Good rental companies in Madison? (Lakewood: apartments, credit report, neighborhood)

[HondaCivet]

Hey guys . . . yes I'm posting ANOTHER thread, I have only subletted in Madison before and now I'm trying to sign a full one-year lease so I have lots of questions! Anyway, everyone has recommended contacting the Tenant Resource Center for the dirt on rental companies around Madison. I've tried doing this but I'm having a lot of trouble getting ahold of them. I have only called and not stopped by their offices, I don't know if that would help or not. So if you have any advice on that, that'd be great . . . otherwise, I'd just like to know which rental places you've dealt with or heard about that were particularly good or bad.

I am especially interested in a couple of companies right now . . . we are looking at a place by Downtown Apartments. I think they're also known as Docken, or at least that's what the application said. Anyway, they've seemed really friendly, open and fair so far and we're strongly leaning towards them. However, we have a showing on Monday with some properties by Apex. I know that they are a bigger company and all I can find about them online is bad reviews but they are big so bad experiences are bound to accumulate over time . . . Anyway, if anyone has any insight on them or any other companies, I'd love to hear.

[subclavius]

I've heard bad things about Madison Property Management.

Generally speaking, the closer to campus the properties are the more likely they are going to have negative reviews. Those apartments get abused as student housing, they're overpriced, it's loud on the weekends, lousy parking, etc, and the landlords/management don't maintain the properties well. The more a company carries those properties, the more likely that those companies will accumulate bad reviews.

That doesn't mean those companies are innocent, just that with one tends to come the other. From some of the horror stories I've been told, many of the bad reviews are well deserved. If you find a place with a company that caters to college students, expect them to be slightly less than responsive when a sink starts leaking.

Some of the nicer downtown places that have a professional/student mix seem to be well run. But you're going to pay for it, and it's most likely there's no vacancies.

[ryanj0]

One company to avoid is Forward Management. They own a lot of properties so you may see their name quite a bit. Don't touch them with a 29 1/2 foot pole. They are real nice at first and then after you sign the lease, not so much. I have heard really good things about Steve Brown Apartments, and there are several ma and pop landlords in Madison, those are usually quite good to go with. But whatever you do AVOID Forward Management at all costs.

Jeremy Ryan

[HondaCivet]

Originally Posted by subclavius

I've heard bad things about Madison Property Management.

I went to a showing with one of their properties. Some creepy guy that looked like a used car salesman showed up to let me in. He knew as much about the property as I did and was obviously just there to give me a pre-packaged folder of info and then shoo me off. Left a bad taste in my mouth, that's for sure.

[Nique]

I've had good luck with Lakewood and Fiore.

[RemiJP]

While going with a rental company can help speed up the process by allowing you to see many places with one visit, I also recommend paying close attention to listings that are rented by owner. The private owner/landlords of met really seem to care about the property and the neighborhood.

[MidwesternBookWorm]

I spent some time working for one of the landlords in the downtown area, though I won't name names here, and I know there are some real ripoff artists out there. And I also know that there are some who pay a lot of lip service trying to cultivate a good reputation, but when push comes to shove, they're not really all that much better than the rest.

There are a couple of things I'd suggest to you. The first one is to do some word of mouth checking, like you're doing here but at the properties that interest you. Go by some sunny afternoon when some of the tenants are out and about and strike up a conversation with them. Tell them you're thinking of renting in the building and you're wondering how the landlord is. In my experience, that'll generally get you plenty of details.

If you know people at work or school who are renting, ask them what landlord they rent from and how their experiences have been. Did the rental agent take the time to explain the lease and addenda? Is the company responsive to maintenance calls? Does the landlord or maintenance person give the required minimum 24-hour notice before entering the unit? When do they start asking about renewal of the lease (if the apartment is within a mile of campus, expect the renewal offer four months after your lease begins, and if you don't tell them right away that you want to stay, expect the place to be rented out from under you.) Has the person ever gotten a security deposit settlement from them? Was it fairly calculated and promptly returned?

Then, if the answers to those questions sound reasonable to you, take a look at their rental application. Does it say anywhere that you may forfeit your earnest money? Under what circumstances would that happen? How quickly must you sign a lease after being approved? How quickly must you pay the security deposit and first month's rent? Ask for a copy of the lease and all addenda, too, BEFORE you turn in a rental application, and go over it with a fine-toothed comb; read every clause and paragraph, every subsection and all the fine print. And if you have questions about what any of it means, ask the rental agent. If they can't explain their own lease, keep looking.

By the bye, if one of the lease addenda is a carpet-cleaning agreement (something you must sign agreeing to pay for the carpet to be professionally cleaned at the end of the lease, whether it needs it or not), be aware that Madison General Ordinances specifically prohibit that kind of abusive addendum to a lease. Many, many landlords will try to get you to sign one anyway. If that's a part of a sample lease you get, go by Tenant Resource Center and ask them about it; they'll give you chapter and verse of the ordinance in question to quote to the landlord.

There ARE good landlords out there, but as a tenant, you have a responsibility to do some due diligence work and be sure you're not getting stuck renting for a year from a slumlord. It takes more time and effort, but it's worth it.

Good luck to you.

[ryanj0]

Also, in the City of Madison, it is illegal for a landlord to charge an application fee... They can charge earnest money, but that is different than an application fee. If ANY landlord tells you you need to pay an application fee (some will try to slip it by) for any reason, just politely inform them it is illegal to charge one by city law. Some are honest people that just do not know...

[HondaCivet]

Originally Posted by ryanj0

Also, in the City of Madison, it is illegal for a landlord to charge an application fee... They can charge earnest money, but that is different than an application fee. If ANY landlord tells you you need to pay an application fee (some will try to slip it by) for any reason, just politely inform them it is illegal to charge one by city law. Some are honest people that just do not know...

Interesting, we had a couple of places ask for some money to run a credit report. Is that the same thing as a fee?

[ryanj0]

Originally Posted by HondaCivet

Interesting, we had a couple of places ask for some money to run a credit report. Is that the same thing as a fee?

Yes, anything that is non-refundable if you are not approved is considered an application fee and as long as it is technically inside city limits is illegal in Madison. Now I do know of some places just outside city limits that will do that as I think Madison is the only place with that rule. Just kindly inform them that it is illegal to charge any type of Application fee by city law and an application fee is, to put in simple terms, defined as anything that would not be refunded should you not be accepted..