I used to work at Alloy Condo operated by Barkan in Somerville near Boston. Everyone's complaints on here about Barkan is true. Some of my coworkers and me saw a lot of alleged illegal activity by Barkan, some trustees/unit owners, particularly our managers Ed and Rose. They mistreated minorities particularly hispanics/latinos and blacks. When these folks were potential buyers/renters we were told to send them away or lie there's no vacancy. They mistreated disabled people, folks with public assistance and if they're lgbtq. All these folks were confronted, told its a luxury property for a particular type of people and they're not welcome there. When anyone complained we were told to lie about them or write false reports against them. They threatened and intimidated anyone who complained. There was one black tenant that still lives there who went by dave. He was clearly autistic, shy, soft spoken and very nice to everyone. They told us to mistreat and fear him because of his racial appearance and disability. They excluded him from resident events and ammenities, refused him our services, monitored his private activity, told us to threaten to call police to intimidate/arrest him whenever he tried asking us for help or accommodations for his disability. We saw them do things to humiliate and harass him. They said offensive things about his race, disability and section 8 voucher. They always asked him show ID to enter the property even though we weren't asking other residents for ID. They always threw his requests for disability accommodations in the trash and told us to ignore him. Some of us felt sorry for him but we were afraid of retaliation from Barkan. We were told they didn't want him living in the neighborhood and he didn't belong there because of their discomfort/negative attitude toward his race and disability. They told us to spread false rumors to vilify and isolate him in the community. This made many people become hostile/violent to him. They harassed that poor kid all the time and assaulted him a couple times. The local police refused to help him because of our relationship/favor with officers. We were told to find something bogus they can use to falsely arrest that black tenant to get rid of him and undermine his reports. Barkan and their cronies put that poor kid through hell. We later found out he tried to take his own life because of the hate and trauma they put him through. I hope he gets out of there before something really bad happens to him. read more

The result of 8 years of their mismanagement- I found myself stuck with an outstanding 84k mortgage from my bank and an unsellable apartment. my coop finally fired Barkan last Feb of 2022. 2 months before that the board at Riverpark approved an ambitious 67 million dollar renovation plan to address "deferred maintenance". my fees went up by 70 percent; every year for the next 10 years. deferred maintenance? what was I paying for all these years? as a result, I could no longer afford to live at Riverpark or stay. I tried to sell it-but could not once prospective buyers figured out the real deal. so...guess what comes next.. now I get to start all over again with a damaged credit rating, at 7 percent interest rates when I should be retiring thanks, Barkan. read more

One need not be very bright to see through Barkan's sizzle, smoke and mirrors; even the brightest, though, must be hyperattentive to all actions and representations made by Barkan Management, as Barkan People and Barkan's abysmal performance can slip through the cracks, and you, the customer, can be deveived. If you are a condominium owner at a property managed by Barkan Management, best you watch Barkan like hawks, and ensure that your HOA has reliable checks and balances (and independent operational and fiscal audits) in place to monitor every one of Barkan's moves. If you are giving consideration to renting an apartment in a building/community managed by Barkan, do yourself a huge favor, and research daily living at the apartment building/community where you are considering residency, very carefully. If you are a member/Unit Owner of an HOA that is considering Barkan Management, ensure that your HOA Board does their Due Diligence, and looks beyond Barkan's sizzle, smoke, and mirrors. Rest assured, Barkan knows how to coddle HOA Board Members and may provide them with special privileges and perks, reserved only for Special People, who influence Barkan's contract with your Homeowners Association. In return, unscrupulous members of your HOA Board may so sacrifice their soul (and integrity) to write endorsements for Barkan, on social media, or to provide favorable references for Barkan. If you have anything to do with a condominium managed by Barkan Management, best you learn, and ensure that your HOA Board and non-Board member Unit Owner/residents learn how to see through Barkan's sizzle, smoke, and mirrors. And, since it behooves Barkan to sustain the tenure of HOA Board members, who they may have a suspect relationship with, and who influence Barkan's continued engagement as your property/HOA's management company, best you demand that an Independent Auditor manage your HOA Board elections (and, for that matter, any considerations (e.g. vote) before your HOA that may benefit Barkan, financially). Barkan's People and performance are equally abysmal and unscupulous. Mark my words, Barkan's next move will not be a Root Cause Analysis of their performance, a critcal, self-assessment, or, for that matter, an outside expert analysis of their business. One final note, to "Tirda V," author of a December 26, 2023 Yelp Review of Barkan Management. You write, "Many of us are worried about speaking up because Barkan will defame you or make your life a living hell." In my opinion, you are Spot On, you hit the nail on the head. These Barkan Management people are like the Mafia. read more

On second week trying to get a question answered. Called several times and they never returned a call. Apparently they feel they have you over a barrel. They're only there to collect fees. read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. This company is not even capable of mailing a parking sticker to their own building. My car got towed out of the lot of my own building, Barkan denies responsibility and passes blame to the Trustees. They won't disclose the name of the trustees who own my building, but offer to act as a middleman for my complaint. I come to find out they present my case not as I had expressed it but their own warped version of it to cover their own incompetence resulting in a denied reimbursement. I ask again the name of the Trustees so I can take the issue to small claims; denied again. Absolutely useless company that takes no accountability for anything and actively stonewalls any potential resolution for fear of making themselves look bad. Why anyone would hire this company to manage any building is beyond me. read more

I'm the owner of a condo managed by this company. For last couple years experience what I have learned 1. Request for help: no reply 2. Reflect problem in building: no reply 3. Charge ur money: Immediately I'm so done with this company and determine to sell my condo soon. Just stay away any property managed by this Barkan read more

This has to be theeee worst management company I've ever encountered. I will refrain from using names or delving into details, but I own a unit in National Harbor Maryland & the way the current management (Balkan) has operated is gross and disgusting. I was a owner occupant, then moved out of state. At every opportunity, I updated and communicated my contact info to ensure documents were sent to the proper address. This was never used by the aloof property manager. In lieu of advising me of accounting discrepancies pertaining to my unit via email or snail mail to my current address, notifications were sent to the unit, where they sat or were delivered to my forwarding address weeks or months later. Why did I need to provide contact information if you weren't going to use it. It's a terrible way to handle long term owners and this is not a company I want representing my interests. read more

I live in a building in Sudbury managed by bargain properties frankly I cannot believe all the bad reviews the staff here are confident they're very polite and they care about individuals health and safety read more

Barkan Management - Property Management Near Me - Newton, Massachusetts

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I see that others would leave a zero star rating and I have to join them. Like many, Barken mismanaged our finances and our property and spent our high fees on unqualified employees claiming they could not get anyone decent for the positions because we would not pay enough to get qualified people. The inability to manage our condo, the type of rotating door they had on employees, the fact they stole money from our association, the daily mismanagement of the building, no upkeep of our building bones and structure, continued rude interactions up to the time we booted them from managing our condo. It was not until we got new management did we truly see just how horrible this company wise. Run for you life. Don't ever hire this company. read more

The extremely rude property manager we dealt with is Greg Gardner at Williamsburg condos at 1276 N. Wayne St in Arlington, VA. We paid way too much for our condo and way too much in HOA and Condo Association fees to be treated like utter crap by him. I would've never bought my condo had I known we were getting such an awful property manager. Not only is he completely useless but he never apologized for hanging up the phone on us when we reported an issue that was HIS FAULT. He is useless and ill-tempered and that's just a bad combo read more

i really want to leave zero reviews as I had trulr the worst experience today. I spoke to PEGGY. Who should really be fired. They charged me 200 dollars for two minutes of service that was not even fixed when i called to ask about the bill Peggy screamed at me on the top of her lungs saying " i dont care thats the bill your lying they fixed it your wrong" i was in utter shock. Not only did she yell at me but she hung up the PHONE IN MY FACE 4 times. I called back to ask to speak the manager and she said " we are done here stop calling" Never in my life ive written a bad review but this place is really really disturbing in the way they treat people and very rude im still shocked all day at the way i was screamed at. In my oppinion the customer should never be treated horribly read more

I live in a condo managed by Barkan and am shock with their disregard to everyone. They have a bike room where residents are supposed to store their bikes, bike parts keeps getting stolen and nothing is done. I had 3 bikes stored and when we went to get them, they were missing wheels, seat and even the bell! When I called management and spoke to PEGGY, she said "I don't know what you want me to do, there's nothing I can do" we've been asking for them to install cameras and her response is "we discussed it with the board of trustees and it's expensive and not worth to install cameras in the building "! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Packages get stolen, bikes get stolen, people come in and out that doesn't even live there and she said it's not worth it! What happens when a crazy person gets in and kill someone? They don't care about our safety, they only have their best interest at heart read more

I'll write a more thorough review later but just want to echo what others have said about complete incompetence and utter lack of communication. I "won" an affordable housing lottery and the verification process is done by Barkan. They lost 2 copies of birth certificates that were sent certified mail. I've sent over 300 pages of verifications but that's not enough. They needed my bank statements - they assured me - for verification of income only. Then went through individual purchases and scrutinized them, demanding more information. They did not answer the phone, return voicemails, or respond to emails at all. When I showed up in person I was given weird excuses and told someone would definitely call me but nobody was there at the time. Nobody called. The person in charge of homeless applicants (Delores Harris) stopped responding completely (people have left voicemails and officials from both official housing offices and at least one hospital have tried on behalf of clients). I don't have any choice but to deal with them, but if you do, I highly recommend running the other way. I'd say run away as fast as possible but there's no concern they'll move fast enough to worry. read more

Horrible company. I live at Wilkes Passage Condos in Boston. Barkan is very expensive and they will do anything to maintain their contracts. They are a puppet to the board of Trustees. Very dishonest, knocking on your door as if its a college dorm. All about the money. Cannot recommend. read more

Barken is a very expensive Management Company that really soaks those they think can pay for it. Their Management style is authoritarian playing up to the Trustees who will keep the contract going. They result is constantly elevating Condo Fees with high Assessments whenever possible. Without reservation, I would not recommend this company to operate a residential building. read more

This company is entirely unprofessional and expensive to boot. My condominium fee is $800./ month and the Barkan doorman in my building asked me last night, in jest, if I have any illegitimate children. When I reported it to the concierge, she laughed. read more

I'm a bit surprised to see other negative reviews for this management company based on isolated oddball circumstances, but just wanted to put my two cents in.... My building/association was poorly managed by our prior property manager, and we were simply blown away by the swift and effective management style of Barkan. Their service/management fees are reasonable by comparison to other property managers, and they have a pretty deep bench with respect to all areas of property management. Our building always receives high marks for its overall well-maintained condition and for being so well managed. read more

It is so frustrating to get a hold of someone who cares and knows what they are doing. We have been bouncing from manager to manager requesting information and getting someone to take care of our property with no luck. When they need to raise the fees, they don't hesitate to contact you, but when you need something from them, they are nowhere to be found. Even their website lacks clear information. It's like they don't want people to find them. We live in Boston. Awful and careless financial management. Unfortunately, I can not trust them. read more

If I could give Barkan zero stars, I would. I live in a condo development that is managed by Barkan. This is not our choice. The development is still under construction, and the "trust" is controlled by the builders. They hired Barkan and it's pretty obvious why. Barkan will move heaven and Earth to keep residents from claiming service under the builders' warranty. (Word to the wise - the warranty doesn't cover jack. Get an inspection clause in your P&S). Barkan's reps will swear up and down that they work for the residents, but it's very obvious that they're there to protect the builder's money and to pocket as much of ours as they can. When the residents take over the trust, I have no doubt that Barkan will be gone. But by that time, most of our warranties will have expired, and thanks to Barkan's running interference for the builder, everyone will be out a lot of cash for repairs on their units that should have been paid for by the builder. Primary recommendation: Don't buy or rent in a complex managed by Barkan. Secondary recommendation: If you must buy in a Barkan-managed complex, have a thorough home inspection prior to buying even though the realtors (who are related to the builders) will tell you you don't need one. You don't need one to get a mortgage, but you do need one to safeguard yourself against warranty shenanigans. Also, read your sale or lease documents VERY CAREFULLY. Bear in mind the words of Woodie Guthrie: "It's through this world I've traveled / I've seen lots of funny men / Some will rob you with a six gun / some with a fountain pen." Amended to address a new positive review. Bear in mind that that reviewer is a real estate agent, not a resident. Barkan will move hevan and earth to get units sold. I'm not surprised that they'll work easily with agents. Meanwhile, our point of contact isn't answering her email. read more

Barkan manages my condo. They do a decent job maintaining the common areas, but Barkan is difficult to deal with. The onsite representative is fine, but the office in Boston (which collects the codo fees) does not answer calls or reply to e-mails and letters. They charge exorbitant late fees. By mistake I underpaid the condo by about $20, because I hadn't been informed until the last minute about the new one. I was changed $70 in late fees + $14 in interest. If you must deal with Barkan be careful, and avoid if possible. I don't recommend. read more

I live on a property that is managed by them for many years and I can tell you they must have gathered all the worst human beings to work at the same place. Let me start with corporate, the receptionist is a total b!tch. She doesn't want to hear your concerns and quickly flips you to someone else. I must have been interrupting her morning internet surfing or something for her to be so nasty. She "connects" me to my property manager, which I might add is a rolling list of recent college graduates since the name changes every year. Believe me, I would rather watch paint dry than to contact these foul people. I would only think they are nice to you if you were a client about to invest with them but if you're a resident of their properties, you're getting the worst customer service of your life. I do not like them and the amount we pay in fees versus the amount of service we get leads me to believe someone is pocketing the difference. The neighborhood is a dump and the maintenance of the area is half-assed. If you do consider to purchase a place managed by them, be careful. read more

Jennifer Bennett!!! Aisha, Steve at the Berkeley property in Arlington, VA. We can't even begin to express how horribly unreasonable these people are!! They send us a water bill of $2500 on an unoccupied condo claiming that it was due to a small leak in the toilet. We got it inspected twice by a plumber and they didn't how such a small leak could lead to thousands of gallons of water being leaked. The point is that these people especially this person Jennifer Bennet was not humane in any level to reason. She simply threatened us if we don't pay. Just horrible people that should be fired because nobody will live a property that is managed by monsters like them! read more

Bakran could be the worst management company on earth. I live in an apartment complex that was recently purchased by Bakran. The employees are extremely RUDE and do not care about the well-being of the residents in our building. They immediately implemented new policies that made life much more difficult in my building. They also raised rent to the highest levels in the city I live (Providence). For the same or comparable rent, I could have lived in a brand new, basically 5-star building downtown. If this company is involved in anyway in a project, I would STRONGLY advise NOT living there. read more

They will happily take your monthly rent payment and security deposit. When it comes to making maintenance repairs and providing responses to tenants they are completely incompetent. They take no accountability for their responsibilities towards rent paying tenants or property owners. Thanks to their lack of communication and disappointing service I won't be renewing my lease. read more

I live in a building in Washington, DC that is managed by Barkan Management. My building had a pipe issue on the roof, that led to water dripping from the roof down and inside my drywall. Barkan management came and put de-humidifiers and cut-out sections of my drywall. I was happy that at first that they seemed on top of the problem, however, there has been no action since then. It's going on 3 weeks. I've sent numerous emails to the building manager and his boss, both employees of Barkan Management, but have gotten no responses. I taped cardboard to cover sections of drywall so mice can't get in. I hope my issue gets resolved soon, but I am currently so upset that I have to leave them a bad review. read more

No one attends you call when u call them regarding an advertisement. I called the company itself and asked if I was calling the right number and they said the number in the advt is right and I have to keep calling and they can't help. Worst customer service ever. read more

I've had nothing but good experiences with Barkan in my condo building. They're responsive and helpful and friendly. I've lived in the building for almost 9 years and have had only 2 building managers (the first one retired) so I love the continuity and the in-depth knowledge our property manager and assistant property manager bring. read more

Unprofessional they don't care about their tenants . They will hang up on your face when you call them with concerns .. is this who you want to hire to run your business ?? read more

I live in DC. I think management probably really depends on your team but our team has been really great at the Carrollsburg. There are a few minor issues but they took over from another management company so I think they've been slowly working them out. Overall it's been a positive experience. read more

JENNIFER MEANEY!!! Her professional standards and work ethic gave us such a relief. She really saved the day. Jennifer's style and deep understanding of the art of service was what we noticed immediately. She was committed to the highest ethical standards and made sure we were informed. This was a constant from our first meeting to the completion of our transaction. Her knowledge, discretion, and intricate attention to detail consistently impressed us. We feel that she really set the standard and represents an approach that is rare in today's real estate world. There might be others with more experience, but no one that will work as hard as Jennifer. My clients enjoyed her warmth, approachability and candor. We are glad to have met her and cannot recommend her enough. Seems like these days no one goes online to ever say anything nice. MB Taylor Town Property Group read more

We own a condominium in a Barkan managed property. If you want to see a toxic culture and complete disregard to family values, look no further than Barkan management. This company has no regard for the elderly, disabled or mothers with small children. Our disabled entry door has been locked by the property management, leaving moms with carriages or residents on wheelchair stuck outside in the cold. You'll see the manager through the glass door and she won't even help, it's insanely inhuman. They allowed mistreatment of elderly and disabled in front of our eyes. If you speak up and complain, they'll retaliate, you won't get your packages on time, the manager will not return your inquiry related to basic questions, or worse yet they will fabricate lies about you. Property manager is hardly ever around to do her job. They hired someone with mental health issues for the front desk, who will burst into tears when faced with even a small emergency... Peter Barkan should be embarrassed but somehow I highly doubt. read more

We owned a condo in Boston managed by Barkan. I found them very helpful and pleasant to deal with. This is the first condo I have owned with a professional management company. It is such a relief to have them to turn to for everything from questions about move in to questions about repairs and maintenance. read more

I live in a condo outside of Boston that is managed by Barkan and have nothing good to say about them. I have lived here for 6 years yet when I attempted to ask a couple of questions recently I was flat out ignored by the girl that handles the property as well as the management team at the company. I called every day for 2 weeks with no reply so I then sent a few emails to her supervisor which were also ignored. When I finally asked the receptionist what the issue was she said she would go and get the supervisor, after being on hold for 5 minutes the receptionist got back on the phone and told me their response was "take it up with someone else". Wow what great customer service. If you are considering Barkan Management for your property I would suggest finding a company that actually does what they are supposed to and is actually willing to deal with their residents rather than just ignoring them. Oh and it also took them 5.5 YEARS to put a nameplate on the buzzer outside. read more