BHHS RW Towne Realty Property Management - Norfolk, Virginia

April J.

Absolutely no intention to renew the lease; assigned property manager (PM) is extremely sloppy and likes to twist communication in the Norfolk, VA area. That person did not even bother to meet me upon picking up the keys. My request for a new PM was denied. Home was non-forcefully robbed not even 3 months after moving in (around the Christmas holiday) and when I informed the PM of what happened while out, they had no sympathy - only the instruction that the cost to change the locks would be the responsibility of the tenant. I have a past electricity bill due and asked the PM to give me a call to review charges with the electricity provider (after having to pay $$$ to the locksmith) and that request was ignored. As a result, I was incorrectly charged a lump sum amount and advised that if the full amount of $$$$ was not paid within 2 weeks, my account for the monthly rent in the amount of $$$$ would be shorted, accumulating fees. A glitch in the system resulted in me having to pay with certified funds, which means I have to take time off to go to the bank and deliver the funds requested in-person). I am hopeful to resolve this with the PM’s supervisor. PM’s assistant inspected the property 3 months after I moved in (3 months ago) and I am unaware of any work orders that have since been submitted to correct the issues found. I am counting down until the lease is up. As a landlady myself (in another state) and someone who used oversee property management for the government, I would not endorse this behavior. Tenants pay for a safe and habitable space (it’s law) - and it would be my expectation that my tenant felt they had a right to comfort. I will be relooking at Northstar properties toward mid-summer should I stay in VA.

Matthew J.

Absolute clown show. Amazing that this branch is still operating after witnessing the level of incompetence--coupled with the attitudes of bratty teenagers: avoiding responsibility, dishonest, and consistently taking a childlike and sassy tone when confronted. As much as I liked the rental property, I deeply regret that I found myself having to depend on this company so far.

I moved into a property with broken, non-functioning air conditioning, non-functioning washing machine, evidence of leak and water damage in the living room closet, clogged upstairs shower drain, mildew infested garage, and dirt, hair, dents, and grime throughout the house. It's been almost two weeks and no update as to the HVAC or water damage assessment. So far, property manager is unresponsive to most messages and loves to say "we don't work on weekends." I'm not getting decent communication on weekdays, so I wait till the weekends to ask--to give them a chance to come through by the end of the week. Ridiculous.

I asked the property manager to upload the pictures I took during the move -in inspection onto the folder made on the online portal before I'd sign for the inspection completion. Was told multiple times that she'd upload them (to show the glaring issues that were not shown to me until trying to move in), and she still has not uploaded them. Starting to seem like incompetent is bleeding into criminality--avoiding responsibility for mismanagement.

It really doesn't get much worse. Avoid them.

Eyrius J.

Will take your money and not tell you about the status of your application until you email every contact (since they are completely unreachable by phone) and even then the person you email may not respond to you. But will communicate openly with realtors only. Pathetic company that requires insane standards to rent okay properties. I know not to go through them again. $160 for 2 people to apply for any property is insane and each applicant must meet requirements individually so don’t rent with them unless you’re wealthy, but according to the reviews even if you do make enough money to rent with them they’re not that good at what they do anyways. What a waste of time and money. Very disappointed. Should have answered my emails Caitlin 🙂

CJ G.

Dealing with this property management company has been a miserable experience. As a renter of 12 years in various locations, this is by far the worst property management company I’ve ever been engaged with. Some examples of what I had to deal with:
- It took them over 6 weeks to fix a broken HVAC system during the winter months.
- They charged me for gutter cleaning when I moved out, even though the gutters were clogged when I moved in. I put in a maintenance ticket about it shortly after moving in and was ignored.
- I paid for the carpet cleaning when I moved out. Apparently that wasn’t good enough, because I was charged AGAIN for carpet cleaning and also an extra $200 for an “air sanitation cartridge” because of a subjective “pet odor.”
- they charged me a $200 reinspection fee after I clearly communicated to them known issues that would need fixed prior to moving out.
- Apparently accounting is incapable of mailing a security deposit refund, because it took over 2 months for me to receive it after they insisted multiple times it was mailed out… I ended up having to drive all the way out to their office to pick it up.

I’m giving this a 2 star because the woman first assigned to our property was great. Sadly she left that position (I can see why) and the next woman who took over was just bad. Poor email communication and dismissed my concerns.

If you have the ability to go elsewhere, I would highly advise against working with this company. I’m very glad to be out of my lease with them. Miserable experience overall.

Nicole C.

Do not rent properties from them! If I could I would break my lease. My property manager seems like she had a grudge against my family. She is very unprofessional. Slow on repairing things and always quick to blame it on the property owner when we get charged for repairs. After a year the rent increased & nothing was done to improve the property…If you’re in a position buy a house. And find another company to do business with…Attached is our back yard fence. It’s been this way a few months now..

Kevin L.

I've had Melissa Johnson as my property manager for years managing my condo in Virginia Beach and she has managed the property in the most professional manner possible. Extremely responsive, she's given me peace of mind especially during my extended underway times and while my family and I have lived overseas. Prior to her, I used Century 21 Property Management and it seemed I was assigned a new property manager every couple of months. Melissa has been consistent and dedicated - I honestly have only glowing remarks for her performance, and we've had some difficult tenants as well that she's assisted with. She takes care of business, provides the best communication, and I genuinely felt like she was always doing what was in my best interests as an owner. Thank you Melissa!

Roxy H.

As a property owner we are not happy with this company. Our property manager Laurie seems unprofessional and did not do her job right. I don’t know where they found the tenant who lives in my house, but he is horrible. He did not pay rent for a couple of months in a row and Laurie did not do much. She waited for a long time before filing a motion in court. Seems like this company doesn’t have owners interests in mind. Seems like the company lets tenants to be late with rent, because in the end the company gets their payment from the property owner and 10% late fee from the tenant. The longer the tenant is late the more money the company will make. Laurie and her manager Gladys did not even make sure that tenant got renters insurance, per their lease. They are unprofessional and we do not recommend anyone to trust their home with property managers like them. If you think you will make money from renting your property, think again! This is our experience and it’s not a good one.

Alicia B.

Melissa Johnson with Rose and Womble Chandler was my property manager for a townhouse in Norfolk for 10 years. I can’t say enough positive things about my experience working with her. My townhouse never sat empty for a day and I never had any issues with the tenants she helped find. She was easily accessible anytime I needed to talk with her about the property and maintained a comprehensive list of reliable contractors for various issues. She helped me work through water leaks, a broken garage door, replacing several major appliances over the ten year period and so much more. As an active duty officer, I felt tremendous peace of mind throughout moves all over the country and overseas that my house was always well taken care of. I’ve freely referred friends to her and would work with her again in a heartbeat.