I was hesitant to sign up for the $30 PDF service during this COVID-19 time, however there was a note on their sample rental list stating how they were continuing to provide updated listings, just at a limited capacity. One month later and they have only released ONE updated listing. Today is April 29 and their "current" rental guide is dated April 3. I've called, e-mailed and submitted request forms for additional communication and even a refund. Nothing, no response. I noticed they're still posting listings on Craigslist, but no updated sheet. Incredibly frustrating as every other small business has been great in communicating and adapting during these challenging times. I have some patience, but to have no response and no acknowledgment is rude. If you aren't able to operate during this time, simply close and put a note on your website. 10/10 would NOT recommend at ANY time. read more

Was very disappointed, called, left a voicemail with my phone number, drove by the office, but no response! I don't know how do they work, but definitely not very good! read more

I had a wonderful, seamless experience finding my amazing bungalow in Santa Barbara with Preferred Rental Service. Wendy and Leah were extremely responsive, prompt and so fun to work with. I had been looking forever, going back and forth so many times with multiple agencies, headaches, not knowing if I got the place or not. With Preferred it felt like coming home. Thank you ladies SO MUCH! read more

We moved to Santa Barbara from Georgia and there is no way we would have been able to do it and still be married if it wasn't for Wendy! We ended up with the perfect apartment in an amazing location, all while my husband started a new job and I finished up the school year back in Atlanta. She listened to our needs and budget and even gave tips on how to land the space in such a competitive environment. Thanks and can't wait to move in to our new place! read more

SCAMMERS! Beware before you pay money! They are ripping you off by asking you to pay for a subscription fee just so you can find out more information. Shame on you Preferred rentals! If I could pick 0 stars, I would. Terrible! read more

Talk about "pleasing clients". I had emailed this rental service twice in 1 week, then called and left my number twice a few days apart after the first week. To this day, they haven't responded. Viewing a rental shouldn't be this difficult. read more

So, what you have here is a $30 per month service that provides you a pdf text email of listings. There are no pictures. The website is an archaic database, not easy to navigate and basically worthless as you can freely see the "Featured Properties" on craigslist anyway. If they aren't already on CL, you can also see most of these listings on other existing local property management sites. In a few words, this is just a bad parody of Westside Rentals (based in LA). At least with WSR, they offer a website that updates DAILY with photos and all pertinent information you would need as a rental consumer. They even come out and take decent photos of the property. I called 3 different houses from the email that sounded great and were "newly" released on Preferred Rental Services bi-weekly pdf...literally 30 minutes after it was emailed to me.. Two were already rented out and the other just ended up being terrible. I applaud your great work getting prospective tenants applied, screened and accepted...all in 30 measly minutes! I called 2 more that said they allowed pets on the pdf and they mentioned they changed their mind and were not allowing dogs anymore. Oh good. It's also really terrible that there are no photos attached to the listings, so this whole system they've created honestly wastes more time than it saves. Definitely not signing up for another month of this nonsense. I'd rather watch a quantity of 30 $1 bills float listlessly down a quiet stream of tears; stirred up from the frustrations of finding a decent dog friendly rental in this city. read more

Just called this company after seeing an ad posted by them on Craigslist for an apartment in SB that said to check out their website for more information (which it didn't have) and to give them a call with any questions. Right as the line was picked up I was greeted by a hostile lady who completely cut me off mid sentence and told me that since I'm trying to rent a place from where I currently reside (Northern California) that I won't find anything and I shouldn't have called a week in advance because it's a waste of her time. I told her that I work almost everyday and that I was trying to schedule a viewing for a certain date with which she told me was a bad idea. She also continued to tell me that I was doing a bad job in searching for housing and that she thinks most people who call from out of the area are scams so I should move down to Santa Barbara and then find a place to live (which makes no sense at all?!). I asked my few questions that I had originally called about with which she gave very short, rude answers to. The whole time I was on the phone I was being chastised about not knowing the things she knew and for asking questions about the rental property. I have never felt so attacked by a company that I am trying to give my business to. I highly suggest steering clear of Preferred Rental during your housing search. read more

If I could leave no stars, I would. The haughtiness and poor customer service of this business was horrid and left a huge impression! Not only did I get no response from them via phone or email when I tried to contact them about a property, when I finally was able to talk with someone- over a week later from my initial correspondence- I was lied to and they wasted my time! The lady made an appointment with me and never got back in touch with me to confirm for later that same day. Choose another rental company to help you out. I cannot believe a professional business would treat a potential client this way. read more

Yes most of the negative reviews are spot on. The lady on the phone is short and a spaz. Hung up on me by accident and then sighed how she has to handle the phoneamd someone who walked in. Unable to multitask and thus gives off a rude vibe. The $30 pdf is a waste - it's like an excel data spreadsheet with no pictures. When you call for a place that says available its really not and they dont update the site. Just do it on your own read more

Incredible service. The best in Santa Barbara by far. Effective efficient representation for both Renters and Rentees. I have used PRS for over 15+ years with nothing but outstanding service and satisfaction. If you want quality tenants and quality housing look no further. Enough said. read more

Hiring Preferred Rental was a HUGE Mistake! I hired this company as a last resort because I was moving across the country from NYC to Santa Barbara and I had no way of traveling here beforehand. On their website they advertised that they had exclusive access to lots of private listings that were not listed on craigslist. However once I hired them, 95% of the listings they sent me to review were actually straight from craigslist! Another reason why I initially decided to hire them was the testimonials on their website, and after several searches online there were no reviews anywhere else online. I'm writing this review today to warn anyone else thinking of hiring them, since there was no-one to warn me ahead of time. The very first time I called, I left a message with the receptionist Wendy who was so unprofessional she actually laughed once I told her my name. That should have been my first clue that these guys were simply unprofessional. The first agent who was assigned to help me, Bryn, at first was helpful, filling me in every day on her lack of progress but after about a week of searching for me, I no longer heard from her and, the owner Linda, called to alert me that Bryn would no longer be working with me because she had young children and had a lot going on. I was alarmed but I had already hired them and they already had my money. Jenn was now re-assigned to search for a place for me. I later found out from Jerry, the other owner that Bryn simply did not want to continue to look for a place for me since I am self employed and she was running up against some barriers with that. If the fact that I was self employed was such a HUGE barrier for them, the PROFESSIONAL thing for the to do was to offer me a refund and let me know they wouldn't be able to help me instead of doing an awful job. I only found this out later, in court, during Jerry's testimony. Linda had lied to me straight from the start. After 2 months of looking, Jenn suggested a place that Bryn had originally showed me that I didn't like, urging me to take it because it was the only place left and we were quickly approaching my move by date. The rent was $1250 plus utilities and the photos looked decent but what I didn't like about the place from the photos was that when you step out of your door, you are in the parking lot and people can simply walk past your window staring into your apartment. But we were down to the wire, so I signed a 1 year lease, sent the money to the landlord and moved in. It was awful! I had NO privacy! Blinds had to be kept closed all day. It was also an old motel converted into a building complex. There was no insulation in the walls or the ceiling, the communal washer and dryer (for every tenant to use), were attached, to the outside of my bedroom and people were able to do their laundry any time of day or night, whether its 9pm or 3am and they did! Every time someone did their laundry, my bedroom actually vibrated and if I was asleep and they needed to do laundry, I got woken up. And stayed awake- for over an hour and a half, until the washer or dryer stopped its agitation. I could hear every neighbors conversations through the uninsulated walls, televisions, phones ringing, phones vibrating, music playing, etc. I heard EVERYTHING! The most troubling part of this was the washer dryer waking me up at all hours! Before I moved in and when Jenn was sending me photos of the space, I asked her where the washer and dryer were located, and doing an incomplete job, she replied with "I'm not sure exactly where they are, but they are on the premises somewhere". Once I moved in, I told Linda of all of my grievances, which were especially troublesome since as a self employed person, I work from home, and her response was that no-one else had ever complained about this unit or about this small apartment complex. Which means, she has moved in lots of tenants to this small 8 person apartment complex over the years. If all of the other tenants were so happy there, then why is there such a quick turnover of tenants in a city like Santa Barbara where finding a place is so difficult? More than 80% of the tenants living there when I moved in were not students, so its not like they graduated and moved elsewhere. When I moved in and got to know the Postman who delivers mail there he actually said, "wow, there is a quick turnover in your apartment, there have been 2 other tenants who moved out your apartment in less than a year!" Save yourself the heartache and money and DO NOT hire them! read more

Just tried to get info about a rental from this company. Pretty bad customer service. Hung up after telling them who would be living there. Not sure if anyone reads these but you might want to work with someone else. read more

After a discouraging month of attempting to rent an apartment in Santa Barbara, my daughter and her roommate signed up for the "relocation service" through Preferred Rental. It seemed pricey, at $695, but we were getting desperate as most of the Santa Barbara rental community had no interest in renting to students, despite their credit-worthiness. The agent assigned to us, Tobias Hildebrand, treated the girls like his own. It took nearly four weeks of frustration and rejection, but he never gave up. Finally, through personal relationships he had built in his years as a realtor, he was able to find them a place. He additionally went above and beyond, advocating for them with the landlord when some things needed to be addressed after the girls moved in. I would recommend them highly and use them, especially Tobias, again if looking for a rental in Santa Barbara. I don't think we would have found a place without him. read more

Wendy at preferred rental saved my sanity. All in two weeks I sold my house in San Diego, got a job in Santa Barbara, and needed to find a home with my 60lb shepherd. I utilized the PR relocation services and was very satisfied. Wendy stayed in touch, let me know what the rental market was looking like, and adeptly worked with my budget and "must haves". I too noticed that many of the places suggested to me were also posted on Craigslist. However, when I would have emailed the poster, I never would have heard back. Wendy would send me a link then call to chat about the rental. She would then say, "call them, if you like it they will rent to you"! The folks at PR are well connected in the Santa Barbara community and know who to contact and how to get them to place their tenants. I would definitely use them again. read more

We had a very good experience working with Preferred Rental Service. At every step of the way they were professional, courteous and knowledgeable about the rental market. In a matter of weeks they found us great tenants who are respectful and responsible and we had been showing the apartment for months. From an owner's perspective, it does not make sense for me to take the time to list, show, check references and credit when I know that Preferred Rental Service can do it for me in significant less time and in a courteous, professional manner. read more

Wendy is amazing! She helped me find an absolute gem of a rental in only four days! And, I have two dogs! I live in the Bay Area and couldn't be in SB to do the ground work. Wendy did everything for me. She texted and called me multiple times per day with new ideas and new listings. When we found the one we liked, she managed to meet with the agent even before it opened to the public and she sold me and my dogs to the owner over several other qualified candidates. She's just a natural at this. Hire her immediately. Well worth the money. Thanks, Wendy! read more

My boyfriend and I were looking for a new place to live Santa Barbara. We had spent about a month and a half looking on our own. After several rejections from landlords due to us owning a small dog, we were becoming desperate, frustrated and impatient to find a place that would accept us and our precious pup. A regular at my restaurant recommend that I try Preferred rental. He raved about how Wendy had found him a place in less than 2 weeks when he was relocating from Huston. I was a little skeptical at first due to the steep price of $695. However, my boyfriend and I were so sick of looking that we decided to try it out any way and thank Gawd we did!! Wendy found us a place with all of our needs and in less than two weeks. We are now living comfortably and happy in our new place with our dog all thanks to Wendy! read more

Called and immediately entered into a conversation with one of the most hostile people I've ever spoken with. Cut me off half way through sentences, told me properties wouldn't work for absurd reasons, said the address on the website was incorrect as well as pictures not being accurate. She then told me to "hang on a minute" and before awaiting my response put me on hold and never came back. It was almost as if she did not want a cash customer. I am not sure who is leaving these 5 star reviews but do not be fooled, this company is garbage. I was going to pay cash up front for the entirety of the lease. Lost my business in 5 minutes. Unbelievably unprofessional. read more

DO NOT plan your out of state move without using the relocation services provided by Preferred Rental!! My fiancé and I worked with Wendy and would 100% recommend her to any busy professional, looking for a stress-free moving process. I am still so impressed with how easy she made it to find a place. Wendy helped us find a beautiful rental with everything on our "must-have" list for under our budget! Not only that, but she was able to find us a house in 2 short weeks. This is amazing, considering I spent 4 weeks browsing through homes/ apartments and contacting realtors on my own with no success. She knows the area like you wouldn't believe and made sure we ended up in a neighborhood that was perfect for us. Do yourself a favor and work with Wendy, you will not regret it!! read more

Wendy and Leah at Preferred Rental Service are a life-saving team. They helped me to find the perfect place. Incredibly, it all worked out in the very first try and within three days I am completely moved in and happy in my new home. I am grateful for their effort and would recommend their services to anyone looking to rent. Wendy and Leah were efficient and invested and clearly cared about the outcome of our work together. J.P. read more

I enlisted the help of PRS to locate a tenant for my apartment and later for my home. Both were excellent experiences especially because I am an 80 year old single woman with no family to assist me. Wendy and Leah found perfect tenants in both situations and handled the paper work in a most professional manner. They were so patient with me and my never-ending questions. I highly recommend PRS if you wish to find suitable tenants. I will always seek their assistance in the future. read more

I visited Santa Barbara and loved the town, but I was lost. Except for the tourist areas I couldn't find the neighborhoods or if I found one I didn't know if it was for me or not. I work remotely so Santa Barbara was perfect for the lifestyle I wanted. I set aside 2 weeks to learn the area and find a rental. What I learned - it is very hard to get a rental in a town everyone wants to live in but few decent rentals to choose from. I tried Craigslist. It always helps me. Not this time. Everything was rented before I could figure out where it was and if I should live there. I found I had about 2 hours after the ad was posted to put money down on a good place. The landlords have it made! I was going to give up after my trial looking period and then found Preferred Rentals. They have what is called a "personal shopper". It sounded perfect for me. The agent knew the ALL the neighborhoods and had ideas already lined up before I came to their office. I had my own expert to help me get on the inside of the rental battle. Loved it. Found a great place I wouldn't have been in time for. In fact, I wouldn't have found it for days and the agent had me there in minutes with everything I needed to know about. I really like living here. SB is a great town for my lifestyle. I doubt I'd have got it to happen without Preferred Rental and the help Leah gave me. If you are like me in any way, I'd go straight to them. Take the pain out of a very hard process. Everyone seems to want to live there and there simply are not enough good rentals. Terry R read more

They were cool. I paid for their service and then found a place like one day later and they gave me a full refund. The person I was working with was really professional and it's impossible to find a decent place in SB, I just got really lucky. read more

I am an executive who was completely ready and willing to seek their services. Unfortunately, these people will actively and readily lie to your face. They are engaging in illegal rental practices and trying to cover their tracks. In sum, they were completely unhelpful and curt from the very start. They are so unprofessional it absolutely shocks me that anyone would use this company at all. Oh, and their rental guide is a complete joke. You can find every single bit of that information, with photographs and more comprehensive details, online for FREE with a few simple searches. Don't waste your $30! read more

I am a local renter in the Santa Barbara market and have had an extremely difficult time dealing with this company. They posted incorrect photos of a property I was interested in displaying a beautiful one bedroom when in fact it was a dingy studio. They also seem to price rentals much higher per square foot which in this current market is $2.50-$3/sq. foot. add an additional $100 per person to a rental prior to advertising that online. They also do not allow one to fill out one application to have credit pulled once allowing that person to apply for multiple listings. Come on people work smarter not harder. read more

The woman over the phone was very rude. I was ready to rent and be an easy tenant, but I suppose they prefer talking over people when they try to do business. read more