Virginia Lee Properties - Richmond, Virginia

Emily D.

I've been renting from VA Lee Properties for about a year and have renewed my lease for another year. I was very skeptical of this company after reading reviews, so I figured I would add an up to date review. While the properties are old and definitely need work, they are spacious, have a great location, and are very well priced. The landlord, Ben Shepherd, is very friendly, helpful, and easy to deal with. He always responds to emails within the hour when the office is open and he actually fixes any problems addressed. While the maintenance staff is spread pretty thin, just a few people taking care of a lot of buildings, they are always extremely friendly and a lot more timely than maintenance through other companies--they actually get the job done.

adam H.

Adam H.
Adam H.
Richmond, VA
0 friends
1 review
Share review
Embed review
Write an update
Edit review
5.0 star rating 1/4/2016
Reading the comments below I would have to disagree with most of them regarding my personal experience with Virginia Lee Properties. The current property manager Ben is very professional and personable. The maintenance team is exceptional and very courteous. I would absolutely recommend Virginia Lee Properties to anyone who is interested renting from a company that's attentive and fair. Any maintenance issues were resolved quickly and Ben kept me in the loop every step of the way. I could not of asked for a better team of people to rent from.

Sarah W.

I've rented various apartments (from both private landlords and larger rental companies) over the last 8 years in Richmond and my experience renting from Virginia Lee Properties has been, by far, the best. I strongly recommend their business. Ben, the landlord, is most helpful and very responsive, in addition to seeming approachable and understanding. He is also very communicative with his tenants about any issues that may arise. Great experience!

Iryna P.

My son put a deposit and signed a rental agreement, then I've convinced him to change his mind. Reason? The properties are not up to everybody's taste and standards. Yes, it is lovely, clean, but - somewhat outdated. If you like to live in a lovely Fan district, in a building that is oozing history, but can disregard the fact that it might need updates - then it's not for you. I've anticipated to have a hard time getting out of the signed lease, but was VERY pleasantly surprised! Reading about turnover of the staff in reviews on the other sites, I hope that, for the sake of current residents, one staff member will stay there for a long time - property manager Ben Shepherd. I encountered a lot of property managers in my life, most of them keep in mind the interests of landlords only, not giving a second thought to renter's rights, requests, or needs. Not Ben! I can't stress enough how wonderfully courteous, considerate, polite, humble, and very respectful this person is! If I would have to rate this property based on my interaction with Ben only, there will be not enough stars. Everyone who ever had experience dealing with landlords, leasing agents, property managers will back me up - it is a very important (if not crucial!) part of renting. Everything could be eventually fixed, but if people who run the business are rude and unattentive - this is something that can really ruin it for you. With Ben's honesty, intelligence, kindness, and understanding - you might even feel awkward walking away. Thank you, Ben, for your understanding and professionalism - from the bottom of my heart.

Chan S.

Direct and honest communication is what I received when renting from this place. My leasing agent/point of contact's name was Ben, and he was incredibly collaborative whenever it came time to solve a problem. He never tried to screw me over for maintenance problems I uncovered while living there and was appreciative that I pointed them out to him. The place I rented WAS a dump, I freely admit, but I was able to be honest with the landlord about what the problems were and he really appreciated that, so that he could fix it up for the next tenant. Realizing it would be a few weeks of work, he was receptive to the idea of me moving out a couple weeks early and paying a prorated rent for the last month, so that I wouldn't have to live there while they did the maintenance upgrades. Got my deposit back and it was entirely fair, compared with many other landlords I was surprised how little they tried to jerk me around.

Krista W.

I have lived in two apartments from Virginia Lee. First let's talk maintenance then we'll talk about the HORRID realtor. First of all, I like the maintenance guy, but he is clearly over worked. Because of this: I promise you that none of your crap will get repaired. My first apartment seemed nice until the kitchen perpetually flooded, the electricity went out contstantly, and the hot water repeatedly stopped working. I never had any bug problems with them (thank god) but I am a pretty clean person. Speaking of which, no matter how hard you clean the floors, they will never be clean. My current apartment has severe water damage, the cabinets fell apart, and my shower head that they had attached immediately broke off and popped me in the head while I was showering....

SECOND, the horrid realtor: changed how much the apartment was going to cost before I moved in, my apartment was dirty when I had moved in as well which she did nothing about, has been perpetually difficult and unprofessional, and changes policies at random. Her daughter works during the summer to help her and she seems level headed, but this woman will cut you off any time you have a conversation with her, phone or otherwise, and treat you like a complete idiot.

I know that between Metro properties and River city, there aren't many great places to rent from, but seriously, it's a cheap place and you get what you pay for.

Edit - Delete

jus10

The company is great as far as I'm concerned. You maintenance guy and rental manager are pretty good we've had some issues over the years (lived here for 6 years) but they've always worked through them. The property that I live in is pretty old but Also cheaper than a lot of stuff around.

Christine G.

Rented at Harvie St. for 2 years and had a pleasant experience with management. Maintenance issues were always dealt with promptly. Ben and Jeff work really hard and have great customer service skills.