We switched to a new HOA last year. We are very happy with the service from American Management Services. They responded quickly and arranged for our roof leak to be fixed within just 4 days. We truly appreciate how efficiently everything was handled, especially since the repair was completed before the next rain season. It is very reassuring to have a new HOA that is responsive, organized, and able to get things done so well. Thank you for the great service, especially Kevin. read more

The 'Kevin Chu', in this HOA, he doesn't do anything, nor response to any phone inquiry. Not sure what this position is there for, and why are they charging a high HOA. read more

I have owned a condo in Brittan Heights San Carlos for a long time. American Management has frustrated me to the point of no return for years. I am happy to say that last month we have finally gotten rid of them. Really the list of complaints are too long to go into But was a nightmare. read more

Here's a warning to any HOA Board and every resident who is managed by AMS. It's my opinion that you're best off by getting rid of them, hiring them was the worst decision we made, and the best was leaving (we were in PIP mode and they dropped us because they didn't have the staff to actually do the work). Interview - they'll promise you a ton and sound fantastic doing so. Kathleen is a good leader and a reasonable one at that, but she's not the direct property manager, and made a terrible leader decision hiring Tiana. We were bait and switched out of the property manager we interviewed, and ended up with Tiana. We'll get to her in a bit. Transition - they can't get a handle on your financials, their back of house is capable but disorganized, leadership could not connect our treasurer directly to them to sort everything out. Nothing was coded to the right GLs ever, and they couldn't acclimate and understand how to balance the budget. Property Manager - Tiana is a pathological liar. She is toxic with vendors, rude, and I could have trained and hired a high school student to have done a better job than she did. She's a textbook pathological liar when conveying information from the vendors, on top of unprofessionally blaming the Board and talking sh&t to our vendors who we had a relationship with. For other vendors, she actively prevented them from coming to Board executive sessions to have discussions when issues arose, and did not represent us by informing us of the issues accurately, and ended up gaslighting both us and the vendors separately. Performance - They were always late giving us the minutes, and it was error laden to the point where they had to bring in a second property manager to take notes, and even then the information lacked context or accuracy and misrepresented actions of the Board. Dangerous. Incompetent. Vendor Management - The easy button is dispatching a vendor and half the time it's the wrong vendor, and when it's the right vendor half the time those vendors are scammers. They wouldn't inform us when emergencies happened and residents were left frustrated and floundering, and at times threatened legal action because there wasn't a pathway of communication to the board to deescalate the situation. They also claimed they dropped us because we were too much work. They were actually going through a staffing crisis. HOA Boards - stay away from this sinking ship. HOA Residents - ask your Board if AMS is the right fit for your community and your needs. read more

Run, don't walk, from this HOA management company. They're the perfect combination of incompetence, dishonesty and lazy. They have no idea how to manage a property. 1. The finances are a disorganized mess and they didn't appear to have an accountant handling them- it seemed more like a novice attempt at "quick books" or something similar. 2. They don't understand budgeting at all - didn't understand reviewing actual expenses for this year and projecting the expenses for next year (i.e. they reduced 2023 budget amounts below what was paid in 2022 despite obvious inflation). That's pretty basic! The result was a big deficit in operating account. Not a problem for them- they just (illegally) paid operating expenses from the reserve account! 3. They break HOA law on a routine basis and if your board is corrupt they will collude with them (i.e. paying board members personal bills with HOA funds, covering for illegally performed construction, etc). They put the HOA at risk for lawsuit. 4. They're clueless re maintaining a property- don't know anything about basic maintenance or which vendors to call, the vendors they use are very expensive scammers and often incompetent, and needed maintenance is just left undone. 5. They charge junk fees galore, bill for fictitious services and refuse to provide documentation when challenged on the bills for such. 6. Their minutes were useless, providing little information, often inaccurate, and sometimes they were outright falsified. 7. They're the most expensive HOA property managers around and didn't perform ANY of the duties outlined in their contract (i.e. never did a site visit despite all board members living off site, didn't do any routine maintenance nor any maintenance called for on reserve study, couldn't provide financial records that made any sense, etc). Within one year our small complex had visibly deteriorated and AMS "mistakes" cost our HOA a lot of money. We've had a few bad HOA managers but AMS was the worst! Steer clear! read more

Long overdue review. Owned a Condo @ Brittan Heights "Managed by this company". This company made me want to sell my condo soooo fast to get away from this HOA! Best decision ever to buy house and not deal with this HOA.... They even "had" to enter inside my condo while I was selling to look for Violations!!! Worst experience. I was treated better as a renter in apartments than an owner of condo here.... I'm glad I had horrible experience with AMS so I can enjoy the rest of my life without HOA! Thank you AMS!!! read more

Absolutely HORRIFIC, as everyone else says... RUN don't walk DO NOT select this team as your HOA. Ever since Kathleen took over as CEO it has gone down hill. She has mishandled our money, she has increased the price, consistency lied. DO NOT GO with this HOA... RUN AWAY.... Wish there was a zero star selection on YELP read more

This is the worst, rude, unprofessional, useless management company at Brittan Heights in San Carlos. No one helps, finds solutions to any problem. We have had a lot of issue living here & no one wants to help, they keep saying they will help & do something but nothing gets done. Ever. read more

The team at AMS is top notch, they are courteous, responsive and know the trade. Last week I had a raccoon infestation, I spoke to Sean who was sympathetic but also informed me this is a personal problem and not an HOA issue. Sean recommended a guy named named Bob who humanly deals with critters. I appreciate their insights and management integrity. read more

We have been a part of this HOA for almost 12 years. We've had some problems in the past with the usual - gardeners, satellite dishes, etc. - but AMS has always been quick to respond and considerate of our concerns. I understand that there are some things out of their control, like outside vendors that they have to deal with, so I appreciate the time they spend taking time to make sure our issues are taken care of. Special thanks to Sean L, who has been very patient with us and answering the plethora of questions we recently had! read more

The staff at this "medium sized property management company" are horrible. They are quick to send you to collections for items in dispute, they always side with their HOA Board and not with the homeowners that pay their salaries, and they will hang up on you instead of attempting to have a basic conversation to outline the process to dispute bill backs or other items (like contact info to the HOA Board/etc). The faster they can spend your money, the better. There is zero ability to price shop work they deem common area repairs and then they bill back 100% of the expenses. They do not post up to date HOA Board Member contacts, meeting minutes, or FAQ's for help. They even have the audacity to allow real estate agents who do not live in the complex to create an HOA homepage with poor information and more marketing than substance. Accounting is atrocious, they do not separate monthly bills from special assessments, and they don't publish the results of HOA votes. This might as well be a dictatorship and I am sure that the HOA Presidents of the companies they manage are on the take. They have no compassion for the people living in the communities they attempt to manage. They also do not prioritize how HOA money should be spent. This is a joke, please avoid...I should know as I have owned a complex in not 1 but 2!!!! developments that they have managed. Sadly, I sold one and among 20+ properties I own this property they manage will be the next property for sale.... If you are looking for property management, go ANYWHERE ELSE. read more

Before hiring AMS, Kathleen owner/manager did an exceptional job selling herself and AMS, after hired, piles of dried leaves, dead trees, shrubs, all fire hazards been neglected despite reports with photos, county health dept. closed the pool and amenities for lack of sanitation. Covid has been used as an excuse to do nothing, required monthly financials are neglected and not given to board for review, only attend to things that bring AMS money, price gouging HOA using its own handyman work on minor things without getting other bids, past due HOA fees are neglected, but AMS keeps late fees for itself, without showing what they've done to keep late fees upfront. They've spending HOA revenue on plumbing 90% redundant work by their untrained plumbers. STAY away from AMS, they want your HOA revenue in any way it can without working for it. read more

This is the group the manage the Santana Row MARGO building. Only in name do they manage the Margo building. We owned a property here for 3 years and never saw anytype of improvement made to the building. The carpet was constantly stained, the walls never were painted, and the garbage room was always over crowded. I wasnt sure what the $450 HOA fee per month went toward. Well, I'm sure somebody over at AMS is doing well in these times. Hopefully this company doesnt manage any of your properties! If so, LO SIENTO MUCHO read more

These guys are the worst. They will find anything to fine you on. I understand grass that they are a bit picky over grass that is a bit over grown. But never did I expect them to WARN/GOING TO FINE ME for parking my car on MY drive way. (Not on the sidewalk or inches but at least 5 feet from it.) This is by far the most unreasonable company. If you have a choice do not pick this one. When there was a car parked in front of my house for 4 weeks (abandoned) they did not do anything about it. It was obviously abandon with dirt and a lot of stuff inside the car as it was a storage. read more

As President of an HOA of 93 single-family homes in San Jose that AMS has managed for over 13 years, I would honestly say I think they are doing a great job managing it. They are very knowledgeable when it comes to property management, state regulations governing HOAs, structuring our budget and keeping our costs down. They also take the time to understand our community's needs and put in extra effort to accommodate them. Have there been complaints from some of our homeowners? Yes, but mostly to do with AMS doing it's job in ensuring HOA rules and regulations are being adhered to as stipulated by the HOA board. But they are pretty diligent when it comes to responding back to our homeowners. And we appreciate their effort setting up a Neighborhood Watch and as needed Security patrols to alleviate community crime concerns. They have also helped us upgrade our common facilities for the benefit of all the homeowners. Overall, I'd say their services have improved substantially from when we first started. We'd recommend anyone giving them a try. They deserve the five stars! read more

This company sucks... If there was a zero stars rating I would give it to them. Getting anyone to answer the phone when you call is difficult, and anytime you need something you have to hound them. I had a complaint about a neighbor's illegal installation of hardwood floors and it took 6 months of formal complaints to even have it put on an HOA agenda. Our rain gutters overflowed during the most recent storm, sending water through our bedroom window. I called to inform AMS, and they said they would have a workman come over immediately. Four hours later no one had showed up. Later in the evening I called again and they claimed they couldn't find a leak. I walked outside took photos of the river of water flowing out of the gutter and emailed them to AMS. At that point a handy man came out, saw the leak he obviously never actually investigated and said he would fix in the morning. The next day after having to call AMS AGAIN to find out what was happening, I was informed that they did not want to send someone on the roof during the storm and risk an accident (I understand this) and that there was gutter cleaning already scheduled. It has now been almost 2 weeks, my gutter is still overflowing. My bedroom window has been damaged. I'm about to start withholding my HOA dues and start a campaign within the complex to find another management company. Don't hire these people if you expect any hint of customer service. read more

I recently went to an association meeting and I was shocked at what the representatives of the property managers (AMS) had to put up with. Most humans would have run screaming from the room. It was 45 minutes of questions like, "My neighbor feeds the squirrels. Can you tell them to stop. Why doesn't everyone sweep their porch better? Why do the gardeners work so hard, can't we lay them off?" When it came time to answer my question they took me seriously and approved my request. Our development is huge, but it is clean, well painted, well-maintained, and they have so far responded to my emails and phone calls in a reasonable amount of time. With all the "squirrel" requests I don't blame them for taking some time to get back to every single question. read more

This company has been calling my mobile and not leaving messages. A google search showed me who they are and they're not the HOA of my development. If they bothered to leave a message, they'd learn that I'm not the person they seek. A company that spams anyone's phone -customer or not- has poor customer relation skills at best and is in violation of do-not-call guidelines and unethical at worst. I do not read more

Having lived in Brittan Heights for 27 years and being one of its more demanding owners, I think they are an outstanding and superb property management company who have done a terrific job! It is a large complex, one of the largest in the Bay area yet Brenda Hendricks, the owner and Claudia Martinez do a wonderful job handling the myriad of complex issues that come with managing such a large property ranging from architectural concerns, plumbing, drainage, retaining walls, painting, dry rot repairs, wiring and more! Brittan Heights has never looked better under their management and having worked as a property manager for many years at a NYSE company in Beverly Hills, I am truly impressed with AMS' services over the last 7 years or more. It looks great! I am particularly impressed with their contracted maintenance and landscaping crew run by Jesus; day in and day out his crew diligently maintain our property through rain, storms and wind! They do it with an incredible work ethic good humor and kindness! AMS support staff are very helpful and professional as well. I truly don't think you could find a better property management company in the entire Bay area as good as American Management Services. They are the gold standard, the plantinum standard for a property management company. We are very fortunate to have them at Brittan Heights; I would highly recommend them to anyone! I am thankful for all their hard work over the years as I know so many who live here are as well. I have nothing but praise for them! read more

We have had American Management for several years as our management company. They have always dealt with problems in a timely manner for us, even on weekends. Our homeowners association just completed repairs for defects, as a result of a settlement, for a suit we filed against the builder of our property. American Management helped us get enough money, so that the homeowners, did not have to contribute to pay for any of the repairs. I have worked with many management companies in the past & I am glad we had American Management to help us with our law suit. I hate to think what the outcome would have been, if we had another management company. LJL Santa Rosa, Ca read more

I have been working with Jimmy at American Management Services for two years. We are a community over two hours away from their office, so I know they are not an on site management company. However, the landscaping is well maintained and requested repairs are done in a timely manner. As a member of the HOA board, I see Jimmy prepared at meetings with required minutes, budget reports, collections information, governing document knowledge, and all of the necessary paperwork required to run an HOA. He guides us through complicated legal issues, helps us deal with underfunded reserves and operating funds, and continually educates us so we can make the best decisions for the community. Our community was designed with complicated ownership lines and American Management has done a great job of maintaining what belongs to the Association. read more

I have lived in several Associations and I have to say that this management company is THE most responsive and friendly that I have ever come across. Our community has been through a few managers over the past 20 years and by far Brenda and her crew have made this place look and run amazingly. Keep up the great work!!! read more

We would like to comment on what a great job AMS Management Services has done for the Villa Monte Homeowners Association. Our complex has reached the age where some maintenance has been needed. We had our complex repaired for termite and weather damage, painting, fence repairs, cement repairs and tree trimming. Some repairs that were done under the direction of a former management company had to be replaced and/or repaired due to poor workmanship and construction techniques. Under the management of AMS the quality of the work done on the complex and the follow through by the management team at AMS has been excellent. AMS has been an asset to our Board and has given solid advice and guidance. We highly recommend AMS Management Services. read more

I ended up having a repair billed back to me (homeowner). I wasn't too happy about this, but it was refreshing dealing with Claudia. She was up beat and more than willing to help me. She was so patient dealing with all the confusion and questions I had. It was upsetting getting $300+ bill to pay, on top of HOA fees I pay monthly. I realize that it's not their fault, and this is one of the things that comes along with being a condo homeowner. But.......do make sure you are an informed/educated homeowner otherwise, you can be blind sided by these types of occurences. Thank you Claudia for all your extended efforts!! read more

WARNING! If you are looking for a property management company don't choose this one! They are one of the worst in San Jose. Unfortunately, someone didn't warn us and we are paying for choosing them BIG TIME! read more

I have lived at Brittan Heights, a 446-unit condo complex in San Carlos, for 41 years. Over that time, there have been a number of HOA managers, but this is the first time I've been motivated to comment...very positively...on our current management, AMS. They have been very responsive to specific concerns of mine on a number of occasions, most recently involving a serious raccoon infestation. This is a difficult problem, but AMS responded quickly and on many levels: their groundskeepers instituted a number of measures which required regular monitoring and support over several weeks. This was partially effective, but as soon as it became clear this was insufficient, AMS called in animal control experts, and I'm happy to say the problem is now under control, likely resolved. This is the most recent of several interactions I've had with AMS over recent years, all positive. Kudos to AMS! read more

I have lived for more than 20 years in a large condo complex under several different management companies. AMS is definitely the best. It maintains things well, acts with efficiency and courtesy, and is patient with demanding homeowners. Often the people who complain about management companies are people who think that they are not bound by the rules or are paying for things they do not examine or understand. Not all of the work that a management company does is apparent to the layman. I recommend this firm highly. read more

If your an HOA looking to hire a Management Service I would by NO MEANS go with this company. They are the rudest laziest company I have ever dealt with. They give miss information, and can't even complete a set of HOA docs in less than 10 days. Althought the law gives them 10 days, both times I went into this office to order docs and drop off checks no one was busy. They never once mentioned a RUSH Fee until I followed up to obtain my docs. I have no choice to use them when one of my properties is in their HOA database, but I would suggest ANYONE who can AVOID this company AT ALL COST. I see from the many other BAD ratings that I'm not the only one. read more

I am so thankful to AMS in helping me with an issue with some noisy neighbors. The process to solve the problem was lengthly but AMS kept on it. Claudia and Brenda kept offering their guidance, going out of their way to set-up meetings, and doing all that they could, they even came by my unit to listen to the noise. What more can you ask for? They understood the severity of the issue and professionally assisted in solving the problem. I would highly recommend using AMS as your association management company. Thanks again for your help, Brenda and Claudia. read more

As a member of the community for over twenty years, I can say this is the best management company we've had in my time here. Jimmy is very knowledgeable, responsive and truly cares about the community. We were hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt when AMS was hired and they guided us through the process of reducing costs, creating a positive operating cash flow and increasing our reserves. This included the undaunting task of going after homeowners who neglect to pay their monthly dues on time or in some cases at all. We are slowly but surely starting to see collections of those owed debts. AMS looks out for our best interest. They handle issues with homeowners and/or occupants courteously and professionally per the guidelines of our governing documents. If they are unsure of the proper procedure, they provide guidance from legal council to assist with the issue. To any one looking for an management company with employees that are knowledgeable, responsive, hard working, courteous and caring, I highly recommend American Management Services. read more

I applaud AMS for their help to us, especially Claudia Martinez. We had a very messy incident occur from a mainline back up last July. It was immediately handled by a team of professionals and eventually our unit was restored to its original state. We were fairly reimbursed for our out of pocket expenses. I applaud this company as I do understand what their representatives put up with from some homeowners, myself included, who do not take all their meds. Cheers. read more

Over the past five years we have completed a very complex and unexpected/unplanned patio and walkway renovation project: patio tree removal and replacement, patio concrete slab replacement, patio fence replacement, damaged electrical light system repair, and patio and walkway irrigation system replacement. We successfully completed this project without having to impose a special assessment on our owners. Under the leadership of our American Management Services (AMS) manager, Kathleen, we achieved this remarkable effort with a very efficient restructuring of our budgets and reserves, by selecting and managing six quality contractors, and by responsibly addressing owner issues and concerns caused by the construction. The results have been fantastic. Over the last five years our property values have been increasing dramatically. Our homeowners are very satisfied. We have been using AMS for more than ten years and we are very pleased with their excellent service.The true measure of their service: our property looks great, our property values are increasing significantly, and our owners are very happy! read more