“They Had 1-Star Reviews”: How One Couple’s Lease With a Notorious Property Group Went Completely Right
Shutterstock
Have you ever had an experience where you heard only negative things about a company for years and years…
And then you gave them a shot and you had a completely different experience than everyone else?
It happens from time to time!
And when it does, it can be quite surprising.
Just ask the person who wrote this story about a home management company.
Check out what they had to say.
Experience with AMH (American Homes 4 Rent).
“I wanted to write about my recent experience renting from American Homes 4 Rent after reading more than a few negative reviews.
I’m actually shocked by how bad of a rep this company has!
This was one of the biggest companies, if not the biggest that EVERYONE online and in person said to avoid.
They were in a pinch…
Last year, I was on a time crunch after my first choice fell through and immediately toured a house that was listed by AMH.
I was expecting the worst based off of reviews and advice I was given, and I was very very pleasantly surprised that the house we toured was cute, clean, and very well maintained compared to others in the same price range with well kept landscaping and a BEAUTIFUL yard with lake view for (at the time) a very good price.
We talked back on forth on whether we’d give it a go, and we decided to call them. The rep on the phone was extremely nice and helpful and spoke perfect English which I can NOT say of many other rental companies.
She was so helpful and able to be reached at a direct line anytime from 7 am to 8 pm which we really appreciated. We decided to go ahead and go through with the lease.
It was all good!
We were very happy with how easy it was to set up, and the same day that we toured our lease was signed. We moved in 1 week later. We were very pleased with how smoothly move-in went.
Over our year renting from them, we had absolutely no random charges, no issue, we did have 3 maintenance calls and they came out the same week and fixed all 3. We also had a minor pest issue, and they treated the house no questions asked. We were never billed for any of it.
On move out, we were actually really nervous because that’s where most of the bad press comes in. People saying they were charged for damages that don’t exist, sued, or cleaning the house top to bottom and still getting charged insane cleaning fees.
Our house was not perfect, we had damaged some flooring and some minor things needed repainted. We cleaned the house top to bottom, mopped really really good, shampooed the carpet, mowed the lawn. Cleaned all of the appliances, literally hands and knees scrubbing for 4 days straight.
They were pleasantly surprised!
Our deposit was $1,750, and they were VERY VERY cheap on the quotes for the damage. Half of the damage wasn’t even included in the deductions, even though they had pictures of it!
In total for one wall repainted, one wall needing cleaned, gutters needing cleaned, some yard work, trim damage from water, some flooring damage and dirty air ducts we were only charged $480 out of our deposit.
We were VERY happy with this, and actually fully expected to owe our full $1750 + money on top from some other people’s estimates.
Well, this is surprising!
All in all, we loved our experience with AMH, and I’m very glad we didn’t listen to the online reviews. In my area, they really have under 2/5 stars with hundreds of 1 star reviews.
I would give them 6/5 stars if I could. I will rent from them again in a HEARTBEAT!
The only reason we left the house was to downsize because the house was huge for just 2 of us.
Their rent is RIGHT on the Zillow estimates, so even though they were going to raise our rent by $200 at renewal, it was still a little under the new estimate for the house and they ended up renting it to someone else for $200/mo MORE than our renewal rate we were given, so obviously their rates were still competitive.”
Check out what readers on Reddit had to say about this.
Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.
This person had a lot to say.
Another individual shared their thoughts.
This person weighed in.
If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a frustrated tenant whose landlord says she can only move out with her roommate.
And another reader spoke up.
It’s good to be surprised in a nice way once in a while, isn’t it?
I sure think so!
You never know until you give it a shot yourself…
Well, this assessment certainly surprised a lot of people…
Enjoyed this story?
Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.
