Hands down the best property management company we've ever worked with! From the moment we connected with Kim and Todd, we knew we were in good hands. They went above and beyond to help make our move from Orange County to Sonoma as smooth and stress-free as possible. Moving can be overwhelming, but they made every step feel warm, welcoming, and easy to navigate. We've rented several homes over the years--both in Irvine, California and even across the pond in the UK--and I can honestly say no property management team has ever made us feel as cared for as Kim and Todd have. Their professionalism is top-notch, but what really sets them apart is their heart. They genuinely cared about my family and that means so much to me. If every property management company operated like they do, the rental world would be a far better place. Thank you, Kim and Todd, for being the gold standard. read more

Indifference and disrespect were services offered by Kim Buchanan. From the moment she opens her mouth, its clear that basic courtesy is optional. Her attitude is dismissive, her tone even over emails was condescending, and any attempt at professional communication was nonexistent. I've rarely felt so unwelcome." Kim Buchanan is horrible!!!! AVOID AT ALL COSTS read more

After collecting application fees, communication was unclear and inconsistent, with weeks of waiting, repeated promises of updates, and no definitive answers. This created unnecessary stress and uncertainty during an already competitive housing search. Professionalism and transparency should be a priority when handling applicants' time, money, and housing needs. Very unprofessional and do not recommend them. Seems as if they are just collecting money off the applicants..yikes. read more

I've rented from Sonoma Management off and on over the decades. I've had the best experiences each time. I see some negative reviews here however all I know is doing business with them is ethically stable and morally strong. The people who work at Sonoma Management are business oriented people. If you want a smooth transaction and are honest you will get the same in return. Kim especially who runs the company along with Brandy and Todd, they are all well informed and always get maintenance done within two hours after I call. They have earned five gold stars IMO. Well done!! read more

Don't ever rent from this rude management company! The people that work here.. I don't even think they live IN or Grew up in, Sonoma. I've told everyone I know from Sonoma to avoid! (which is a lot being from here and generations of my family still living here) They know nothing about the town and are extremely rude! "Kimberly" and some "manager" lady are the two rudest people I have ever encountered. They wouldn't rent to us because my girlfriend had "no credit" but my credit scores almost 800.. and we had proof of income of 10x the rent amount for their shitty old house they were renting, and we have great references (All From Sonoma) They were so extremely rude about the whole situation I've never in my life been treated so badly as with these people. Don't waste your time or money with these people!! Plenty of better rentals in Sonoma not from them. Read the other reviews! Terrible awful people!! read more

Meh, experience was so so, on an inquiry on a property they had listed. They advised me it was no longer available and to refer back to their site. I felt like they did not care about earning my business in finding a vacation home. read more

I have rented a property from Sonoma Management for the past 18 months. I have to say that the staff that I have been dealing with, especially Kimberly, have been very kind and considerate. Please, remember that they work for the property owner and just represent them. read more

I currently reside in Benicia but am now working in Sonoma so I am looking for a place to rent in Sonoma. I found a "decent" place in Sonoma, photoshopping was at it's finest as it was nothing like the photos. They are obviously old and outdated. I made an appointment to see the place today. I had asked about coming to look at the place at another time as today was my day off. I was told "no" and that the appointment had already been made and couldn't be changed. I had spoken to Kimberly and we were scheduled to meet today at 1:30PM. I arrived at 1:19PM and waited till 1:32PM to call the office to see if possible Kimberly was running late. I pride myself on being on time as this is how I live my life. I was told by Erin who answered the phone that Kimberly was running all over the place today but was on her way. The gentleman who lived next door to the unit came outside and lit up a cigarette and was engaging in small talk. I know this is a non-smoking building, he was right outside his front door, correct me if I am wrong but I thought there was a 25 foot rule. He told me everyone in the court were nice people and it was a nice place to live. Across the way was a Mom getting out of her mini van with a couple of kids. He then asked me how many people would be moving into the unit. I replied "just me", he looked a bit shocked, I am assuming there are quite a few people that reside in each unit from the cars and activity I witnessed. The outside was not well kept up. didn't look like anyone took care of the landscaping, there was a lot of excess leaves, branches and some trash around. I was also supposed to look at another unit next to the property. As I was still waiting at 1:48PM I took a look next door, that complex was not well cared for as well. I then called the office back to say that just from the looks of the outside and Kimberly still not showing up, I was leaving. I was told by Erin that Kimberly told her that she made the appointment with me at 1:15PM, nonetheless if that was TRUE, Erin didn't not mention that when we spoke at 1:32PM. More importantly, I was there at 1:19PM and there was no sign of Kimberly. A simple phone call from Kimberly was not even given, unprofessional to say the least. I am in the customer service industry, I would NEVER be late for an appointment and if I was, I would make sure to call and explain my situation. I will obviously look elsewhere for a rental management company. This is no way to run a business in my opinion and the disrespect I was shown was shocking. If you are considering Sonoma Management, look elsewhere, I would NEVER recommend this company to ANYONE! read more

To the most rudest staff I have ever dealt with I sure hope karma comes around and bite you in the a**! Kim Buchanan shouldn't be employed there if you're going to talk about a client in front of me and about how clients needs to have a better credit score or make 3X's the income. I saw you speaking out loud about a client while you type your response to them. You don't have any idea what everyone finances are, but I sure hope one day you don't sit in their shoes because you don't know what it's like. Take your snotty a** attitude elsewhere. From what I've seen you discriminate lots of clients based on color and ethnic background. Get a grip!!!!! read more

To start this review of Sonoma Management, if I could have given them less than the one star, I would have. My wife and I came upon Sonoma Management while looking for houses in Sonoma to rent. When we found a house we liked, it was very difficult for us to even contact someone to show us the house. They NEVER returned phone calls, and only replied to emails with one or two sentences, never given more information that could help us with our search. The first time we were supposed to meet them at the house, they never even showed up. What made that worse, they never called to tell us they were running late or had to reschedule. We eventually moved into the house, even though we had some trepidations about the management company being so lackadaisical. Once moved in, our calls continued to be ignored if we had anything that needed repair, Sonoma Management only responding with emails with limited information. Unfortunately my wife and I learned that we needed to relocate out of state, so we called Sonoma Management with our dilemma asking how to proceed. They said they would immediately put the house up for rent, but promised us nothing, which was fine. What was NOT fine was Sonoma Management sitting on their asses instead of working to do their job...find new tenants. One of the straws that broke the camels back was when Sonoma Management called asking to show the house to a couple that was interested. At the appointed time, the couple showed up...but where was Sonoma Management??? NO WHERE! They did not even show up to show this couple the house, the house my wife and I desperately needed to have rented. I ended up showing the house, but of course was not able to give vital information about key aspects of the house only the management knew. Another instance of Sonoma Management sucking.... A woman who was interested in renting the house said she had called Sonoma Management 4 times asking for information on the house, asking for an application, asking for ANYTHING. Did she ever get called back...OF COURSE NOT. If you are looking to lease a house in Sonoma.................................. DO NOT USE SONOMA MANAGEMENT, THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU! read more

The disparity comes from only the disgruntled posting their experience. Unfortunate, as my experience with Kim and Tiffany, particularly Kim.....was nothing but wonderful. I drove into town and Kim had me moving into to perhaps the nicest place you could hope for within twenty four hours. She hussled for me, and it was deeply appreciated. I would highly recommend them as they were always courteous, professional, and involved to every detail. Many thanks.... read more

Be very careful if you choose to rent from Sonoma Management. I was forced to take them to court in order to get my deposit returned. They attempted to bully us into having the entire house repainted (completely ignoring CA Civil Code- illegal to force your tenants to repaint after occupying the residence for 2+ years). There were small indentations in the hardwood floors that were preexisting. They deducted money for those as well. I had carefully documented all preexisting damages with photographs and legibly listed the aforementioned flaws in the move-in form provided upon the lease signing. In the end, they were forced to return my entire deposit + all court costs. If you choose to roll the dice with Kimberly and Tiffany, I highly recommend that you meticulously document every flaw on the property. Additionally, be fully prepared to make a scorched-earth-exit when the time comes to giddy-up. Postscript: In addition to the deposit fiasco, they were extremely lethargic when repairs were necessary. Don't miss the filtered reviews. There are about 20 additional one star reviews that were magically filtered out. read more

I just want to preface this review by saying I didn't know anyone at Sonoma Management prior to renting a home through them. We moved from out of state to Sonoma. We had a fantastic experience with Sonoma Management. We were looking for a home during the busiest season (late spring/ early summer) and had about 5 other families going after the same houses. Eventually we were first in line for a fantastic house on the nicest street in Sonoma (literally - within days all of our neighbors had introduced themselves and our kids played with the neighborhood kids on a daily basis). Tiffany always responded quickly to repair requests and was always friendly and polite. When it came time for us to move on, we received our deposit refund earlier than expected. Overall, we were very pleased with Sonoma Management and would definitely rent through them again! read more

Interesting that Sonoma Management has over 40 negative reviews that do not count towards their business rating. This is what you get when you pay Yelp. I have lived in Sonoma for over 40 years and have used Sonoma Management a few times over the years. Twenty years ago? They were great! 15 years ago? Great! 5 years ago? Not good. 2014: Terrible and should be ashamed of themselves. Last year, we decided to move and I reached out several times tot view homes only to be roundly ignored or, if we were lucky, Kimberly would answer my call / email 7-10 days later. And failed to help at all. Zero interest in helping renters because it is a landlord's market. Even better?They schedule brief group appointments during the day at strange hours. They are not flexible and will not show the home outside of the tiny one day / 30 minute window. I happen to work at a full time job as does my husband, therefore, we cannot make it on a Thursday at 2 pm with 20 minutes notice. And they will not show you the home at any other time. I watched Craigslist for 6 months. Kim B puts the homes up and then schedules the one viewing, often the same day and often within an hour. She will not reschedule or add appointments unless the unit/home is not renting and then she will lower the rent and provide one more showing. I personally feel Sonoma Management and Kimberly are partially responsible for the high rents in Sonoma. I will never do business with that company again. Ever. We ended up buying a home and our mortgage is the same or less than most of the rentals listed by SM. Not everyone has this opportunity. And it should be noted that we were able to pay a mortgage and were amazing renters, yet Sonoma Management could not be bothered to even try to meet us to rent a home. Home owners who are considering using them should take note: you are missing out on great people by using this company. read more

The ladies over at Sonoma Management are great. I was looking at apartments in Sonoma over the course of a few months and was in contact with them many times. They always responded to my phone calls in a timely manner and were never late to our appointments. In addition to this, they are friendly, helpful and honest; they followed up with me about a matter that did not have any monetary incentive for them with the same efficacy as when they were showing me apartments. I did not end up moving to Sonoma, but if I ever did, I would go directly back to them. read more

How on earth do you rent a 4K home and get completely ignored when requesting management to fix the hot tub connected to pool. 3 months of til end of year lease LISTEN TO THIS! the dryer for the washer is clearly an older model. The desk lady says to buy a new one?! Again, how are you going to expect renting tenants to take on this responsibility. Poor management service and I will keep harassing them. read more

I cannot pass up the opportunity to express my satisfaction as a tenant in a home we leased for a long time. Landlord hired Sonoma Management and I've had several occasions where I dealt with Kimberly and in our move-out. Not only is she very professional looking after the house for her client, but so easy to work as lessee. Recently a good friend mentioned they have friend who is moving and I recommended they contact Kimberly. She's very sweet and top-notch! Katherine C read more

The people who run this office are either completely overworked, or just flat out lazy. Either way, they come off as rude. The woman who answered my call literally would not speak to me in full sentences. She spoke one word at a time, not even providing the minimum answer to the question I'd asked. I had to pry a full response from her. Once I finally got her to tell me that the place I was calling on had already rented, she hung up before I could even ask about any additional properties. At least now I know, reading these other reviews, that I am not the only one! It may take longer, but I will be limiting my search to homes being rented by the owner. I'd hate to have to deal with Sonoma Management's lack of customer service long-term. read more

An ABSOLUTELY horrible place!!! Wish I could give zero stars! Not only are they always so snooty & stuck up there, but now I know they like to steal people's $$ too! I turned in an application for a rental, along with the credit check fee. They called me in a half hour saying it had suddenly been rented & to come pick up my $$. So when I got back to Sonoma, I walked across town to get it. The pandemic has been rough on all of us & I could've REALLY used that $$. But when I got there, they suddenly had NO record of me paying, lost my app, & wouldn't give me my $$. I asked to speak with someone in charge. I was told she was at lunch right then, but to leave my name & # & she'd call me when she came back from lunch. Well that was over 3 weeks ago, & no word! So I just called AGAIN. They're still refusing to give me my $$ back. How can they even run a business that way?? Such horrible customer service, it's unbelievable!!! read more

Worst service ever...if I could give 0 stars I would. Went to an open showing on a rental property which started at 430. Got there at 441 and nobody there. Called and they basically gave us a big f*** off. 5 different people came to look and traveled from San Rafael etc in traffic. Some got off early from work and they didn't even care. NEVER RENT A PLACE FROM THESE A HOLES. read more

Save your self a headache and avoid this company. They need help. I hope they can right their ship and find their way.

I'm so shocked by these reviews. We had a great experience with Sonoma Management. Calls were returned timely, Kimberly spent most of a day driving us to see properties and was cheerful the whole time, once we rented the process was easy, issues with the property were handled quickly, moving out was a breeze, stress free and we received our entire deposit with no issues at all. Our home definitely has some wear and tear but it was considered normal wear and tear by them as it should have been. I would rent through them again. read more

As a landlord I was looking to rent my home out fast. I contacted Kimberly Buchanan at Sonoma Management. She was very nice and quickly sent me over a lease agreement. After that Nothing was done. I waited 45 days and had one applicant who did not have a job and needed money from a non profit to cover the deposit. I turned down this tenant and Kim's response was the rent needed to be lowered. I then lowered the rent and still no results. On day 40 I realized something was wrong. It was not my home, but Sonoma Management Company. They are slow movers, rude, and unorganized. I put a sign out in front of my house and rented it out myself within 5 days. My tenants are great! DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON SONOMA MANAGEMENT or with Kimberly Buchanan!!! read more

Disorganized and unprofessional. They were late for an appointment, they show homes that are not clean nor well-maintained, and their listings usually have inaccurate information. Unfortunately they list many of the rental properties in Sonoma, so you may have to work with them. =/ read more

Kimberly was absolutely amazing and professional. This company is honest and professional, always can be easily reached. They returned my full deposit, which is incredibly rare in my past experiences with property management companies. read more

We rented a house for 5k per month. We wrote a letter to Kimberly before signing the lease explaining that a quite residence was our most important consideration. We spent a few days walking the neighborhood and assessing the noise. One day prior to signing the lease we heard very loud industrial sounds and we called Kimberly. She claims to have called the owners of the property to ask if they knew where the noise was coming from. We followed the industrial noise to the adjacent vineyard where they were drilling a well. We informed Kimberly who said the owners of the property assured her the home was quiet . We signed the lease and have a $7500 security deposit Less than one week after moving in earth moving gear Cats, huge trucks moved to the house next door. Then they began to knock the house down. We called Kimberly who immediately said she and the owners didn't know! How did she know they didn't know? We both work from home, we told Kimberly that living next to a construction site wasn't what we signed up for and she said " well those people have the right to build on their property " we said we were going to consult a lawyer to determine our rights and she said we would get a bad reputation in the valley ? Kimberly is an inconsiderate highly unprofessional person. They should be called Sonoma Mismanagement. read more

I had to call several times to get any sort of response. My emails were never answered. I'm relieved not to be renting from them. The actual contact I had with them was impersonal and inconsiderate. Their housing ads stay up so long on Craigslist it's fishy, especially because every other place in the area that's well priced gets snapped up faster than you can make an appointment to see it. read more

Like the place I'm in, a little shaby, but moved in anyway, no blinds, they got them in a week, no hot water in the kitchen, well 3 months later, this Kim person, finely got it done, 9 months later I figured out the dryer under my bedroom, in the neighbors garage , whose dryer runs at 2am, with tennis shoes in it, did I mention the noisiest people I've ever been next to in my life, is on my PG&E, told Kim, and she said, I checked it out, and yeah I'm right, so now I'm waiting for the back utilities, they tried to short me, but I didn't go for it, so her answer to all this, you know if your not happy, you can move, I personally wouldn't have them manage my out house, unprofessional, lame, and by the way, she never once apologize for stealing from me for 10 months now. read more

I have tried and tried to work with these people. But due to the lack of returned phone calls and their arrogance I'll do everything I can not to work with them. A few months ago I called about a house that said "pets negotiable," they said I would have a better shot at renting the place if I were to get rid of my dogs. Three things: that is discrimination, 2. those are basically my children, 3. if it's not "pets negotiable" don't put it! Then I tried to make an appointment to just look at a house to see if I wanted to move forward with it. I told them I was going to be out of town and my husband was going to look at it because he knows my standards, and if anything has more questions and concerns than I do. She literally told me to cancel my trip.... really?!?!?! Just to look at a rental. I would have if I wasn't PLANNING A FUNERAL! WOW, like I said... arrogance. Sonoma is a small town and unfortunately they are the only management company. But lordy, I will do whatever it takes NOT to go through them! read more

AVOID THIS COMPANY. They have an owner with several properties who is a nightmare. We lost our home in the firestorm. Six weeks later, we finally found a home to rent for $3950 per month ( GOUGE ). The day we sat down to sign the lease it had jumped to $4400 per month ( GOUGE GOUGE ). Shame on the management company and shame on the owner who put us through invasion upon invasion upgrading and renovating the entire time we have lived here. The last straw for us was an attempt of a complete overhaul of the heating and air which functioned perfectly. We refused to let her tear in to the house while we were living here so she evicted us!!! This appears to be what she does yearly per the neighbors and based on all the many different past tenant mail that we received. read more

Note that if there is a poor or bad review, a friend posts a positive review...thereby nullify your review.

I rented with Sonoma Management and Kim was my agent for the almost 2 years I was there. I can tell you Kim and Sonoma management have been nothing but fair. They are professional, nice and every time I had an issue. They fixed it. Thank you Sonoma Management for making my transition so easy. read more

Beware of Sonoma Property Management if you are looking to rent out your property. Here is the short version. After placing renters in my mother's house with four cats, without our knowledge or permission, they dropped us like a hot potato before getting the property livable again so my mother could move back in. They claim it was because they no longer managed the property. I had to coordinate the rug cleaning and the house cleaning services since the place was left in such a mess. Because the one year old rugs were replaced in the guest bedroom the day before we moved back in I did not have time to deal with what I can only imagine to be more damage to the rest of the new rugs throughout the house due to cat urine. We had to replace all the brand new screens because of multiple snags and tears. And we are still dealing with a very bad flea problem and we may be facing additional costs there. Since Sonoma Management was not willing to support us, their client, we had to absorb the outrageous cost of replacing the bathroom floor because of water damage which the contractor stated was due to not using the shower door correctly. This brings me to warn you that we felt we were charged exorbitant fees incurred by Sonoma Management for minor repairs and services. They did not earn their fee every month and then washed their hands of any responsibility in the end. read more

The absolute worst. Run from this place and the idiots that run it. They are crooks and the scum of the earth. Unprofessional, rude, THE WORST! Never rent from them unless you want to say goodbye to your entire deposit. They are liars and will do anything to not give you back what is owed. read more

I normally don't write reviews, but after reading some of the absolutely negative commentary here, I feel I have to relate my experience with Sonoma Management, which has been totally positive for nearly seven years. Kimberly has been my main contact, and she has always been professional and helpful. read more

I had heard from friends in Sonoma, to avoid Sonoma Management based on their years of frustration in dealing with them, especially Kimberly. But after the fires, we have little choice. Let me just say, as a highly educated professional, I have never come across a more condescending, and rude person, in business or otherwise. Seems I'm not alone in my experience or opinion... read more

I am so sorry to report that is company has really terrible costumer service. I have called and stopped by to ask questions about different houses. I was greeted consistently with rudeness and arrogance. I know that the housing market is extremely busy. It is a difficult time for many. I do hope that this company can improve their greetings and attitude as we need good helpers of humanity during this time. I do not recommend doing business with this company at this time. read more

Lori Franks is fantastic. She is on the ball and very detail oriented. We have a single family home she is managing in the city of Sonoma and doing a terrific job. My wife and I own other properties ouside the area using other property management companies. Of the three we work with Lori knocks the ball out of the park. She is also delightful to work with, and getting monthly statements right on time every month. She is worth considering if you have a property in the area. read more

I have used Sonoma Management twice to rent my condo. Both times I have had an excellent experience both with the professional service and the quality tenant they placed for me. I found Kimberly to be responsive, knowledge and resourceful with requested referrals. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending them. read more

I had Sonoma Management manage my rental in Glen Ellen and it was absolutely the worst experience I have ever paid for. When I moved back into my rental, all of my patio furniture was stolen, windows were broken, the landscape was dead and my padlocked loft was broken into and all of my construction tools were gone. Don't even consider them for managing your rental. read more