Bear Granville Corporation - Richmond, Virginia

John M.

I made the unfortunate choice to rent from Bear Granville in Richmond, VA, and I cannot stress enough how terrible they are.

I will keep this review simple, and only bring up the fact that my living room ceiling collapsed (almost crushing me), and Bear Granville couldn't have cared less.

When I called the emergency line, they genuinely seemed to care about getting the issue resolved quickly and they assured me all of my damaged property would be replaced (well over $1000 worth of stuff). They showed up at my property the next day but didn't even have a key to the house which meant work was delayed right off the bat. Once I provided them with a key (to their own house....), they started repair work. The maintenance workers damaged even MORE of my stuff (that the ceiling didn't have a chance to ruin) by carelessly throwing things out of their way. DAYS later once the work was completed, the workers didn't even bother to clean up their own mess.

I know I said this review would only be about the ceiling collapsing, but I also have to mention the fact that they are absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to get in contact with. Approximately 99% of my calls and emails went unanswered, and when they did answer they never actually did what they said they would do.

Stephanie H.

I knew renting through Bear Granville would be a mistake and wow, was I right. I was unfortunately in a situation where I needed an apartment immediately for my toddler and me. One of their properties I did love but the management has been a nightmare. I’ve had over 20 work orders since Oct. They are impossible to get a response from and have zero communication skills. The biggest issue was a broken furnace because of faulty band aid repairs in the past. We lost heat when it was 19 degrees. They did nothing for almost 48 hours until I contacted an hvac company myself. They wouldn’t come let the contractor in, after I had told them I had to find alternative living given the extreme temps and having a child. One of few responses was that it was my problem it wasn’t getting repaired because I wasn’t there to let in a contractor. They finally left him a key but it was the wrong one. He was kind enough to leave me two space heaters. Obviously those aren’t safe and two space heaters for a 2k square ft unit is a joke. They also tripped the electricity. After being displaced for 7 full days, they have still refused to prorate my rent. I had to spend over $1k that week on alternative housing. They told me it wasn’t their problem and the space heaters were a solution. There have been countless other problems, including a broken sink and freezer (we got food poisoning twice from food freezing and unfreezing). I discourage anyone considering a property of theirs to reconsider. I’ve looked into getting a lawyer, filed complaints with the BBB and the tenant protection services with the city. Unfortunately there are no laws protecting tenants that can actually be pursued without paying for a lawyer and going to court. Even then there is no guarantee. The leasing companies know this and take full advantage of- then you find a company like this who do that plus have no humanity whatsoever.

Tk B.

Worst company to rent from. Me and my friends all rented out a house super close to campus and after our lease ended they continued to charge us. They are charging us still 9 months after we have left the house. The worst part about it is that when we visited the house there is another party renting it out from them. So they are getting money from both us and another party. Such a scam company. Have a lawsuit pending on them and reported them to the BBB. And Ms. Michelle has been a big part of the scam too. She has avoided our calls by sending us to voicemail everytime she is contacted. She will be hearing from our attorneys also.

D M.

Such a great experience with the Property Leasing Mgr Michele! She went step by step with us making sure all of our questions were answered making the whole process so smooth and easy. Highly recommend them! Thank you so much Michele!

Lyda S.

SAFETY HAZARD- they are not changing the locks so old keys still work and previous tenants can get into your apartment. That being said, your keys may actually work on all the apartments in the building so beware. If you are a new tenant I would request verification that there was a lock change and if not request a change.

Ken Olive and Michele Clark are useless when it comes to things they do wrong, so if they do not respond your best bet is to go directly to the city if this is an issue for you and you are worried for your safety.

Chandler

On 3/18 my birthday I had a 230 appointment to see 2304 Parkwood..at 235 I called and gave them till 245...at 244 she calls back making excuses then tells me the unit had already been rented...no call to let me know... if this the way they run the biz...I'd be aware...and she tried to upsell me

Emmett C.

Review based solely on tour experience.

Ten minutes before a showing, the agent cancelled the tour because:

“[Street] is blocked off. Can’t get to the property.”

This is the street. The property is the third on the right. Apparently, if they can’t drive right up to the door, they can’t be bothered.

Kindly gave me the door code for a self tour though!

Having now taken the self tour I can report: the apartment was sad, dingy, and overpriced. Big money grubbing energy.

M B.

I had a very bad experience with this company and I didn’t even rent an apartment from them! During my showing the agent showed up late, wearing street clothes, and the house was absolutely disgusting despite the listing saying “available now.” Holes in the walls, damaged blinds, totally filthy - wish I had gotten to take pics but I was so shocked I didn’t think to. The agent kept insisting they had all these plans to fix it up a bit but why show me an apartment that had literally received no upkeep for the past ten years before actually doing that upkeep? I’m not gonna rent a $2,000 apartment based on pure imagination and trust alone. Hugely disrespectful of my time and a really bad look for the company.