Mark S.
2/5
We have rented our home from Steve Wise and Prestige Property Management for nearly 5 years. Most interactions with him in this time period have been unpleasant at best. Upon walk-through, we were told that certain repairs would be completed after our move-in, including installing window screens to a number of windows that were without. After signing the lease, Steve was very resistant to follow through with these repairs. Getting them completed required multiple phone calls and tense discussions. During our tenancy, minor repairs have been taken care of somewhat quickly, but when our washing machine died last year replacement took approximately a month. I can also report that lawn care (included in the lease) was spotty, in the past two years we have seen lawn crews on average of once every 9-10 months. I have personally spent over a hundred hours taking care of the property, completing routine upkeep such as mowing that should have been completed by the lawn service.
When the unit was shown to us, we were told that garbage service was included. This service was also included in our lease agreement. After a few months, waste management collected our trash cans. When I called I was told that the service did not exist at our address. Steve told me that he was not able to provide trash service because we don't live in a multi unit complex. I reminded him that he told us the property had trash service included, wrote the service into our lease, and signed it. He yelled at me on the phone that I was being unreasonable and hung up on me. He then restarted our service, but it was again cancelled due to lack of payment on the account and our cans were collected. This happened a third time within the first two years of our lease. Every time it took forever to get him to return a call, and when we finally got a hold of him, he was uncooperative and unpleasant, and I had to fight to get the service owed to us by our lease agreement.
Last week our garbage service was halted for a fourth time. When I called waste management I found out the account had been cancelled due to nonpayment as of September, 2010! When I called Steve, I was told how lucky I was that I had received two years of free service, and that I should start paying for garbage and be done with it. He hung up on me and refused to answer my return call. When I took written notice of the violation of lease terms to his office, I was told that our lease would be terminated. Steve would rather lose tenants who are always pay their rent on time and take immaculate care of the property, above and beyond their responsibility, than abide by terms of the lease agreement that he wrote. I have never experienced anything remotely like this with another landlord, or with any other sort of business. The only good thing is that he is an absentee landlord, so as long as we don't have to interact with him things are OK, but all in all, renting from Steve Wise and Prestige Property Management has been an absolute nightmare.
