Unfortunately, I don't have anything positive to say. The number of rentals they have available in Santa Cruz is kind of wild. I have reached out via phone and email multiple times to set up a tour and nothing has come of it, which is too bad. I'm disappointed to say the least. read more

Terrible and unethical business. DO NOT PAY THEIR APPLICATION FEES. You will get no service, as they profit on keeping your app fees with no action or follow up. This company is a Fraud. read more

TERRIBLE for tenants. They will give you the runaround in any and every way that they can. I lived in one of their apartments for over a year and their service was not nearly as good as it should have been for the price of the rent. I first signed a one year lease with them and was initially told I could transition to a month-to-month lease, which would have been perfect for the situation that I was in. However, when the end of my lease was coming up, they pressured me into signing a fixed-term lease extension because they didn't want us to stay in the apartment past the end of September. They also tried gaslighting us into saying that month-to-month rent was never an option with them, despite that being exactly what we were told. Apparently they would miss out on renting to "incoming students", but when I moved out there were like 5 empty units with nobody showing any interest in them. They have straight up told me that the property owners are more of a priority than the tenants because they need to bring in money for them. Tenants are nothing but a check to them. They primarily communicate by phone call so that there are no written records of what they promise or tell you, so if you rent with them, be sure to send as many emails as you can so that you have stuff in writing. But emailing them isn't simple either... you can usually expect to wait 2-3 days for a response to any given email, and that's assuming you send them follow ups to keep bugging them. Amanda, who answers the primary office email, is also very rude and unprofessional. I was waiting on the return of my deposit after moving out when I realized that the 21 days the managers had to return my deposit were almost up (with almost no word about how much I would be getting back or when I would be getting it). When trying to get an update on when I would be receiving my deposit, Amanda was very unhelpful, so I asked her to get me in contact with the broker who could actually be useful, and all Amanda wrote back was "Good one." Turns out I already had the broker's email, so I emailed them directly instead. There was ZERO need to be rude. In addition to them being very rude and twisting the truth, their service is just SO BAD. The fan in my apartment's bathroom broke in October of 2024, which I promptly called in about to report. I reported in FIVE more times, and they never did anything. When I renewed my lease, the property manager herself was even made aware of the situation and told me they would send someone to fix it. I moved out September of 2025 and they literally never once contacted me about it. When I moved out I hired my own professional cleaners who left the apartment cleaner than it was when I moved in, and they still had the AUDACITY to claim they needed to deduct almost $300 from my deposit for cleaning fees. They are exactly what is wrong with housing in Santa Cruz. The apartment itself was great but literally anything dealing with the property managers instantly became a headache. read more

Non responsive to applicants. Takes your money without running applications or contacting references. Disappointing experience. My advice is to stay away. Also, for any property owners, your homes sit vacant for much longer than they should. Invest in services elsewhere. read more

Santa Cruz Property Management - Bad service! - Property Management Near Me - Capitola, California

As others have said, slow to respond and when they do, it depends on who you are in contact with. Cristina is usually pleasant and helpful. It's 2025, but they have no online payment options available, the washers and dryers are on their last legs, and it takes an act of god for them to get someone to come fix them Contacting the vendor directly doesn't work either, as the companies they mediocre at best and sketchy at worst. I love my apartment, I just wish the management was better. read more

I have tried to get the sqft on 2 separate units and they just keep running in circles with anything but those answers. Finally today, Libby, stated that they don't have the sqft for their units. The first one I spoke to on another unit was named Lilly. Don't waste your time with their run around and lack of knowledge of all ya want is a simple answer on the total sqft. read more

I did a tour of one of the apartments in the bay area and noticed it was listed for 6 months. I really liked the unit and had some extra questions after the tour. I left messages, and it's been over 2 weeks and nobody has bothered to call me back. I imagine that is why it has been listed for 6 months because nobody calls back. I will go with another apartment complex. read more

Very personable. A real human being answers the phone! Kind considerate, takes care of business.

I've applied for a house with this company and it took several days to get answered and later on they stopped to call/text me back not giving me any updates about the application. Feels like they only took my money and disappear. I'd star them ZERO if I could. read more

God if I could give 0 stars I would. Me and my wife had the misfortune of renting one of their properties. Horrid management. The landlord was completely unhelpful(when we had a problem with black mold she brought her boyfriend who was apparently a "licensed contractor" just for them to dismiss everything). After we moved out they took 750 dollars from the deposit for "cleaning" but it really just seems like they took the money to fund their renovation. Does it honestly make sense to charge for carpet cleaning, just to rip it out and put hardwood in? Also loved when our fridge caught started smoking, they decided to say it was only an 8 year old fridge, my wife called the fridge company and gave them the serial number, it was 18 years old!! Disgusting management, save your self the headache and never rent from them. I'd rather be in a tent read more

If 0 was an option, that would have been my choice. Here is a timeline of my experience: Property posted Day 1 Application submitted Day 2 Property toured Day 6 Note:This property had not been completed for rental, as past owners had trashed. However it is posted as available. As of today, I have not heard anything on the rental Day 18 Note:I exceeded all rental requirements. Properties still being shown(I now live very close). My current rental was committed within 3 days. The property management team I am now renting with, would definitely get my business again. read more

I didn't enjoy having SCPM as the overlords on my rental house. In my experience, they weren't especially responsive, friendly, or professional-unless there was something I could do for them. They hired substandard "handymen", gardeners, painters who did a poor job and stole yard items from me. I was censured, and treated like I was the problem when I complained. One of the SCPM employees lived in my neighborhood, and kept tabs on my house on her frequent walks, which resulted in a series of ridiculous phone calls badgering me about petty things-not rolling up my garden hose, (the front of the house was obscured by a fence a foliage) leaving a box on my front porch, the plants on the porch, etc. It got to the point I actually called my landlord (who thought I was a great tenant), and threatened to move out if they didn't stop pestering me. Yeah, avoid them if you can. read more

Four college students rented in 2022 with a 6 month lease. They cleaned up upon exit but management did not do a final walk-through. A mistake and a learning experience for the starving UCSD college students as management charged them $360 for cleaning which included almost $100 for cleaning window blinds! These were quiet, studious students and much of this was usual wear and tear, especially in '6' months. Christine, and Santa Cruz Property Management, was difficult to reach and get an answer to when and how much of their security deposit would be returned. They withheld $360 and they were not easy to deal with. Be careful if you enter a lease agreement with this company. The final cleaning seems to be a moneymaker for them! read more

There are multiple defining things that make this business especially terrible.For context I lived in this apartment for 8 years, always paid on time, and kept the place in great condition for the fact it was already a terrible apartment. Firstly, carefully read all the paperwork they give you and always make sure their taking your information down correctly. Every single time I got paperwork from them they always spelled my legal name incorrectly. Secondly, good luck trying to get anything fixed in your apartment. I had mold growing in my bathroom due to old grout in the shower and they hired a horrific handyman that essentially gaslit me into thinking it wasn't actually there. Thirdly, when I finally moved they took about $400 out of my deposit for "blind cleaning"!! All in all, just don't get involved or near this business unless you want an enormous headache. read more

The property had many issues that were not disclosed before I signed the lease. The managers were not helpful.

I am very very pleased with these people. I rented a unit and was moving in by myself; Gretchen from the office was walking by and actually helped me move my furniture in! Take about above and beyond. Every interaction I have had with the ladies in the office has been wonderful. Can't recommend them enough. read more

SCAM! Don't pay these ppl application fee. They just collect the application fee and never follow up with you or tell you that the unit is rented. I called them after 3 days and the lady told me that she will return my application fee back. Never heard back from them read more

Very professional and accommodating staff....we've used SC Property Management for over 20 years and been very happy with their service and reliability...highly recommend. read more

Might be a little premature as my roommate and I just moved in to one of the properties SCPM manages, but thus far our experience has been nothing short of great. The application process was quick and they got us all set to move in within a week after viewing the place! The staff has had stellar communication with us and has been extremely attentive and helpful with our questions. Christine, Kathleen and Jo are fantastic. Happy to have found them for su read more

Definitely would NOT work with this property management. I drove all the way to Santa Cruz from San Jose on May 6th to put in an application so I didn't have to delay any time mailing it. The following Monday I called to see if I needed to do anything and how long it would take. Erika told me mid that week or end of the week (9th-13th) I would know an answer so I let that whole week be. Kathy called me that week wanted check stubs so I sent them. Monday the 16th called, Kathy not available to talk they left her a message, Wednesday I emailed her, no response, Thursday called again, Kathy not available to talk Friday left another email to Kathy, no response. Yesterday, the 23rd called to speak to Kathy since she's the manager and knows statuses and they said she wasn't in and would be in today (the 24th) called right now not sure who I spoke to, but said Kathy not there and would be out for a couple of days and I asked can anyone else tell me a status? She put me on hold comes back and told me that the unit has already been rented out. (Don't see how when I still see them posting it on Craigslist) No one ever called to tell me anything and I should get a refund for my application!! Not okay to have families waiting like this!!! Very unprofessional and SAD we need to be out in two weeks and thought we were going to get this unit because we make enough and when I went to look at the unit the guy that showed me said they're very nice and work with you and perfect size for my little family! So sad you have families being ignored like this, this is peoples life and they do not seem to care. If I could give negative stars I would. read more

I would give this business zero stars, but that isn't an option on Yelp. My husband and I spent this past summer apartment hunting in the Santa Cruz area. A good number of the places we found were managed by this joke of a company whose employees severely lack any semblance of business etiquette. Day after day they would post the same apartment listings on Craig's List and day after day my husband and I would respond to these ads and get no response. Our phone calls went unreturned, except for one time when we actually managed to speak to an employee who was supposed to call us back after they had arranged an apartment showing for us. Guess what? That phone call never arrived, and we decided that this place obviously did not want our business bad enough so we moved on and rented from a private homeowner instead. I don't know who these chumps are that work at this place, but it seems to me that they are the rudest and most unprofessional bunch of idiots I have ever had the displeasure of attempting to do business with. And what's up with posting ads on Craig's List and then not responding??? Talk about a waste of time on everyone's part... Don't even bother with these people...just dont.... read more

these people are inhuman. We rented a property of theirs on 2515 Capitola Rd. The incessant cat shit in our yard from our neighbor's cats prompted me to call and ask them to do something. I guess the woman on the phone didn't like the sound of my voice. "I'm the property manager" she exclaimed, and then the next day we were kicked out of the house." 2 weeks before Christmas with a 4 year old daughter. We were never late with our rent, never had any complaints from our negihbors or anything. One call about our neighbors irresponsible cats, and BAM!, out on the streets. Things are much better for us now, but I have never forgotten this and I never will. Please don't rent from them or support these people in any way. read more

They took almost half of my deposit to fix a dirty place that was already damaged when I first started living there. Please don't rent from these ppl. Law suit coming up soon. read more

I have to say, I yelped Santa Cruz Property Management after I had already decided that I loved the property of theirs that I was really hoping to rent out. The low reviews made me a little nervous, but the low price for a cute place in a beautiful area made me decide to go through with the rental regardless. From the beginning, the ladies at SCPM (especially Mary) were very friendly, cooperative, and helpful. I kept waiting for something to go wrong (and match the Yelp reviews) I unfortunately had to move out of the area so I'm fully moved out of their unit. I can sincerely say that I was 100% satisfied with SCPM. The couple times that we needed something looked at, they were prompt and fixed the problem with no hassle. I specifically wanted to wait to write a Yelp review until after I received my deposit back because I knew there was still an opportunity to be let down by then. However, we got the amount back that we expected and they were very pleasant and accommodating during this process. I'm not sure if the other reviews are falsified or if SCPM has made some major improvements since those reviews were written (I see that they are old), but I was very happy with their service! read more

If I had the option to give zero stars, I would. We were evicted from our one year lease on an unfair basis with Kathleen. We are now homeless knowing one of the reasons they wanted the place back was so that they could increase our rent by a high price. Do not work with SCPM. They will scam you and your money. The workers are very condescending and rude. This business is a bunch of bullshit and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. read more

This is seriously the worst experience I have ever had trying to find a rental. I had an appointment to view one of their properties about a week after I made it. They take down your information, and I have no idea why. I say this because the night before I was supposed to view the property, I noticed the Craigslist ad for the rental I was supposed to see had been taken down, and no info on the rental was anywhere to be found. I live in the Silicon Valley, so I wasn't about to drive down to Santa Cruz only to not be able to see the inside of an apartment, and given the housing situation right now, I wasn't about to NOT drive down if there was actually a chance I could snag this apartment. I called them up and got the address wrong a couple times (my mistake) when inquiring about it, but instead of correcting me they were really quick to say "we don't rent that property" and hang up. Finally, I got the address right, and they told me it had already been rented out. I mean, if you have the information of someone you are supposed to meet, and it turns out this meeting will no longer happen, I'd think it would be professional courtesy (or even COMMON courtesy) to give them a call and tell them, "hey, you have no reason to haul your ass up and down 17 this week, because we've rented this place out already." But no matter, because the exact same rental actually went back up on Craigslist a week or so later, with the rent raised $100 more a month and no pets allowed. Call it sour grapes, but ugh no thank you. It's really too bad this company manages a majority of the properties in Santa Cruz county, because it's clear they really couldn't give a shit about potential tenants. And why would they need to? Affordable housing is few and far between right now, and tenants are in no short supply. They'll make their money regardless. I hope I never have to deal with this company again. read more

This might be a little premature, as I just moved out a week ago and haven't received word on what's left of my security deposit, but I've never had anything but good experiences with Santa Cruz Property Management. By the time I got a chance to get up to Santa Cruz to look for an apartment the school year was closing in and options were limited, but the approval process was speedy and hassle-free and the small, one bedroom unit ended up being perfect for my needs. I didn't have many issues, and when I did they were mostly my issues rather than issues with the apartment, but the staff at SCPM was helpful every time. One month I realized that I had completely forgotten about paying the rent. I went in to the office around the time they opened the day after my rent was due and the woman working that morning told me not to worry about the late fee. And when I asked that they hold off on showing the apartment for one week while I was preparing for and taking my final exams, SCPM was fully accommodating even though it was right in the middle of the peak of their renting season. In the process of clearing out the apartment to vacate I realized I'm probably not a master of the deep clean, but when I called to ask about how that might affect a future reference (my only reference, as this was my first apartment) Cathy assured me that as long as I made a good faith effort and communicated with them at the office they wouldn't hold the fact that they'd have to have some extra cleaning done against me. Similarly, I realized that I had lost the key to the lock I'd put on my storage unit out back; Cathy again told me that, though whatever the cost of hiring someone to come down with some bolt-cutters would of course be taken out of my security deposit, this wouldn't affect my reference. To be honest, I hope you never even read this review, since you'll probably have to read a handful of bad reviews to get here. I'm guessing for the most part people aren't thinking about leaving reviews for property management unless they've had an issue. But my first renting experience was very pleasant, largely thanks to the staff at SCPM. read more

CRIMINALS. do not use this service!! They will steal your money and wreck your property. Look at the court house records I wish I had before using them. They have been sued over and over for mismanagement and legal issues. I can't believe they are in business and one of the reasons Santa Cruz now has rent control which hurts both land owners and tenants. All of their reviews are fake as they have a horrible reputation in town and only serve out of town home owners now who don't know better. read more

Santa Cruz Property Management is poorly run and unresponsive to the needs of property owners adjacent to the properties they manage. They do a poor job for their clients as they do not resolve issues that will eventually create problems for the property owners who hire them. Their receptionist pays no attention when she answers the phone and you will need to give her your name at least 2 times when you call. She will then respond that the person to whom you would like to speak is unavailable. We have been waiting over 2 YEARS for them to address the problem of a huge tree overhanging my property. Our next step is court, I suppose. read more

I don't want to even give them one star very UNPROFESSIONAL and THIEVES they take your money REALLY fast but you receive NO RESULTS and I think they're RACIST because I have jumped through hoops and still didn't get any RESULTS they kept saying not enough income and when I PROVIDED that it went to not being on my job long enough but they GLADLY took my MONEY!!! I'm going to have them INVESTIGATED!!! read more

would not recommend renting from this management group. Joanna persistently got defensive and rude when I would call and ask to speak to her (the manager) about issues and even more attitude when I asked to speak to her supervisor. Many appliances were broken and not fixed prior to moving in and have yet to call me to get maintenance involved. Made a false promise to upgrade security measures for the parking lot- have yet to hear about that. TERRIBLE service . read more

Dealing with SCPM, I have found them to be rude and they do not respond to issues in a timely manner. Christine does not seem to be knowledgeable about property law regarding her client's properties effecting the impact to neighboring properties. In dealing with her, her curt attitude has only escalated situations, which is the opposite of what I am looking for in a property management company. read more

Yes! i agree with everyone who wrote a review! they are terriable! They're nice for a quick second and become VERY RUDE! One woman who currently works there told us that there are only 8 people managing 400 properties and they do not understand why people are rude to them. IN MY MIND I ASK MYSELF, "why don't you hire more people, morons?" They have worthless pictures that do not show anything but the front of the house and they are not catered to out-of-city residents who are attending school in Santa Cruz. They believe everyone has a fax and when they fax somthing, they need it back right away. WHY CAN'T YOU DUMBASSES USE EMAIL? SO MUCH EASIER FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN SOCAL OR NORCAL. After this year, I am never going to use their "services" ever again! All they want is to get money! read more

i, too, would give them a zero, but it is not an option. I will never ever ever rent from scpm ever again. My roommates and I put down a $2,000 deposit and left our (crappy) home in sparkling condition. We spent 2 days cleaning it and even hired a cleaning company to come in and do the deep cleaning. We got back about $300 from our deposit for reasons like "there was some dust behind the refrigerator" "they left a bag of trash in a closet in the bedroom" "there was a cobweb in the garage". We lived there for a year and kept it in pristine condition. read more

I would give this place 0 stars too... This people scam people the legal way... they show a property to as many ppl as they can $20/person hey that's a lot of $$$... Their staff were so rude specially a girl named Cristina. She was so rude since day 1... We submitted an application for a rental I gave them a $60 applications fee that they never submitted but cashed my check right away. They took my money and never submitted my application, then I called and asked and they said that property was already rented... So F**k U SCPM and u too Cristina... read more

This company is a scam. They only want your money for the credit check. $20 times say 50 people a day...thats $1000! Someone whos name rhymes with Pristine is a very rude and unfriendly person. Who only shows an apartment for 15 minutes. I wish I read the reviews before writing my check. read more

Santa Cruz Property Management is a company for which you really do need to get everything in writing. They say one thing, and do another. They want you to pay for things that were damaged when you arrived. The room had paint stains of a different color than the wall everywhere. She said we could paint the room ourselves and that they would reimburse us (only for supplies). We did. We painted it an off-white color. Then, she came to see it (without calling first, just showed up. I was in my robe in the morning). She said that because the color was not "Navajo white" they would not reimburse us even though she had NEVER mentioned a particular color before. Luckily, my fiance called her out on it, and she caved. Do try and get everything in writing. read more

If you have a rental take it somewhere else. If you need a rental search anywhere but here. They will not work with you in anyway. No appointments will be made they will not call you back. They take your money for the application and never get back to you. I don't know what these two 5 star reviews are talking about. This is seriously a scam. This company needs to go out of business, they treat you like you don't deserve to rent from them. Act as if they are better than you because they hold the power at their mediocre minimum wage job. Have rude phone services. Management is never available. I will be calling the land lords to the rentals available and letting them know of the services this company provides to people who would like to rent their properties. I cannot stress enough to not waste your $20 on an application, its there way of making money. String along 30 people at $20 and never even get the credit reports and they pocket $600. No imagine doing this for 6 or more properties at a time....I advise you to seek other resources to rent. read more

Coming from a long term tenant of Santa Cruz Property Management co, as I read through the reviews I'm shocked. Through out my 7+ years as a tenant they have been super helpful to me with any questions or maintenance. I usually talk with Kathleen or Jo and they're both great in communication, very attentive and responsive to my maintenance. Christine is also a very professional business women, that being said: I was shocked when I had my inspection. The young lady who showed up was in spandex and converse... I thought she had a wrong house.. previous people who have done my inspections have always looked very clean, tidy, professional work attire- I was fought vey off guard when she arrived. I am in no way trying to be rude but trying to be helpful to Christine. I hope you take this feed back and talk to your inspection staff or at least the one gal who performed my inspection she was dressed like it was her day off and very rugid, hippie, frankly- like she doesn't care about her job. She was sweet but not what I expected knowing how professional Christine and the rest of her staff perform and dress. read more

such a loser this management they don't ever tell you if you got the apartment or not approve but they scam your money, sheet i hope one day you guys will realize what you are doing. Don't scam people money get a life, even that joana and jennifer, one day people will do that to you i swear to god. read more