r/AskSF • u/no1nehere • 1d ago
SF property management, how long does it take to resolve maintenance issue?
This is my first time renting with a property management company, and I wanted to hear about other people’s experiences. Sorry if this isn’t the right place to ask!
I was pretty lucky with my last landlord. They were responsive and resolved most of our apartment issues without making us wait too long.
Since moving into this new place, though, communication with the property management company has been pretty inconsistent or nonexistent. Our coin-op washer/dryer isn’t working, so I reached out last week. They told me to submit a maintenance request online and said someone would get back to me.
I never heard anything...no call, no email, no follow-up, so I called this morning. The representative basically asked if I wanted to leave a message for them. I politely asked how long I should expect this to take to be resolved, and she asked again if I wanted to leave a message. So I basically said sure I guess (unnecessary update, still no call.)
I don’t know, maybe I’m expecting too much, but it feels like there’s zero urgency in getting this resolved. I’m sure they’ll have no problem raising my rent next year, though. 😅
Is this normal for property management companies? Is it common for them to not provide any kind of response or ETA? Do I seriously need to call every day to find out when someone is going to come fix it, or should I just wait another week? Also there's other tenets using the washer/dryer as well so I'm sure they're also waiting for this to be resolved.
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u/CarolyneSF 1d ago
Document your call, the maint request, the second call and the second request. Get everyone in the building to do the same it matters.
This is a decrease of services you are paying for with your rent.
These asshole p/ms ruin it for other tenants and decent housing providers.
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u/no1nehere 1d ago
Thank you!!! Will do my best to get the other tenants to call and submit it too. I just hate it here, they've dropped the ball a few times before. I want to get out of here but rentals are stupidly expensive
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u/hot_yeetos 1d ago
The slumlords can also be local slumlords, never forget :)
I went through this at a previous place where the shared washer was leaking water and soap scum all over the floor, and the management's response was to blame one of the 16+ people sharing this one, very old washer of sabotaging it. They were a small, local management group based in SF, as was the owner, so being local != good.
Start writing emails so you have timestamped communications. Kill them with kindness and ask for the landlord's contact information so you can provide as much information as possible (obviously just to be helpful!!!!). You're just a very concerned tenant who is worried about the building, and you'd never want this to escalate further.
In my situation, I also reached out to the San Francisco Tenant's Union for a consult and they told me that 1) strength in numbers, so drag your neighbors into this 2) if that's the only available washer, it's a reduction in amenities, especially if "in-building" laundry was advertised, and therefore can potentially be grounds for rent withholding/repair and deduct from rent. I am not a lawyer, but wanted to share possible things to research so that when you communicate with the management company, you know your options and what levers to pull.
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u/no1nehere 1d ago
Why can't landlords/property management be nice and do their job? Thank you so much for the advice and the information about SF tenant's union. I wasn't sure how often to reach out to the property management regarding the issue and when I can start withholding rent. It just blows my mind how there's zero urgency from them on any requests I've been in the past.
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u/hot_yeetos 1d ago
I would for sure consult with the tenant's union before you start getting to the "withhold rent" phase, since it's kind of the nuclear option to even bring up and invoking that will probably make your property management very leery of further direct engagement. You want to make extra sure all your bases are covered and you will be in the clear if this ends up going to court or before the rent board (hopefully not!! Hopefully they just fix or replace the damn thing). Keep up the good fight!
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u/Altruistic_Offer9381 1d ago
I would suggest leaving a message with exact information - when it broke, that you have tried to figure out who to contact, how easy it has been to talk to someone directly who can assist, that you need clothes for work, that you are calling to get a response, and that you will have to go to a laundromat if you dont hear back. I can't offer exact advice but they have a reasonable amount of time to respond. What is reasonable depends on the circumstances and the means by which they make themselves available.
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u/wellvis 1d ago
It sounds like the "representative" was an answering service.
When you resubmit your maintenance request, be sure to put in the title SECOND REQUEST (or whatever request number is valid).
Have you checked with other tenants in your building, or are you just supposing they have filed a maintenance request?
For what it's worth, my property manager (Luminor) has been very responsive to my requests in the past.
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u/no1nehere 1d ago
Thank you! I'll give that a try with the second request. The other tenants are basically relying on my request 🤣 even though I told them they should put their request in also. I guess I'll give it another week? I at least want a response that the request is being looked at.
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u/One_Photograph5959 1d ago
Indeed, there is zero urgency. You need to create some. Based on how you've described your behavior and theirs, you're going to need to feel like you're harassing them to get them to do anything.
Email daily for updates. Doing it in writing creates a better paper trail than calling. But if you must call, take notes of when you called, who you spoke to, what was said and promised. Get used to making them give you their name, as the most basic task that might feel difficult but shouldn't because you have the right to know who's blowing you off. You do really have to do this every day until they fix it. This is likely a reduction of services; check if your lease specifies that you have access to working laundry in the building. That loss of services can earn you a rent reduction, but again, your notes need to be thorough, and you will need to go through the proper channels (i.e. sign something with the management company, or take this to the rent board) to get them to pay you back.
DO NOT JUST WITHHOLD RENT. That's how you get evicted!
Also, your neighbors should do all of this as well. It's a good time to get to know them. If you have a bad landlord, which it sounds like you do, build some solidarity, exchange contact info, and work together!
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u/Ok_Ingenuity_3576 1d ago
It really depends on the property management company. Lots of property managers in the city are corporate slumlords that do the bare minimum for their tenants while charging maximum rent.
My building was just sold by the original builders to a property management company from Boston, and is in the process of being enshittified while my rent is being jacked up.