My wife and I applied for a townhouse Friday, June 29,2018. We had all the documentation with us and asked that it be reviewed to see if there would be a problem with the income. We were told everything looked good and they would get back to us the following Tuesday. We sent 3 emails & left 3 messages, never received a response. On the 4th call I got through and was informed our income was too low. I asked about what went on when we put in the application and was informed, quite rudely, that they go by net, not gross income. Also what is said in the office is not really relevant. They called our credit score "acceptable." It is in the excellent range. Also they considered us a high risk because our current property manager of 13 years had not responded to any of their requests for information. By the way, we would be paying $600.00 a month less then we are paying now. The current manager said she never received a request. June 9, 2018 she called to inform us that she had just received the first request & returned it. I couldn't decide if Gonella Property Management is grossly incompetent, grossly negligent, incredibly incompetent, or absolutely indifferent. The staff is inattentive and uncaring and, I have concluded, all of the above. They ripped us off for the application fee. I get the feeling they do this a lot and are proud of it. My suggestion, STAY AWAY! read more

As a property owner using the services of Gonella I am not impressed. I have asked Gonella to inform me of any charges before spending money (which comes out of the rent check) and they have repeatedly not done so. When questioned about it the response has been apologies and excuses. As soon as I am able to I will be switching property managements. I really wanted to give a good review since EVERY review is negative but as of now I can not. I have only been using their services for two month, perhaps it will get better. I am hoping it will but I fear that is unlikely. In time I hope to update this and give a good review. read more

I don't know why some people would even rate Gonella with four or five stars. You are crazy or don't know what's coming your way. I wouldn't suggest anyone to ever rent from this establishment. The staff has poor mannerism, unprofessional, lazy, and will throw their attitudes towards you in anyway they feel like, just because they're sitting behind a desk. I've rented from Gonella for two years. Prior to moving in, my brother and I noticed that under the sink there were serious mold. I asked for a work order to be made and to have it looked at. They never did anything for over a month till I said I was going to call the county and have them look at it due to an unhealthy living situation. Shortly after my first contract was up for renewal, they raised my rent even though the payments were paid on a timely manner. My second year, the A/C broke twice. All we smelled was burnt plastic/rubber. Winter came along shortly after, but then the heater decided to break down because the whole furnace unit with the A/C was installed incorrectly the whole time. In which, they also took forever to send someone over to fix the issue. We finally moved out once the lease was up within the second year. Both my brother and I cleaned that whole place up from top to bottom. In the end, Gonella ripped us off with massive cleaning expenses which was unnecessary. The documents looked fraudulent and it didn't list what was cleaned within the apartment. I've tried contacting them to dispute the charges and have left messages and a contact number, but they refuse to return any of my calls or concerns. I did reach a receptionist, but she wasn't listening to my concerns. She spoke great fluent English in the beginning and then started giving me a Mexican accent attitude afterwards, which was very unprofessional and made me feel uncomfortable as if I was discriminated by race. I can understand that if I left the place in a mess and Gonella had to clean the place up, then okay. They can take a portion of my deposit. Instead, they feel that they can keep any amount as they please by cheating the tenants. But, they will do what ever they want whether you've kept the place well maintained and clean. Gonella will cheat you out of your deposit at all cost. I would suggest for anyone whom has dealt with this sort of discrimination. Go file a complaint through the CA Housing Bureau through the state. CA has strict rules towards landlords and real estate management/renters whom discriminates tenants/customers or puts them through any sort of punitive emotional damage. This place will walk all over you just because they're real estate or thinks they know all the ropes and that we have no rights or don't know our rights at all. # -5 STARS! read more

Terrible, inept management. How these people stay in business is a mystery. Very difficult to deal with. Appointments blown, documents unsent and unprepared. Very unprofessional and even hostile. And that's just during the rental selection process! Can't wait to see how they do repairs!!! Landlords, rent your place out yourself. There's nothing to be gained except annoyed, unhappy tenant relations from this outfit. read more

It might be hard to find a house outside Gonella, but it is one of the WORST companies to work with. I want to reiterate the 'wanting to give it less than one star' comment. Forgetful, neglectful, and apathetic. Completely unprofessional, and operating like a bureaucratic mess. Some of my repair orders have been submitted in person, at the house, in writing, and over the phone, up to 5 times, and it takes months if at all to have the problem addressed. Many of the lead staff are very, very insulting, and they at every possible moment try to pass the cost on to the housemates, regardless of fault or responsibility. DO NOT rent with them if you can help it. read more

I write on behalf of renters: When we moved out, they charged us about $300 on top of our $385 deposit. So, I we didn't get anything back and they charged us! I went to look back at the property and neighbors told me that Gonnella had basically remodeled! And I am more than sure that it was with most of my money!!! When contacting the company, they never allowed me to talk to anyone besides the receptionist! They always said someone would call me! HORRIBLE COMPANY TO RENT FROM! read more

Oh my gosh!!! I read all the HORRIBLE reviews and still took a chance with Gonella Realty! What a rip off!! I paid them $30 for credit check. Then they told me the house I was interested in had been rented. Then they told me I didn't qualify for their rental. Most UNRENTED homes in Merced are managed by Gonella because NO one wants to rent from them. MY FAULT..I SHOULD HAVE HEED THE HORRIBLE REVIEWS. Those poor owners...PUTTING THEIR TRUST IN GONELLA AND GONELLA IS JUST COLLECTING THEIR MANAGEMENT FEES. STAY AWAY FROM GONELLA REALTY!!!!! read more

Never rent from this place again. They gave me a good service until I moved out and they wouldn't give me my deposit back. I left that house spotless. It was more clean then when I moved in. The person that went to do the inspection named Tina was a rude person that didn't even said good morning or said a word while the inspection. They told me even though the property was clean they had to clean again just to make sure it was cleaned by a professional. That's so stupid because when I moved in the house was full of dust and ants all over the house. Save your money and find a different place to rent thru read more

Horrible renting company. Took them forever to do various work orders, such as fixing the lights in the house, which took 4 months to fix, or even the sprinkler system, which took another 3 months. If you need a place to stay, Gonella will provide you a place to stay, but it will take forever for them to respond. They need to fire the entire staff in that office because nothing gets done there. They wanted to do a full house inspection on our house, but they decided not to show up, so I called them. When I talked to them, the lady there told me thought that there was a smoke alarm check, but then rummaged her papers to see we actually do have an inspection.They said that they were going to a full on inspection of the house, so we cleaned up our house just for them to glance over in 30 seconds, and they didn't even look at all our rooms. This goes out to all homeowners in Merced that plan to use Gonella as your real estate agency because you will get your house messed up if allow them to control your house. read more

I wish I could give these people a zero star rating. Took in an application, was told my dogs were allowed, paid them 45 dollars, then after handing the money over. My pets were too large could have told me that when I asked about my LARGE DOGS. Slumlords read more

RIP OFF!! I just saw a home on craigslist for 900.. a reasonable price for a 1300 sq ft home... then 1 hr later gonella advertised it at 1800/1800 dep...wtf!!!! not only are the property owners getting ripped off but so are the tenants...fyi if w/s/g is included its BS!!!! They only pay 108/mo and if u go over that they double what you owe ... is from an inside source!! Not to mention if you have a minor blemish on your credit be ready to pay double sometimes triple deposit when CA law says it is illegal to pay a deposit more than the rent! They gave me the 411 when i told them i was looking at one of their properties. So property owners and renters beware!!! You have been warned. read more

My husband and I are making our move from San Diego to Merced. I was born and raised in Merced and was really excited to move back. Until I called Gonella. I was contacted by Yleana who was very snarky and lacked customer service. When we weren't approved, I asked if there were anything else I could do. We even offered to pay DOUBLE the deposit. She replied with a very snarky, "No." A very condescending no. I didn't get a, "Let me see what I can do." Or, "Let me get you in contact with someone who can help you with that." If I could give negative stars I would. I would recommend that you not waste your time. read more

The worst rental company I have ever work with. I drove 4 hour to their office to give them a money order and signed application. When I got there they said they have 4 credit approved applications ahead of me. She could have told me this on the phone before I drove 4 hours there. Every rental has 4 to 10 approved applicats. Do not waste your time with this company!!! read more

Gonella took on management of a fairly large multi-unit apartment complex in Merced on my behalf over 2 years ago. The property has been going through continual, even major capital upgrades which require more complicated hands on decision making and cash flow management over an extended period. Kathy Jameson who heads the property management dept has been stellar to work with and is very capable and responsible. As a remote landlord, I've been able to trust the Gonella team in handling of daily affairs and to make basic owner like decisions that I would agree with, yet checking in with me for more important decisions to ensure my long term goals are met. I believe they are very fair and professional in how they treat landlords and tenants. read more

We rented 2 homes through Gonella. The first time we received great customer service and Brandi was really helpful since we had to do all of it over the phone from Minnesota. She also helped us transition into another home in Merced 9 months later. I am not sure what happened after that because there seemed to be a change in staff. Now they are keeping $800 of our deposit! They refuse to do a walk through with you there. We left the place cleaner than when we moved in but they are keeping $250 of our deposit for a cleaning fee. We are calling to demand an itemized list for the costs. We'll see what happens. With the original staff I would have rated them a 3 or 4, but this new staff is making the process very frustrating. I did rate them a 2 because they were somewhat helpful in repairs while we lived in the house, though it often took multiple calls for results to occur. read more

If you are a homeowner DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!! The are rude and unhelpful. I have inquired about several properties and they do nothing to find good clients as potential renters. I have excellent credit and income and will be here for a year working as a healthcare provider. I have never been treated with so much disrespect and rudeness in my 30 year career. I have seen many lovely homes for rent with this company and WILL NOT EVEN STEP FOOT IN THEIR OFFICE AGAIN!!! Homeowners beware! read more

I would give them less than one star if possible. This is by far the WORST property management that I have ever leased from. It is not an exaggeration, because of my husbands job we have moved all over California the past 2 and a half years and I have NEVER experienced such unprofessional and rude customer service!! Being a manager for a big corporation myself I don't understand how a business like this succeeds. AMY one of the girls that works there is the rudest, unhelpful, unfriendliest person I have ever met and I've been in retail 10 years WOW.. I highly recommend that you do not lease from this company they are very rude when you have an issue, seems like their front desk personnel will just give you the answer they want so you always have to speak to a supervisor. They don't problem solve with you if you have an issue, they could literally care less if they have your business or not. It's unfortunate that these owners of the properties don't know how bad their tenants are being treated. AMY literally yelled at me for asking to speak to a supervisor and how professional is it to hang up on a tenant. Is this really the kind of place you want to lease from? Is she really the kind of person you want to deal with?? I don't have words for how bad this experience has been, NEVER would I recommend this place to anybody. Conclusion, if you don't want to deal with rude, (down right trashy) AMY, and constantly arguing about fixing problems then don't go here and don't rent any of the messed up lofts that don't even come with a dishwasher or refrigerator and only one parking permit, like AMY said " if your a couple and have two cars that's your problem" THANKS FOR THE HELP!!!!!! Very frustrating!!! read more

Gonella Properties have done an excellent job of responding to complaints and fixing the property. They are good in communicating quickly and comprehensively. read more

I cannot agree more with the other three reviewer! This company is completely and utterly despicable. I lived one of their rental homes for 6 years, with little problems. My husband and I kept up the home with great care. Even repainted because of nieces, nephews, our kids etc decided to use the wall as a canvas. Other than that any major problems were reported and quickly taken care of. Now fast forward to late May 2011. We had our yearly property inspection no issues or complaints, but did inform the "inspector" the micro/hood handle was breaking AGAIN. She says to call in a work order, so after she leaves I do. A few weeks later my husbands transfer to Missouri came through and we gave our 30 day notice. Mind you we were moving cross country so after I called in the repair I didn't think twice about it. July 14, 2011, I turn in our keys feeling good because I had thoroughly cleaned and replaced everything I could. We had the rugs cleaned as stated in our lease, mowed the lawns, replaced lights, cleaned ceiling fans etc etc.. Two weeks later I get an estimation that we would OWE $405. I called immediately and the person stated it was an estimation and when all the invoices came through she would mail me a copy. September 2011, I receive the invoices showing we OWE them $285. I call and speak to the same person. She argues with me about marks on the walls. I explain to her I wasn't disputing the idea of them painting the house, I was disputing how much they were charging me. I was told I would be liable for 40% if they painted I was ok with this BECAUSE I AGREED THE HOUSE SHOULD BE PAINTED! BUT I was charged 60%. She wasn't hearing me, then I'm charged $220 for cleaning. These people charged for vacuuming a house that had just been professionally cleaned. Why?! The list goes on and on. I tell her this is not exceptable and she said she would talk with her managers then get back to me. I never heard from them after. May 2012, I receive a letter from the Credit Bureau Association (CBA) saying we owe Gonella $385. WHAT?! There was even another charge of $75 for carpet cleaning TWO months after all the other invoices where sent to us and we didn't know this until CBA sent us copies of what Gonella sent them. I call Gonella and after two days they return my call. I go through everything again and they said they had informed me they were not changing anything and that I had went ahead and made arrangements for payments on the amount owed. Odd because I hadn't spoken to them since September 2011. They are LIARS!! Everyone that had been to that house knows it was in great shape when we lived there and better shape when we left. I could go on, the story doesn't stop there, but I digress. My blood pressure is starting to rise again. I am disputing the charges, but know the outcome will not be impartial. Bottom line DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! read more

We rented through them for 4 years before we left due to our lease being over and the rent increasing a whole $200. We were looking to rent through them again but they denied our application because they said we left the place in bad condition! (This part was really fishy to me because when iliana first called me she said that i would be approved but i needed a cosigner based on my credit report and rental history, so i asked why i would need a cosigner when there were 5 of us applying to live in that place together (my siblings and my husband), and then she said to let her double check the applications and she would call me back. 10 mins later she called me back and now said that i am denied because of leaving our old rental in bad condition). That made me so furious because that place was old in the first place and the only new thing they did before we moved in was replace the carpet (which were cheap)! Through out our time living there we had to constantly call for plumbers and get things replaced. The biggest issue was when it was raining and it leaked into the garage ceiling causing the ceiling to break down and cave in. They came and repaired the roof in a timely manner but never came back to replace the ceiling. Another thing that annoyed me with them was we were told that we had until the 7th of each month to pay rent before we were charged a late fee but that was a lie ! I went once to pay on the 7th and they said we would be charged a late fee because our due date was the 6th like all other rentals through them. I told them we were told that it was the 7th but the receptionist only said well that is our policy here so you still have to pay the late fee of $75 (which is ridiculous!!!). When we moved I would say we left the place not in as good a condition as we when we first got it due to normal wear and tear especially living with kids all under the age of 5. They gave us two options of either we have someone professionally clean the carpets for them or they will do it themselves and take the amount out of our deposit. We agreed to having them clean the carpet and taking it out of deposit. In the end they used up all our deposit and charged us an additional $500! We did receive the $500 back though but not any of our deposit at all. And i thought they were a decent place to rent from until i tried to rent through them again. I was first approved if i had a cosigner and then they called back and this time i am not denied because of that reason of poor condition. Thats just really unprofessional! read more

I wish I can give them zero stars....this is a very cricket company...renter beware. If you do decide to move in I will recommend you to take as much picture as you can. I mean EVERY picture you can before you move in. Because they will charge you every small thing that is broken or dirty even if it wasn't your fault. This is where the photo will come in handy...in court! They will not compare your picture to their or even take a look at your picture until you are in court. They will try to take every deposit they can and also charge more on top. This is not a honest company because they will overcharge you until you put your feet down and take them to court. This is when they will try to negotiate with you. I feel so bad for other people that just pay what gonella quoted them for...95 percent of time is over charge. So to keep thing short...if you goin to rent from gonella...expect to go to court with them when you move out... read more