it would be nice if they could actually reach out to let you know when they decide to go with another tenant. or if they could answer their phones after playing with your application for a week and a half. or if their landlords could be straightforward about your application status instead of holding onto information until the last minute. wasted my time and money update: they finally called me after reading my yelp review! on their day off no less, how thoughtful! the explanation was that they were going to call tomorrow, two days after my intended move-in date, so thank god my current lease wasn't up yet, but thanks guys! i'll leave a 2 instead of a 1. read more

USRF bought the rent controlled building I live in a little less than a year ago. What was once a peaceful building to live in has become a nightmare under this company. It's very obvious they have little consideration for the current tenants and are only interested in getting vacant units upgraded and up to current market value. They have been doing construction for 10 months now and no end is in sight. Plumbers and maintenance men are constantly knocking on my door to tell me we won't have water for hours. I've come home to the gas being turned off at least 8-10 times at this point. The construction constantly trips the gas and it's gotten to the point that I've had to take it upon myself to learn how to turn on the gas and the water heater to avoid being left without gas to cook or hot water to bathe for hours. The newest insidious tactic to hopefully get me to move out of my unit is they are telling me my storage unit in the building is no longer mine and all my belongings will be considered abandoned and thrown out if I don't get them out within the next 4 days. The storage unit was given to me by my previous landlord after signing my lease. When the building was bought I was given an estoppel certificate that is suppose to be a legally binding document. In that certificate both myself and my former landlord included all details of my lease - including the storage unit. Still they refuse to acknowledge it and have left me wondering if all my work materials (I am a set designer) now need to be moved into my 550 sq foot apartment It's also been brought to my attention that elderly tenants have been left to defecate in bags because mgmt refused to acknowledge that their toilet wasn't working. During construction they also left our courtyards (which is the only way we can enter or exit our units) in complete shambles. They bulldozed it and left it as mounds of dirt and debris for weeks. Beyond being a huge safety issue it clearly didn't comply with ADA rules and regulations for all our elderly tenants. Management has completed neglected our safety. Of all the people at USRF Curtis is by far the most difficult person to deal with. He seems to find joy in making our lives difficult and is the kind of person that does make you just want to move out of your unit just so you don't have to interact with him. For this reason alone I refuse to be bullied and intimidated out of what is rightfully mine. Bottom line, don't rent from them. It will take an emotional toll. read more

DO NOT RENT FROM THEM! This management property is absolutely terrible. Even when their tenants pay them thousands of dollars, they don't care about them and are only looking to make money. I moved into one of their properties in April and as soon as flea season started, I found fleas all over my unit. They were unapologetic and did not take my concerns into consideration (I don't like chemicals and pesticides and requested a natural extermination service that wouldn't potentially poison me or my cat). The fleas came back almost immediately after their pest control treated my unit so I had to use diatomaceous earth myself to try and contain the problem. I couldn't sleep in my unit and had to get a hotel, with no rent reduction of course. During this ordeal I stored some clothing in the garage to keep them away from the fleas and the management company not only took my property away but refused to answer my calls or emails when I tried to get it back. They are now essentially holding my things hostage. I deeply regret renting a property from them. Stay away!!!! read more

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Critical: Professionalism, Responsiveness I am on the market for looking for a new place for a couple of months and I am so tired of management and owners that only want to lock you into a lease without making sure some of renter's needs are met. I worked with a very nice dedicated agent who made everything sound easy and doable: change the dishwasher, make sure little things are fixed before you move in but when I got into the office to sign the lease everything changed. Irma was not very professional and she just wanted me to give her the cashier checks with the big money and sign the lease. When we talked about what I expect from them before I sign and move in she was almost rude responding with only strict no answers: the dishwasher is old but it works so we don't replace it. No we won't change this or that for you, it costs money. What is you get. Ok... she did not know the size of the apartment and I told her it was a small place with no storage, no gated or covered parking spot and there is room for negotiation... she literally kicked me out her "office". She has the power yes, it's her space but I am glad I don't get to work with her in the future. I need people with great communication skills and collaboration with the new lending management. I wish the owner would know what service the office offers. Extremely disappointed. I really wanted to sign even if the price would have not been dropped as much as I was hoping. Be careful. read more

Exceptional management by Irma of the building on 4th Street. Maintenance requests were handled promptly. Building was well maintained, but older so there some issues with the plumbing. read more

Rented an apartment for 1 year and never had any problem. Those guys are really professional and Irma does an amazing job. read more

Rented a great apartment from USRF. They are super responsive and very accommodating. 10/10 would recommend.

It's tax day today and I was just thinking about how happy I am that I used Mike Sarlo to file my return and handle all of the paperwork. I had my 30 minute appointment about 2 weeks ago and went back last week to sign the forms. Now I'm about a week away from getting my tax return. Mike takes all of the guess work and confusion out of the tax filing process. read more

Dishonest slumlords!!!! One of my neighbors had a seizure and almost lost his life. While he was in the hospital, they came to replace a defective heater. His place was trashed because he seized in his apt, and was unconscious for over a day in his living room. They are trying to make him pay $1400 for having the place in dirty conditions and that's why they had to replace the heater. In reality it is because he has the cheapest rent control in the complex and they want him out. Irma is out of line and downright disrespectful to do this to someone. Don't ever rent from these people!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

This is one of the worst companies that I've ever rented from (and I've rented from some pretty bad slumlords). If something needs repair in your apartment, don't expected to get it fixed anytime soon. Most of the repairs that we've needed for our apartment took a MINIMUM of THREE WEEKS to get fixed. The longest we waited was about two months. On one occasion, we were left without use of our only shower/bath tub for about a week. There is another review here about a tenant who had a seizure whose heater burned up part of his wall while he was in the hospital. I was living in the building at the time, so I can verify that it is correct. Also, if you hand in your rent on the 2nd of the month, they'll threaten to evict you. I would never, ever rent from this company again. read more

This review is for the building 2901 4th Street in Santa Monica. Having lived in the building for two years, I can only praise how tenative Irma (the buildings property manager) is to any issues that may arrise. I've had things fixed the very next morning. Everyone in the building is extremely friendly and generally quiet. The building has ocean views from the elevator areas and you can even hear it at night sometimes during the week. I highly recommend this apartment to anyone looking to live on the west side - it's a hidden gem for sure. Other things to note: - Never had any issues with packages - Walking distance to downtown Santa Monica, Abbot Kinney (Venice), the ocean, main Street, and even some of the cool stuff popping up on Lincoln Blvd. read more

After accepting our application and inviting us to sign a lease, they sent us the lease document. She harassed us all day (while we were working our jobs) and by the time we sent the fully executed lease at the end of the day, she had rented the apartment to another couple. Incredibly shady business practices. read more

Wow my new friend Irma from US Realty Fund is simply the best. Everyone I met in the office was super friendly and helpful. I'm really looking forward to living in their apartment. Customer feedback is always good even if it is critical. I trust they will take good care of me as a tenant. read more

Irma, Curtis and the staff at United States Realty Fund are extremely helpful. One of my favorite things about this management company is how well kept the grounds are of the building. Very green and luscious gardens. Also before I signed my lease they remodeled the apartment and I was extremely impressed by the bamboo hardwood floors, the beautiful kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, and the quality of the materials used for the bathroom as well. I was very pleased with their attention to detail that went in to the remodeling of my apartment. When ever I need to get ahold of them to fix something (which has just been once) they were quick to respond and no questions were asked. I am very pleased with their service and a super happy tenant. read more

I rented an apartment from them for over (3) years, and was very happy. I actually received my security deposit back in a timely manner too. That alone is worth five stars :) I know everyone is case by case, but if you follow the rules, and don't cause drama, than these people will do you right. It's that simple. They do take the professional route in everything they do, which adds extra steps, but that's how they manage things effectively. I was very happy with Curtis, Irma and Carlos, they made a very good team. Carlos helped me out in the beginning, and was great. Irma helped me out in the very end, and she was the best. If you are looking for "Loosey-Goosey", "Go With the Flow" type of property management, this is NOT your place, but if you want to be around people that do things professionally, than this is it. read more

Sent in rental application to for one of their properties. Got a call from them that we were approved, we were excited, and let them know we would let them know our decision the next day, and they promised to hold it until then. When we called them the next day to move forward, but they had already rented it to someone else, the same day before. They simply could have let us know that they couldn't hold onto it. Their conduct was very dishonest and unprofessional. read more

I agree with Abby review from July 2017. Slumlords. Do not rent from these people. They do not care about their tenants. They will lie to your face, change the rules on you and stick you with maintenance bills. Their buildings get robbed and they do not care. Lots of cats and dogs and terrible stink; reason for roach infestation. Irma is a monster. Curtis is the scum at the bottom of the scum pool. They treat you as despicable. Shady people doing shady business. Be aware. read more

Irma accepted our application, we were devastated back then because we were looking for a new place to live and my school starts soon. We were the first applicant and we got the apartment we wanted! They have a lot of warm tips and so far the living experiences is good! If anything is broken just shot our manager an email, she will arrange the maintenance. it's pretty convenient for us since we both girls! read more

I re-financed my mortgage through Sarlo and had a wonderful experience. Bill O'Neil was the broker I worked with and I felt he was honest and straightforward. Kept me informed throughout the process and did not hide any fees. Everything happened exactly as he said it would. I cannot comment on any other services offered by Sarlo. read more

Mike and his staff are the best. Super friendly, easy parking and will get your taxes done correctly. I have been going here for years and so do some of my friends and family. read more

Review pending move out. I have disliked living here, let's see if they try to fuck me on my deposit.

This is a property management company you want to stay far, far away from. I no longer live at this location (thank GOD) and waited for a while to write this review, because Irma and Curtis pissed me off so badly. I didn't want to write something in the heat of the moment. So it has been a while. Anyway, let's get to the meat and potatoes of this company and how they operate. Irma is super sweet when you're signing the lease, and then she becomes a completely different person once you're locked in. Need something? She turns into a monster. She does not care what you need. If you want to know what people have to put up with, head on over to bedbudregistry(dot)com and type in the address. I luckily never dealt with bed bugs at their location, but I did get a very sudden infestation of roaches. They came out of nowhere and disrupted our very clean and happy apartment life. We reported but we had to wait for this joke of a pest control company to come out. After frantically waking up to a roach crawling across my face, and one dropping onto me from the ceiling, both times while I was in bed, it escalated very quickly. Although when Curtis made his way into our apartment, he laughed it off in a condescending manner, acting as though I had no idea what I was talking about. I showed him where there was faulty work done in the bathroom (no ventilation, therefore, tons of moisture attracting the roaches) and he laughed it off. Great, supportive owner huh? I think not. We put a sticky trap out and caught 27 roaches in one trap in a matter of days. Something only got done once I called the department of environmental health. Current tenants: if you're in any type of disgusting bug situation and need Irma and Curtis to care, take lots of pictures, send emails to keep a paper trail, and call the department of environmental health to report them. If they or the pest control company suggest using a "roach bomb" or chemicals, refuse and request heat treatments. They used chemicals in our first unsuccessful extermination and my asthma showed up with a vengeance. Beside that, we had people putting disgusting trash outside of our door and many other fun things about the building, such as a driveway that was barely 2 inches wider than our sedan....so our car got scratched up badly. As a matter of fact, EVERYONE's car got scraped and scratched. We had to pay $1K in damages to have our car fixed. Cool beans. And yes, the pictures might be nice, because they upgraded it, but it doesn't really matter. I live in a less updated building a short distance away and we have it much better. In my current building, we use pencil and paper for work orders, but they come out the day of or next day to fix things. It takes US Realty Fund WEEKS to get over there and no one communicates about whether it's been done at all. My current management company goes above and beyond to help the tenants out and there are very few issues. Big contrast to United State Realty Company. So all in all, yep, I'd have to call them slumlords. They're greedy and unethical "business owners" if you want to call them that. Do yourself a favor-- avoid this place. Avoid it like the plague. read more

Working with Curtis and Carlos was an absolute pleasure. We found the perfect new home at an open house that Carlos was hosting in Santa Monica and left to check out another property only to turn around within minutes to go back and put in our application with Carlos. By that time his partner Curtis had arrived to meet us as well and welcome us to our new home. The process was incredibly easy, everyone in the office was friendly, stopped by to say hello and welcome us to the neighborhood (so to speak). Working with all of them was an absolute pleasure and they continue to exude amazing client service by being responsive to all our questions as we settle into our new home. We highly recommend working with them for all your realty needs. read more

My husband and I have been using Lory from Sarlo for our tax return for several years after we moved to CA from the UK and were totally confused with how filing taxes all worked. Lory has been an absolute godsend explaining everything and working with me on taxes especially with starting a small business in a new country. We even continued to use Lorys talents after moving to San Francisco 5-6 years ago. Highly recommend!! I am also one of those terrible, file my taxes the week before the deadline and she has never once complained, 5 stars!!! read more

I've been coming to Sarlo Income Tax for about 10 years now and I am always satisfied and pleased with the service. Michael is great to deal with, makes sure I don't miss a thing and always goes above and beyond in one way or another. The patience he and the entire staff have even when I'm rushing there at the last minute on April 14 is greatly appreciated. read more

I rented an apartment managed by Irma for almost 3 years and never had a single negative experience. All communication from Irma and the team at Sarlo was outstanding. Any service request I had was followed up on and taken care of immediately. They were more than reasonable throughout the move in and move out processes. I would not hesitate to rent from them again. read more

Please do not take any positive reviews into consideration. Do NOT rent from this company. When push comes to shove, they are rude, dishonest, and not upfront with issues concerning the apartment, ESPECIALLY in regards to security deposits. If you rent from them, do not expect to get your full amount back. Our needs as ordinary renters were not met, and encourage everyone to do their research if considering renting from this company. read more

I rent an apartment that Michael Sarlo owns and I love it! I have been renting with these people for over 15 years! Very cool people. The apartment has bamboo floors and a nice kitchen and anytime something needs fixing it gets fixed by Armando...Captain of Building Maintenance When I step out of my apartment in the morning I hear birds chirp and the green grass and plants all around me are my little oasis before I step out into my day! Curtis and Irma make me smile just cuz they collect my rent with a smile and a grin. read more

I have been using SARLO tax services for years and have NEVER EVER had any problems or complaints about them. In fact I am very much grateful for all of this office's hard work they have done. I have gone through a lot over the years with jobs and the rental property. I have always felt and been shown that Mike Sarlo is on the level and will always be truthful and work with my best interests at heart. My family has been using SARLO for our taxes and I will keep recommending him and his team. I love that they are all very nice and approachable, its NOT a stuffy business atmosphere, but they certainly do take care of their business. There seems to be some mention of their front office person being rude, but I'll say she is not rude, she just won't babysit you. This office is made up of individuals who make a TEAM. It is apparent that they not only enjoy what they do they are not robots. The front person has personality and perhaps some customers don't like her demeanor or perhaps its just cause she is not a cookie cut out of an what an office person "looks" like. I love that SARLO does not judge or hire on looks, I'll take good work over looks thank you! I am not rich, I do not own companies nor do I have any investments, I am just an average citizen but I pay my taxes and deserve to be treated with as much respect as anyone else. SARLO treats my family and me like we are just as important as any large money clients. We get fantastic service and I will continue to use his services. read more

We've rented an apartment from Sarlo for almost two years now and are extremely happy and impressed with their management. They update the units as soon as people move out (even if tenants were there less than a year, they still do upgrades), and maintenance requests are usually handled quickly. The buildings are well maintained and landscaped, and rents are extremely reasonable for the area. read more

I always use yelp for all my research these days, and have never posted a review bc I had to sign up to post...so here it is my very first yelp review goes to United States Realty Fund, Irma, who has been a point of contact with my apartment. I've had the pleasure of renting for a little over a year, and the ONLY reason I'm moving out is because I need a bigger apt, and Irma didn't have any 2bdrm vacancies at this time. My 1 bdrm was 100% updated to the smallest detail, in modern style with stainless steal appliances. The landscaping is well-maintained, gardeners come every week, as do the cleaners, and the building is spotless. They just replaced the roof, and the staircase, to say the least they are on top of it. My building had great neighbors, very quiet, many of which are long term happy tenants. My whole lease, everything was in such good shape, I didn't even have to file one maintenance request, but from what I hear they take care of those quickly if you happen to have one. They are in modern times with texting and e-mail, makes everything paperless, painless, and easy. Easy move-in, easy move-out...I highly recommend to anyone who wants to live in a well-maintained, modern apartment with a professional and hands on management that are a pleasure to deal with. Thank you, Irma and US Realty Fund for this wonderful experience! read more

This is a very good place to file taxes or refinance. I was impressed with the way everything was explained to me and how much was done on my return. I gave them the information and the forms were filed. The prices were reasonable and a lot better than trying to file my taxes by myself. read more