It's unfortunate that I feel compelled to write a negative review for Spear, and I'm at a loss as…read moreto why they have a five star Google rating so far given the experience that my partner and I have had with them. Although I do see that there are a handful of reviews by family members in the mix. From start to finish of the application process it has been one of the worst home rental experiences for myself to date, which is saying something as I have lived in several states in the US and a couple of countries abroad. Apparently, the company is relying heavily on AI to do the job of human employees, which is a disservice to the homeowners as well as potential renters. Our experience started with an AI bot setting up a fake tour during the middle of the week. I received a text and an email confirmation for the property tour after negotiating a time over the phone with the bot. My partner and I then showed up at the appointed time to find that nobody was there to meet us. I called Spear and left a message asking if there was someone coming to the property. While doing so, the homeowner came home to find us waiting for a tour that he had no knowledge of. After an incredibly awkward initial interaction, the owner very graciously offered to tour us himself. At this point, staff from Spear did call to apologize, stating that the AI system was new. That was the only instance we  had a real time interaction with Spear staff when needed, but the error was already made. We actually ended up having a positive interaction with the homeowner despite the mix up, and we let him know that we would be putting in an application. He said he would put in a good word, and we said our goodbyes. That was the only bright spot in the process. My partner and I then put in our applications, and began to receive a series of auto-generated emails prompting us to nudge anyone who we would be relying on for information and references, sometimes multiple emails a day. After a few days we were told via these auto-generated emails that we were accepted (we had to enter a portal to open the acceptance letter). This notification came to us at the end of a particular day. The next day when opening the email, we saw that a deposit was posted as due the day before, even though we hadn't been told yet that we were accepted or how payment would need to be made. I called several times asking clarifying questions, and never received a live person, leaving voicemails each time. Desperate to talk to a real person before having to hand over thousands of dollars and having time to read the lease and ask relevant questions, I drove an hour round-trip on my lunch break to their "office". I found that their office address is nothing more than a mailbox at a circulation desk within a building.  On my way back to work that day, I did receive a phone call from a staff member who said that Mackenzi Spear was out of town and when he returned, he would address our questions. My partner also had questions, as this particular property had additional HOA rules and regulations that we needed to review, but were not provided. The process to get answers was laborious, and days would go by intermittently as we gained partial information from Mackenzi only via email, and never a personable phone call where we could have a normal conversation. I asked both in email and via text messages with staff for instructions on next steps in the process, but received no answers. We then received an ultimatum from Mackenzi to sign the lease or lose the house, before we had been supplied with all the information requested and reasonable time to review it so that we could make an informed decision. Unfortunately, Spear's ultimatum fell on a day when I was on a scheduled trip out of state (which I had told his staff I was making prior), and I was literally airborne when his imposed deadline passed. But ultimately, my partner and I were feeling like we dodged a bullet with this company. If this was how the application process went, we couldn't imagine that dealing with them for the duration of the lease would be any better. We were quite disappointed because we loved the property and felt the owner and ourselves deserved better. I cannot recommend.

I've been renting through Spear Northwest for a little over a year now and it's honestly been such…read morea good experience. Mackenzi and her team are super easy to get ahold of, which I can't say about most landlords or property managers I've had before. Anytime something came up in the unit, they got back to me right away and actually fixed it, not just a "we'll get to it" kind of thing. The move-in was smooth, the place was super clean, and they've just been fair and straightforward the whole time. It's nice renting from people who actually care about the property and the tenants. Highly recommend.

I am writing to share our experience with Alder Property Management Firm, whom we engaged with…read moremultiple times over the past several months, regarding serious issues involving their tenants. Unfortunately, every interaction we had with this firm left us feeling dismissed, unheard, and entirely unsupported despite repeated disruptions and safety concerns affecting multiple homes in our neighborhood. From the outset, the firm showed little empathy or willingness to help, and often acted as though our concerns were an inconvenience rather than legitimate reports from multiple affected households. On several occasions, it felt as though they would not take any action unless practically forced to, and even then, only after persistent follow-ups from more than one family in the immediate area. The tenants in question repeatedly caused significant disturbances that impacted four separate houses, both homes next to them on each side and the two homes directly across the street. This was not ordinary neighborhood noise; their teenage children would intentionally honk car horns late at night and early into the wee hours of the morning, shout up at windows to wake sleeping children, throw snowballs with rocks inside them at homes, urinate in neighbors' yards, flip down mail flags as they passed, and race their cars up and down the street. They even threatened violence and used homophobic slurs with one neighbor down the street. These behaviors were both intimidating and disruptive, and entirely out of character for our otherwise calm, respectful neighborhood. Despite this, when we reached out for help, we were met with responses that were at best dismissive and at worst indifferent. One example that stands out was being told by Scott that "car doors shutting are part of regular routine neighborhood noise," as though that explanation could account for the repeated horn honking, property damage, late-night yelling, or dangerous behavior we were regularly forced to endure and that forced three neighbors to complain. At no point did we feel that the Alder Property Management Firm understood the severity of the situation or had any genuine interest in addressing it. Instead, Scott's responses gave the impression that unless we presented them with "loads of bold and irrefutable evidence," they would make no meaningful effort to engage with their tenants or help restore peace to the neighborhood. This experience left us feeling unsafe, intimidated, and frankly abandoned by the very people who are supposed to ensure that rental properties are managed responsibly. Our concerns were not only valid they were shared by every household surrounding this rental. Yet the Alder Property Management firm treated them as though they were exaggerated nuisances rather than genuine community disruptions. What makes this even more disappointing is that minimal due-diligence screening could have raised clear red flags about these tenants before they were ever placed in our neighborhood. It is reasonable to expect that the Alder Property Management firm would perform the kind of basic vetting that helps ensure they are placing responsible tenants in a community. That clearly did not happen here, and the consequences were felt by every family living around the property. We believe it is important for others to be aware of how Scott at Alder Property Management Firm handled or failed to handle a situation that had a very real impact on our daily lives and sense of security. It is our hope that sharing our experience may encourage more accountability, better responsiveness, and a stronger commitment to supporting the neighborhoods in which they place tenants.

We have used Alder Property Management to rent out our home in SE Portland while we were living in…read moreanother city. We entrusted Scott and his team to take good care of our house and deal with the tenants. Every step of the way, Scott and his team were professional and helped ensure that our house was taken care of and our tenants were happy. Living over 1,000 miles away, we needed a company that we could trust and we found that with Alder Property Management. We have referred our friends and they love working with them as well. This is a great company to entrust your property management needs to.

In response to my earlier 1 star review, Living Room suggested that our problem related to the…read moresecurity deposit. There was that issue, of course, because they made that process difficult. But, the big issues were the handling of their management duties. Here are some examples: They "inspected" the property at least 1x/year (indeed, I recall that paying them to do that was built into our contract with LR) but they did not note any of the multiple lease violations (e.g., three people living there when only one was on lease), furnace filter not changed - (ever!) - nasty and also very bad for the furnace, installation of window air conditioners by tenant without notice to owner in violation of law - and the tenants damaged two windows and completely ruined another in the process (which is why law provides that owner be notified so owner can arrange proper installation, which we would have done happily). Another example: a lease violation they did note at *every* inspection (e.g., disabling of smoke alarms) were not enforced - a huge insurance violation that would have been disastrous in case of a fire - someone could die and owner would be responsible - and even without a death, insurance would have an "out," which would cause horrendous owner headaches! And the penalty clause in the lease requiring the tenant was to pay fines for disconnecting the smoke alarms was never enforced by LR even though the violation was repeated. LR charged over $100 to replace a refrigerator pan to catch leaks/spills from the refrigerator with a plastic pan that was clearly designed for something else because it had an open drain hole in it (!) - and this "replacement" occurred after LR was informed we were replacing the refrigerator; they issued "normal wear and tear" reports even when tenants used of bathtub for dyeing materials and scribbles (presumably by their child) with permanent markers on bath enclosure left permanent stains (the move-out cleaning helped but did not fully cure the problem, so the tub and enclosure are still faintly stained); also included in "normal wear and tear" was damage cause to the wall/ceiling by burning candles in one of the bedrooms. Toilet seat covered in candle wax - replaced with a cheap plastic cover that was the wrong shape. LR did nothing for a long time about need to replace caulking in bathroom which, of course, could cause expensive water damage and mold, and when we discovered the problem, LR charged us for takeing care of that item -- and when we discovered the work had never been done, LR said, oh, too late to take that up with the company doing the work because we (the absent landlord paying a for property management) should have reported the problem right away. Two other issues with that: first, it's up to LR to be sure the work is done; second, it was their in-house maintenance folks who did the work! After we proved was LR who had been paid to do the work (note: they put the burden on us to review files, etc. to establish what they should have known), LR sent someone to do the job who did not do anything close to a professional job. Seriously. The joints in the bathroom were not sealed!! Also, LR said tenant reported a roof leak but LR did not check; rather just sent a roofer who came up with a very pricey contract - and when we asked about other bids, we were told we would have to pay LR 10% of the any other bid we accepted!!!!/.... Then - and this was very disturbing --- it turned out there is no evidence at that the roof was leaking then (and there have been no leaks to date). Too, paid for front door to be shaved down because tenant complained it was sticking; turned out really not problem with front door (except now a gap because shaved down) but problem was with security screen door, which LR never fixed -- we did that easy repair after LR was out of the picture. So, nope, our problem with LR is not about being unhappy with the laws concerning security deposits. Its about frustration - not to mention the substantial cost to us -- with dealing a group of people who always struck us as very nice folks but, at best, are simply too disorganized, and either do not know how to maintain property or enforce n lease terms or simply do not want to deal with the hassle of ensuring the property is maintained and that the tenants are complying with their lease.

A terrible company to rent from. These landlords care little for their tenants, and I have had…read morenothing but disappointing interactions with management since moving in. Everything from the application process, to their emergency maintenance line booting us to a useless AI respondent, to their lack of attention to common areas and machinery is just abysmal. They try to get you to pay for things that are not tenant responsibility as per Oregon Law. No integrity- do not move into these rental properties.

We feel very fortunate to have rented a property with Behzad at Zad Realty over nine years ago. We…read morewere truly blessed to find this beautiful home managed by Behzad and his company. Requests for any needed repairs were addressed quickly, communication was good and Behzad was very kind. We lived at this property through the pandemic and when our businesses were forced to close with no notice, he worked with us to be able to manage rent during that time, for which we were so grateful. We would have continued our relationship for years to come, but the owners decided to sell. When we moved out, our full deposit was returned. We would rent with Behzad again, should the opportunity arise. My husband and I highly recommend Zad Realty!

It is very hard in Portland to find a property management company you can trust. My experience with…read moreBehzad, and his company, Zad Realty, has been nothing but professional and positive. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to rent a home from him. 1. He will actually return your calls and talk with you! 2. He will answer all of your questions. 3. He will respond to your emails. We walked through the home together at the time to sign the lease and he told me where the flaws were and to write them down. When I had an issue with the rental, he did not ignore it and worked with me to resolve the issue. He cares about the condition of the properties and wants to keep them maintained. Basically, just having the opportunity to talk and establish a relationship with the person you are renting your home from feels very nice - like the old days. I told Behzad that thanks to him I will continue to have faith in humanity and that there are nice property managers and nice people who care, still out there in the world! :) Thank you Behzad!

I've been with H&T for over five years now and have looked no further. This mom & pop style…read moreproperty management company is what you want if you are looking for clear, responsive management that continually takes both owner and tenant into consideration. As a landlord, the people part is the hardest in my opinion. I was happy to find a management company that works with the tenants and often finds middle ground solutions to issues that arise. Good tenant/good landlord relations. Tenants stay and bills are paid. Reliable reports and deposits.

Hanover and Townsend is a really reliable and trustworthy rental management company. Eric Lozano…read moreand his staff managed our rental house for 2 years and took very good care to screen the tenants and always deliver the rents to us on time. He really knows the Portland rental market well and was able to negotiate a fair, great rental price for us and our tenants. Whenever there was a repair issue that we needed help with it was promptly taken care of and the charges were very reasonable. He charges a flat rate fee and keeps everything simple. At tax time we promptly received our documents from the office manager which was so much appreciated. We highly recommend using Hanover and Townsend if you need a dependable and knowledgeable company to manage any and all of your rentals.

I am writing this review to warn others, especially those with disabilities, about what I believe…read moreare the discriminatory practices of this management company. My application was denied based on an Experian report that is full of fraudulent accounts due to identity theft. I provided an overwhelming amount of evidence to prove this, including: * An official FTC Identity Theft Report. * Police Reports. * Direct email correspondence with Experian. * Proof that Experian's own systems were compromised. * A contract with the law firm that is actively restoring my credit. * Notarized documents confirming my identity and the fraud. They dismissed all of it. They claimed my mountain of official proof was not 'valid.' While they were stonewalling me, they rented the unit to someone else. Let's be clear: their refusal was not about a lack of proof. I believe their actions were a pretext to deny my application and that I was discriminated against as a person with a disability, which is a clear violation of the Fair Housing Act. Creating insurmountable obstacles for an applicant from a protected class is illegal. Their behavior was not only unethical and deceptive, but I believe it was also unlawful. I am exploring all my legal options." They displayed "Moving the goalposts," and it makes their bad faith even more obvious. It's a classic tactic: they make a specific demand, you meet it, and they immediately pretend you didn't or invent a new requirement"! They are going to have to answer for their conduct because what they did was a total disrespect and they thought I had no clue about my Rights which they found out immediately after sending me an email telling me that the propery I was interested in was rented out when I was the only application the day before and the first to be processed so in order to have approved someone else they had lied about me being the only one whose applied or it just do happen that someone else applied at the same time but even if that's the case I still should have been approved I make $98,700 annually have nothing on my record accept traffic ticket from 2022snd My credit score was close to 800 in January 2023 and seventeen proof of all of that before I even submitted my application to prevent a delay on having to submit proof after my application was screened. So I was transparent from the start and then they turned around and tried to tell me they didn't receive the documents I sent that verify my claim of identity theft until after my application was screened so I had to send them a screen shot that shows the documents was sent on the 29th of July several hours before I even submitted the application and I also sent them the text messages I had with tricia asking for an email I can send these documents to because the off was to big to fit inside the application, so I proactively gave them everything that they needed before my application was even screen to prevent any of this so they acted in bad faith and to cover it up after I read them the violations that they committed by to somebody my application was supposed to be still was supposed to be reviewed and aesthetic. I'm taking accountability for they continue to tell me that the things that I'm sending wasn't enough so I was sending everything that they said they didn't have cause I have everything about this identity death situation because it's been happening off and on for years so I'm going to hold them accountable so I'm gonna do everything I have to do to get my I explained that I was in a critical situation. I've been paying for because my prior residence has a toxic mold present so I had to leave that place and been looking for another place, and since they told me, I was the only one with the application I because I know for a fact that I qualify for that unit, and instead of them being honest upfront, they kept dragging me along for a week and they are going to be held accountable for the money that I have occurred waiting on them to finally just be truthful and admit their but they let them know what they did that I see clearly what they did and no matter what I continue to deny it because they already unit out to someone else illegally I not deal with this company if I was and if you are of the hills trust me run for the hills

This review is for Grid's pay to park parking lot:…read more Do not park in their parking lot!! They work with the predatory towing company, 21st Century Towing, to tow your car as soon as your parking registration end time is up. Doesn't matter if you're the only car in the lot and less than an hour past. There is no grace period -- no notice, no ticket but instead a $360 tow. After being towed, I contacted the office to get information about the tow authorization and at what time it took place. I was transferred over to a rude and dishonest property manager who hung up on me after saying she'll forward me on to someone else who can help and then repeatedly sent my follow up calls to voicemail. Stay away from this unprofessional business.

We met with 5 PM companies and Utmost impressed us the most. Joe & Shelly are friendly, personable,…read moreand experienced however this was not a positive experience. Utmost provided market analysis on 3 rentals but could not market them properly. After 8 months of vacancy we made the decision to break our contract and move on. Best decision ever! A friend with multiple rentals unfortunately had a similar experience. Tip: Find a PM company that charges a flat %. Financially incentivizing a tenants lease with 50% fee on the 1st month not only adds to the overall %, it's counterintuitive to an owners goal of long term tenants.

We've been lucky to have stumbled upon an amazing property management co…read more We've been tenets for almost a year now, Transplants from southern CA. We found our home and signed our lease sight unseen. Were we nervous, yes, but boy it was the smoothest transition ever! The house was exactly what we expected, anytime we've ever had an issue with the property, Joe and Shelley have been there to assist at a moments notice. We do plan on picking up a rental property and we definitely know who we would want to manage it! Thank again for providing such amazing service! We highly recommend this group!

Bridge City Properties has managed my Portland property since 2014. I now live out of state and…read morehave peace of mind that the rental and tenants will be taken care of by Tony. He has worked with me over the years to ensure ongoing maintenance schedules are in place for longevity of the property, and also replies to one off service requests from the tenants with speed and respect. We have had long-standing happy tenants so Tony and BCP are definitely doing something right!

Unprofessional, disrespectful, and insensitive. Doesn't return phone calls. After a contractor…read morebroke a water pipe in the apt. above me he wouldn't allow them to clean it up properly. They even offered to clean the carpets, but Tony refused. There was water everywhere in my kitchen and living room. A large 4 ft brown stain on my white carpet was my main concern. When I said the carpets need to be cleaned properly Tony told me "I might suggest you start looking for another place." And "the owner really doesn't want you there anymore anyways". I called the owner and she said that he was lying. She fired him shortly after. There's no excuse to treat your tenants so terribly. Save yourself stress and disappointment and hire a different company.