good property managers, please let me know! 

    I already looked through past BPN posts and contacted a few in the past week but haven't heard back from most yet.

    Thanks so much!

    Sep 4, 2020

    I highly recommend Wellington Property Management.  https://www.wellingtonpropertyco.com/

    After several horrible renters (including one we had to evict) we finally hired Wellington and they did a great job.  It is worth every penny paying them to handle the headaches for you. 

    Sep 9, 2020

    We like Mary Oram of ERI.

    Sep 9, 2020

    We have been using The Cal Agents for property management for almost a year now and have been very happy with them. They are detail oriented and I appreciate that they reply to my e-mails within a few hours. We had a tenant vacate unexpectedly due to Covid and they worked hard to get the property ready and found a new tenant in just 3 weeks. You can contact Nikki at Nikki [at] thecalagents.com

    https://thecalagents.com/public/pm/

    Sep 9, 2020

    Speaking from a renter's point of view, Shaw Properties ( http://shawprop.com/) has always been professional and promptly responsive to my needs. 

    Sep 9, 2020

    I’m sure you’ll get quite a few suggestions. Mine is Roman Fan from Korman & Ng in Berkeley. We worked with him several times and couldn’t be happier. He is experienced, a great communicator, and utterly reliable. 

    Sep 9, 2020

  • Property manager for novice landlords

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    Jul 25, 2018

    Recently my husband and I ended up as co-owners of a 3BR 2.5BA townhouse in Hercules, after buying out his former co-owner.  We’ve never been in the position of landlord before, and we’ll need to rent this place out (it’s currently vacant) in order to afford to keep it.  The rental market is so complex and our investment in this property is significant, so it just seems like a reliable and trustworthy property manager would be well worth the cost.  Any recommendations would be much appreciated.  

    Jul 25, 2018

    A property manager will cost you up to 20% of your monthly rent - if that's a number you can do, super! If not, it's not brain surgery to be a landlord - I highly recommend the Nolo books on Tenant/Landlord agreements for all the current information and of course research your city's rental code. Good luck!

    Aug 1, 2018

    I would highly recommend Frank Hennefer. He just helped us rent our place. He does the background checks, sets up the viewings, and is also a property manager. He is very knowledgeable and an all around nice guy. You can contact him at (510) 485-7235 and fhennefer [at] sbcglobal.net

    Aug 1, 2018

  • Property manager for my home while I'm overseas

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    May 8, 2018

    I'm looking to rent my 3 bd / 1 ba 2 story home in North Berkeley Hills for a minimum of 1 year. This has been my private home for over 20 years and I will be away overseas. In search of your *BEST* recommendations for Property Managers able to handle everything from start to finish: 

    Advice on how to prepare home.

    Place property on market/place qualified tenants.

    Handle contract, ongoing maintenance, and financial transactions promptly and with integrity.

    Excellent communication.

    Able to deliver property in condition it was rented upon my return. 

    Anything else? 

    Please no direct commercial responses. First hand personal recommendations only. 

    May 8, 2018

    Before you rent out your home, you should really do your research. Depending on the laws in Berkeley, you may have to pay your renters relocation fee to reclaim your home. In Richmond and San Francisco, these can be into the 5 digits and it may take many months or even a full year to do an "owner move-in eviction"  It is much more difficult to relocate someone who is elderly or disabled - more time and more money. Right now, Berkeley is rent controlled. While rent control itself, does not apply to single family homes, eviction laws do.  It is not enough to have a lease and then simply not renew it. Find out exactly how and under what circumstances you will be able to legally ask your renters to leave.

    Also the state law that exempts single family homes from rent control will likely be challenged in the fall election in a measure being touted as "state wide rent control" - totally inaccurate BTW.  However, exemptions (like single family homes) in rent controlled areas (like Berkeley) are definitely at risk of coming under these incredibly punitive laws.

    Additionally, since rent control involves an expensive bureaucracy, the Berkeley Rent Program will charge you for renting. I don't know how they do it in Berkeley but in Richmond we pay an inspection fee, a rent program fee, a business license fee all are annual. The Berkeley Rent program is one place for answers, Berkeley Property Owners Association is another. 

    Good luck

    May 9, 2018

    A suggestion from a renter, not a homeowner, for what it’s worth: We rent a house in North Berkeley managed by Bay Cities Property Management, and from the renter’s side of things, they’ve been very reliable, responsible, and professional. We pay rent each month automatically through on online portal, which works well for both us and, I imagine, the house owners.

    May 10, 2018

  • Hire property management for Berkeley home while we're overseas?

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    Apr 10, 2017

    We are moving our family overseas for a year, possibly longer. We want to rent our Berkeley home and are debating whether it's worth it to hire property management. We would prefer not to deal with the legal hassles and background checks etc..., and are also just loathe to become landlords at all. Does anyone have any insight or experience with this, or do you have particular property managers to recommend? 

    Apr 10, 2017

    Hello,

    Though I don't have an answer for you about property managers in Berkeley, I will say that I'm interested in possibly renting your place. My spouse will be on sabbatical and we're looking to relocate to Berkeley. Thanks for being in touch.

    Apr 12, 2017

    We moved away and kept our house, uncertain if we were going to return or not to the Bay Area. We initially tried to rent the house without a property manager, and we even found tenants on our own. At the last minute they decided it wasn't right for them. Luckily it was still a couple of months out from the time we were moving. We hired a property manager, and she rented the place out within the weekend.

    We've now been away for a year, and we are planning to return. There were a number of surprises with this property manager. Most recently we discovered that there are now 4 tenants, not just 3, living in our house. When we asked why we didn't know this, the property manager informed us it wasn't necessary to inform the landlords that there was a 4th person and it didn't affect the lease. Though we would have likely not objected, it made me very uncomfortable that she had unilaterally decided not to let us know how many people are living in our house. 

    The upshot (I'm not doing the best job at detailing the back and forth and various frustrations of using the property manager) is that though she's been frustrating at times, I am still glad we had someone managing the house, as we were multiple time zones away, and it really would have been an immense stress to manage remotely. I've tried to be an absentee landlord while I was in graduate school, and at the time I couldn't fathom affording a property manager. It was really stressful to deal with tenants' sometimes unreasonable (like needing a lightbulb unscrewed, or a "beeping" that was the fire alarm that needed a new battery) panics, and although I think I'd be wiser about choosing my tenants now, I think being a landlord is generally a stressful undertaking. Better to outsource if you can. Also, do lots of research about managers' rates -- we found them highly variable. We are paying 5% but found managers with rates as high as 9%!

    Apr 12, 2017

    Yes, absolutely get a property manager. I rented out my home when I was overseas, and when the furnace broke I was sooooo glad I had a property manager. I think I paid about 7% of the rental amount. The tenant they found was so great that I ended up selling the place to her directly rather than putting it on the market.

    Don't feel bad about being a landlord unless your goal is to be a slumlord. Think of being a property owner who is providing a service to someone who needs a place to live.

    As I renter I have rented from http://www.kands.com/. The original owners retired, but I think I would still recommend their services. They run a tight ship and have a great network of repair people.

    Apr 17, 2017

    I am not a landlord but met Duwandlyn as renter looking to rent a house. She was just fantastic. Very trustworthy, thorough in her vetting , responsive with several handymen at the ready and honest and if I were in your position I would consider working with her. It will be difficult to manage all the little things that come up with renters if you are overseas.  http://www.realestateagentvallejo.com/

    May 8, 2017

  • Property manager for several residences in Oakland

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    Nov 19, 2016

    My wife and I own several residential rental properties in Oakland and I am the manager who handles everything. As we approach our 80's it is time to plan for the future regarding the management of these properties. My concern is that if I should die before my wife she will be at a loss as to how to deal with the whole situation. Therefore, we are asking for recommendations for professional management companies which specialize in residential properties. Our preference is for a small organization which will take very good care of our tenants -some who have been with us for 10 years or longer. The company should be experienced, honest, reliable, trustworthy, caring and flexible in their performance and oversight as my wife will know very little about the running of the properties. Many thanks for your experience and recommendations.

    Nov 19, 2016

    No company is going to provide the personal touch that your tenants have come to expect. I suggest that you check Premium Properties and see if they suit you. 

    http://www.premiumpd.com/

    Nov 23, 2016

    *This recommendation comes from the tenant end*. We've really like the property manager of our rental, Lloyd Jung (based out of Marvin Gardens). He's super responsive (like within minutes). In the 3.5 years we've rented the home (single family) we've never even met the landlord and I think he's been able to be very "hands off" in his retirement because Lloyd takes care of everything. 

    Nov 23, 2016

    Hello-

    Our landlords are Woodminster Property Management off Hwy. 13 at the bottom of Joaquin Miller Rd. in Oakland.  There are a small family business that has been around since 1999 and have been great to us the past 3 years we have been renting here.  http://www.woodminstermanagement.com/

    Good luck!

    Johanna

    Nov 23, 2016

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Recommendations for a property manager

May 2013

My wife and I own several residential rental properties (a total of nine units) in Oakland, and I manage them myself at the current time. My concern is that if I were to become disabled or die before my wife, she would have no idea of how to operate the business. Therefore, I am seeking recommendations from the BPN community on who might be a top-quality person or company to operate the properties in case I am no longer able to do so. Most of our tenants have been with us for many years (several over 10) and we care about them very much with personalized service and attention. I do not want some faceless outfit which mostly cares about their bottom line and not the tenants' or my wife's well-being and financial situation. Honesty, trust, competence and dependability are critical traits in this regard. Many thanks. anon

Hi looking-for-a-property-manager, when I read your post, I couldn't help but think that our resident manager might well be the person you're looking for. Ginger is very much the type of person who's primarily concerned with the well-being of the tenants in our apartment complex and not just that, she also cares about the property itself and is very much invested in improving it! She's had about 4 years of experience ''in the field'' now and has enjoyed it so much she decided to get a real estate license, which she is now in the process of getting. If you'd like to talk to her, please give her a call at 510-282-0932 (Ginger Livingston) A happy tenant

ERI or Korman & Ng Property Management?

Sept 2012

Has anyone worked with ERI or Korman & Ng Property Managers, as either a tenant or a landlord? A description of your experience, the services provided, and the fees charged is much appreciated. Thank you! Busy Landlord

Hi, there -- I see that you are a busy landlord, but it would be very worthwhile to interview a few property management firms to determine the services you would receive. They should meet you and look over the rental(s) you have. One thing that was invaluable to me as a (temporary) Berkeley landlord (renting out my own home for a couple of years) was to have someone who understood the rent control laws and would honor them. If any of your rentals are in Berkeley, this is valuable -- imperative, really. Ask for samples of the paperwork they provide you for your tax records and also find out if they would be your representative in the event of an eviction. Usually there is a hefty charge for tenant screening and selection -- worth it, in my opinion -- and then a monthly charge for rent collection, following up on maintenance/repairs, fiscal paperwork, etc. Becky

Berkeley Property Manager?

Sept 2012

Looking for recommendations for a reliable property manager/management company who knows the Berkeley market. What is the going rate? Thank you. Busy Landlady

Diamond Bay Realty and Property Management in Emeryville can give you an estimate of current Berkeley rental rates. www.diamondbayrealty.com Carter

Recommend a property management for rental house?

July 2012

I'm a real estate investor and looking for a reliable property management company. Any recommendation would be appreciated. Cristina

I've been using Bay Cities Property Management based out of Berkeley for almost a year now. I own a 6-plex in El Sobrante and took me a while to find a competent PM. Jenna is reliable and very easy to work with. Very happy to have found BCPM. Feel free to contact me or her directly at baycitiesmanagement [at] yahoo.com

I highly recommend Bay Cities Property Management for property management in the East Bay. I interviewed quite a few property managers before hiring Bay Cities to lease and manage my rental property in Berkeley. They've been handling it for over 2 years, and I'm really happy with them. They're really good about responding to the tenants promptly and taking care of whatever comes up - both big and small issues. They have so many good contacts for maintenance, plumbing etc. problems, that I think having them manage the property has saved me money overall. Another thing I really like is that they provide detailed, straight forward reports so I always know what's going on. All that aside, they're really nice people and working with them is a pleasure. I can't imagine that there's anyone who would do a better job. Good luck! Bruce

Property Management company?

April 2012

Hi all- I am thinking of buying a rental property for the first time - maybe albany, El Cerrito or further towards Mountain View (South Bay). But I'm no longer around enough to do the renting and maintenance myself. Does anyone have a great relationship with a rental maintenance company? I'm mostly looking for someone I can trust with renter complaints and keeping the books for taxes. Any recommendations good OR bad would be HIGHLY APPRECIATED. Thanks folks!

I've heard really good things about Bay Property Group. http://baypropertygroup.com/ Kim

Try The Lapham Company. 594-7600 They are an honest, family run company. I do not know how they structure their pricing, but I would feel completely comfortable having them manage my property (if I were lucky enough to own one). We know a lot of people who work there and they are the kind of people you'd want to be friends with.

Help renting our house in Berkeley

July 2011

Hello, We are considering trying to rent out our house and buy a larger place. Does anyone have any experience with this? It seems easiest to use a service that handles all of the logistics - can someone recommend a good one? We basically need someone that would tell us what our 2bd/1ba NW Berkeley house will rent for and then deal with all the maintenance and everything. Also, not sure what kind of cut the company takes off the rental price? Anyone have any ideas out there? We can't really sell the house as we would not get what we needed for it, so we are hoping to get a good rental price. Thanks for any advice! Heather

Hi - there are lots of property management firms that can help you and I recommend you start contact them asap. It may take away to sort through all of the options. We recently considered this and got a range of responses. One firm wants 7% of the gross rents and another wanted a monthly fee. It's also work doing a little educating of yourself about rental laws. For example, it's really difficult to get a bad tennat. We also didn't have a handly list of contracts that we used. And I didn't have a lot of confidence in my ability to screen tennants. Others I know have used Craigslist and it's worked out great. Good Luck!

Property Management Co's

March 2011

We are in search of a property mgt co. to manage a 4-plex in El Cerrito. It was handed over to us (via family) approx. a year ago and are finding it too much to handle. Unfortunately, in my research, I have not found very many that seem to come with too many positive recommendations. Does anyone have any experience w/Bartels Co. or any others that they would recommend?? Thanks... anon

Hello! I'm responding to your query on property managers. I also own a fourplex, and have been using Bay Area Property Management for almost two years now. I can tell you that BAPM has made my life much easier. Since hiring them, I haven't had to worry about finding new tenants, collecting and bookkeeping rent or property maintenance. One of the best parts is that since they have in-house maintenance people, I've saved a lot of money on repairs (lost keys, plumbing back ups etc.) that otherwise would have been much more expensive. At the time I was looking, their rates were less than the other companies (including Bartles) that I looked at. The person that I would speak to is Jenna, and you can reach her at 510-898-6009 or bapminfo [at] yahoo.com anon

I highly recommend Bay Area Property Management. They have done a great job managing my building and have proven to be very responsible and easy to work with. Contact info: 510-898-6009 or bapminfo [at] yahoo.com Doug

Seeking Tenant Placement Services

Oct 2010

I have a six plex in El Sobrante and am looking for a someone to help place tenants. Just don't have the time to meet with proprestive tenants. The property requires very little maintenence so I don't necessarily need a full property management services. Does any one have any recommendations?

I highly recommend Stuart Levitas. Stuart is extremely personable and professional. He is a realtor and an aspect of his business is Property Management. He can help you find excellent tenants for your complex. His web address is www.stuartlevitas.com. Call 925.858.5830 or email is stuart [at] stuartlevitas.com. You will have peace of mind having Stuart work for you. marika

I highly recommend calling Jenna with Bay Area Property Management. I recently purchased a 4-unit apartment building that was completely vacant. I contacted Jenna, and she was available to meet with me at my building within 24 hours. She gave me some really good input about some minor things I could do to spruce up my units and make them more appealing to prospective tenants. She also gave me some great education on the current rental market. I decided to have her put my units on the market, and after less than one week she had the first unit rented. Bay Area Property Management has a very thorough screening procedure for tenants, which was something that was very important to me. Jenna placed tenants in all 4 of my units, and so far I could not be happier. I have not had any problems- and rent comes in on time! Contact info for Bay Area Property Management is (510) 860-6065 or bapminfo [at] yahoo.com. Doug

Property manager for house in San Leandro

July 2010

I have a 4bd/2.5ba house in San Leandro that I'm looking to rent out. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good property manager or rental agency I can go to? Or would you recommend posting on craigslist? Thanks.

I highly recommend Stuart Levitas. His # is 925.858.5830. His website is www.stuartlevitas.com. Stuart is very honest and has tremendous integrity. He is easy to work with..very personable. He will treat your property as if it's his own. He also does a very comprehensive screening of potential tenants. You won't go wrong with his help. happy to refer stuart

Property manager for El Sobrante rental

Jan 2010

Hi! We are moving soon, so I need some recommendations for a good Property Manager that can handle our house and our rental house for us. I'm trying to look online, and all I can find are bad reviews--but anyone have a good review??? Well, give me your bad reviews too, I need to know which companies to steer away from!! We are in El Sobrante (East Bay). Thanks in advance.

We are renting a home in El Cerrito through Access Properties on San Pablo Ave in El Cerrito. I know they have gotten some iffy reviews on Yelp, but they have been fine for us. Whenever we needed something fixed, we just called their handy man and it was taken care of quickly and charged to the management company. Last week I happened to be home during the day and ran into the handyman checking and cleaning all the gutters. The company was being proactive and checking all their properties. So, give them a try. kl

Property manager for house in El Cerrito

Oct 2009

My husband and I have decided to move back to SF where our family lives. In this market, we don't want to sell our small single home in El Cerrito and so have decided to rent it out. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good property manager who will work with little units too? Regi

We have used a realtor by the name of Lynda Bartels to buy and sell and home and had spoken to her in length about being a property manager when we weren't sure whether we were going to sell or rent. She is local, knowledgeable, has tons of experience and is happy to manage smaller properties. You can check her out and get all her contact info on her website: www.lyndajbartels.com. Good luck.

Need to rent out our home in Oakland

June 2009

We are looking to rent out our two bedroom, one bathroom bungalow in Maxwell Park. Because we will be moving out of state, we will be unable to manage the property ourselves. I have called several agencies and they've all seemed reluctant to manage single family homes. And when I ask friends for recommendations, they tell me to 'run away'; there are no good property management agencies in Oakland. Please help me prove them wrong. Suggestions?

I have used the property management service at Korman & Ng in Berkeley. You could ask for Miriam Ng. I think they are wonderful. Being a landlord is kind of vulnerable and a hassle but they have made it possible for me.

Someone to manage our home in Oakland

Nov 2008

We're moving out the area and have decided to rent our Oakland home. I'm looking for recommendations on someone who can manage our house for us. We want someone who is knowledgeable in renter laws in Oakland and, ideally, would be able to handle the whole screening/rental agreement process. We don't have a lot to spend - is it unrealistic to expect to find someone who doesn't charge a fortune and will be diligent about responding to any issues that come up? Thanks for any recommendations. Jen

Hi- I rented a home in the East Bay that was managed by O'Hanks Management. My husband and I loved the house (even inquired about the possibility of buying it), and tried to do things to make it a nicer place to be (planted some flowering plants in the front yard, etc.). During our 6 year tenancy at that house we got nothing but toxic treatment from O'Hanks, and only partial responses to our requests for repairs. They were verbally abusive to us and didn't do what they needed to keep the house in good repair. Good luck finding someone who will take good care of your home. -Cynthia C

Property management for private home

Oct 2008

I will be leaving the area for work and would like to rent my home. does anyone have any recommendations for a good Residential Property Management company? and any idea as to Bay Area average monthly fees for these services? Thank You!

We had Keith Carroll at Castle Rock Realty in Albany manage our property for several years. He did a great job, the whole thing was trouble free. I first met him when I lived in a rental that he managed. Very thorough, found good tenants. If I remember correctly, they took a 10% cut of the rent. Karen

Property manager for home in Oakland

May 2008

We need a reliable, experienced, reasonably priced property manager to manage a single family rental house in the Glenview district of Oakland. Would prefer someone not affiliated with a realty company to avoid conflict of interest. The property is currently rented. Does anyone have a recommendation? Thanks!

I strongly recommend Stuart Levitas. He can be reached at LeaseFast 925.858.5830. He is extremely knowledgeable about rental properties and managing them. He's very reliable, trustworthy and full of integrity. Your property will be in good hands with his help. marika

Property manager for a rental house

Feb 2008

I am looking for a property manager for a rental house. Any recommendations? Thank you. Kathy

Cedar Properties. www.cedarproperties.com Wonderful company. They've done a fantastic job with my properties, and have dramatically increased my rental income. They completely took over everything, and all of my management headaches are now gone! anon

2004 - 2007 Reviews

Good Property Management Company needed

Oct 2007

Greetings I need to rent out my home in El Sobrante and I am looking for a good property management company in the area. Any recommendations would be much appreciated. Thank You.

Try ASK Rentals 510 524 2985. Was in a similar situation a few years back. They helped with my home in Kensington. Anon

Property manager in West Contra Costa

Sept 2007

We're about to give up on trying to sell our house and are thinking about renting it out for a few years instead. We will need to use a property manager to find and help deal with tenants. Has anyone out there had a good experience using a particular property manager in West Contra Costa? Thank you

Try The Lapham Company. Their offices are located in Oakland but they serve the entire bay area. They have a huge portfolio, are a family run and very honest company. My husband went to school with the daughter of the owner (Jon Shahoian) and we love their family! I have no idea about rates, specific services, etc. -

Property manager for our Berkeley house

Dec 2006

We will be away from Berkeley for two years while posted overseas. Does anyone have any experience with property management agencies for their home? We can't burden friends/family with the responsibility of maintenance and rental so will need to use an agency. Any suggestions very appreciated. Heading Far East

I would like to recommend a friend who is in this business. Al Satake is very active in the East Bay community and is very highly regarded. The name of his property management business is K and S and is located in Albany. Here is the contact information: 1035 San Pablo Avenue, Suite 12, Albany, CA 94706-2277 Telephone: (510) 528-1900 You can also look at his website kands.com Sue F.

Hi, I can recommend Georges Vassiliades who is a commercial real estate broker and Property Manager. He is very knowledgeable and I know he can do a great job for you. His phone is 710-6826; his email is Gvrealtor [at] gmail.com; and his website is http:// www.PropertiesByGeorge.com David

Hi there, Wells & Bennett Realtors is an extremely reputable company that handles property management contracts in the East Bay. They are knowledgeable, about property management laws, they find quality tenants, screen them for you, show the property etc. Once your new tenant moves in, they are the ones that deal with all of the day-to-day maintenance/management issues. Best of all, the fee is very reasonable, & they are willing to negotiate with you. I have a home in Alameda that is managed by them, & I couldn't be happier. The house was rented within 2 weeks of going on the market, we received our asking rent; I receive a monthly report of the happenings at the property & a rent check without fail. They are fabulous. You should definitely consider them. Their # is 510 531-7000 ext. 240 Happy Landlord

Property Management in Alameda

June 2006

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on Property Managemnt in Alameda. My parents have a 5 unit apt complex and would like to have a professional manage it. They have used Gallegher and Lindsey a while back and the lady that handled their property was irresponsible. So if any landlords out there have had good experiences with person or company we would appreciate your input and info. Thanks! Melissa

As an 8 year tenant of a property managed by Property Investment Services, my opinion of their services is summarized by the lovely week that I spent with my toilet backed up. It took an entire week for them to get around to having someone deal with it. Luckily, I knew the owner, and it finally took my calling him so that he could yell at PIS to have them deal with it. My yelling at PIS apparently wasn't enough. Good thing I had a close friend living nearby that didn't mind my presence for a week. There were other issues also, which are raising my blood pressure to even think about, so I won't go into detail. I think the above example illustrates my point pretty clearly

Property Manager for apartment building

April 2006

I need a recommendation for a competent, reliable, trustworthy residential property manager. I have been handed the responsibility for managing a 24 unit apartment building in Oakland and I just don't have the time. The onsite manager can collect the rents and keeping the place clean. I can handle paying the regular bills. I need help with finding & screening tenants, and with fixing, cleaning and updating the apartments when they turnover. Thanks.

I know of an incredible property manager who is based in SF, but it is worth calling her to see if she works in the East Bay. Her name is Joanne Fazzino, 415-297-9777. Alissa al30sh [at] yahoo.com

I can heartily recommend Paul Morris who manages several Bay Area apartment buildings. He knows all the right people to get plumbing, cleaning, elevator maintenance, grounds maintenance, etc. etc. handled. He is experienced with getting new tenants and removing difficult tenants when needed. Please give him a call at 510-235-6612. LIndy

I would highly recommend The Lapham Company for property management services. I think typically they take complete care of a property, so I don't know if they would take on a ''partial'' job as you described. But I have absolutely nothing bad to say about them and it wouldn't hurt to ask. The man who owns the company is an honest, upstanding individual and is just an all around no-nonsense, great guy. His sister handles all of the leasing (she's awesome!) and several other family members work there. I am always impressed. You might check them out, most of the properties they manage are in Oakland -- 510.594.7600.