Cal-Prop Management

Cal-Prop is a nightmare. I've literally had nightmares. There's so much to be said but I'll summarize to get the info out there.

Lydia Carnes is batshit crazy. It's not my intention to dump on the mentally ill but she made me want to stick forks in my eyeballs. I asked her for maintenance on an issue we've had for 2 years and she called my husband and tattled that I was 'mean' to her and would he please 'set me straight.' She definitely found out what mean was when I called her back. She said dogs were not allowed in the community as several owners were walking their dogs outside my window at that moment. She literally stomped her feet when I told her a water issue needed to be addressed or I would fix it myself and withhold the amount from the rent. I quickly learned to ignore her calls and only communicate via email so there was a record. She also stated that we were responsible for any maintenance/repairs excepting water, electrical, or appliance. Turns out that's not legal given our lease. So much more that you'll get tired of reading very quickly. We went through 7 contacts with Cal-Prop over 10 years, each of them incompetent. Then there's Bill Milley. He would make a great companion to Lydia.

Neighbors had black mold and the company wouldn't do anything. Nothing for over 18 months. They and their kids were getting sick, verified by their primary physician and a pulmonologist. They had to withhold rent and finally sue. They won their full suit and Cal-Prop sent out a notice for everyone else to sign stating we would not be entitled to any fees relating to a suit filed if we won, but they would be entitled if they won. The owner of the condo made the HOA (another nightmare) pay the judgement.

On a Friday evening at 5:10pm they stuck a 30 day notice of tenancy termination on our door. This was 2 weeks after receiving a notice our rent would be increased $130. The notice stated if we allowed our unit to be used for an open house we would receive our full deposit back (of which we gave permission via email) and they also wouldn't hold us to the 30 day notice if we moved out earlier. It took almost 3 weeks to find another place to live because rental housing is extremely limited in San Diego County. With both of us working full time and having to move our belongings in one week I didn't have time to clean before we had to be out. I'm happy to pay the few bucks to go to small claims court if they withhold a single penny from my deposit.

If you're reading these reviews and still choose to rent a property they manage you deserve everything that follows.

This management company rents space to a Colonics business @ 3517 Del Rey Street, Suite #101, which the Spa coordinator sublets to massage therapists, which I am a massage therapist and have been there for nearly 2 years, the week of Thanksgiving, she let a massage therapist move in, which is not zoned… or up to code with the Fire Department for residential living. I did not like the idea of someone living there, especially another therapist, she made excessive noise, took showers, put signs on the shower, out of order… she questioned my schedule, even had Time Warner install a tv on a day that I was not present, they let Time Warner go into my massage room to do the wiring which leads to the very back room where cable was to be installed, here is what happened, the Spa coordinator lets him go through, but did not notify me by a phone call, text or an email (which I do not have a key to lock the door because she lost it years ago)… the guy puts his greasy hands on the beautiful white cabinet, I called Cal Prop right before the New Year to request a key… the first Monday Bill calls to say they would charge me $ 180.00 to install a lock and to take it up with the the Spa coordinator, by all means this is the beginning of the shadiness of this company! I asked the owner, Bruce 3 days ago when he was present on the property after the major storm… if it is zoned for residential living, he said no, he will pass onto Cal Prop, who manages his property, one of many… the Spa coordinator gave me a 30 day notice to vacate, claiming she wants to reclaim my room to expand her business, while @ the same time renting one room to a therapist and renting the other room to her to live in, not even offering me to use any space there at all. I am taking legal action as this is wilful retaliation,(which she did do because I told her that the facility is not up to code for living quarters) I am sending Fire code to there doors for sure! Over-​all these people are not following protocol with residential vs commercial space zoning!

I applied to rent a house with Lance Miller. This realtor is very unprofessional and you should avoid renting through him. We applied for the house at the end of November looking to move around mid December. I promptly sent my application and payment to Lance. He does not answer his phone and frequently «goes out of town». He held onto our application until the end of December only to let us know that there are two other people applying. He said he would give the applications to the owner so that she could «pick» which application. This is very unethical, applications are supposed to be on a first-​come first-​served basis so that you cannot discriminate against renters. Lance let us know that we did not get the house and two days later, Lance cashed my check for the application fee even though it is clear that he never ran a credit check for us and selected another applicant. I should have canceled the check but now I am out $ 160. I can only imagine he paid for the positive reviews about himself.

Soooo, based on most of the reviews on here, I must have lucked out. Granted, I just moved in to my unit a couple days ago, I couldn’t be more satisfied. Alexis was fantastic throughout the entire process and was willing to hold off starting her Thanksgiving holiday until I was able to view the property. I believe I found the diamond in the rough!

From a Property Owner’s Point of View:
Cal-​Prop is the most professional, most fair property management company I have worked with. If you struggle with finding responsible tenants who pay on time and will take care of your property, they are the ones for you.
I own a property in Rancho Bernardo and have worked with both Shay and Louis to keep and maintain it. Each time they have found me a renter that is professional and pays on time. When the renter has needed any item worked on in the condo, Louis contacts me immediately to satisfy the tenant’s needs. I have only had good tenants who worked with us and were responsible, so I’m not quite sure why there are some dissatisfied individuals dissing the company.
For example, my previous tenant gave 30-​day notice during the holiday season and Cal-​Prop was able to help her move out and pay her deposit quickly. ALSO, as it is a SLOW season for renters, they found me someone in WITHIN ONE WEEK, which is a God send for someone like me who uses the property for income. They also used the best contractors at GOOD prices to change out the carpet and fix up the condo for the next tenant DAYS before he moved in.
NO COMPLAINTS HERE. At the end of the year, I get statements I use for tax purposes that list ALL maintenance and income for me to quickly input into my tax return as part of the service.
Thanks Louis and the Cal-​Prop team!

WOW… If I could leave 0 stars I absolutely would. BIll Milley was the property manager of one of the places I lived. He is very unprofessional and unhelpful, so if you have any issues with your place he will not be the one to ask. There were multiple issues and he was notified and never once did anything told us to figure it out on his own. I would never rent from them.
WORST management Ever stay away

I recently moved out of my beach cottage that is managed by Cal-​Prop and had lived there for over a year and a half. ALEXIS, my direct property manager was very nice at the lease signing but as soon as that lease was signed it was all down hill from there. I turned in my 30 day notice on June 4^th and was out by July 4^th. I didn’t receive my deposit back until August 10^th and I believe they only have 21 days to return it. I called and emailed her multiple times with NO response. When I finally received a response and my deposit back it was the wrong amount. She charged me for my last months rent that I had already paid and the check was even cleared from my bank account. When I told her this, she didn’t believe me. So instead of her looking into the issue she made me send her a picture of my bank statement.
The same day that I finally received my deposit back I get a «Three day pay or surrender» notice in the mail at my NEW address from Cal-​Prop that is NOT managed by Cal-​Prop with my previous neighbors names on it. I don’t understand how that mistake was even made…
This management company is the most unprofessional establishment I have ever had to deal with. DO NOT RENT FROM THEM!

I should have read the reviews before moving in! BIG MISTAKE!
My husband called Lydia (who does not do her job) regarding our ½ bathroom. There is a very loud rattling sound coming from behind the wall that sounds like a loose water pipe. My husband left messages on her phone which she never responded to. I emailed her over a month ago saying that this problem has been going on for 3 months (now 4) and no one has called us back or came to take a look and have it fixed. So she said she was going to put in a service request.
Well a month went by and NOTHING! So I emailed her again today asking when is it going to get fixed and by the way now I have another issue. I get a bounce back email stating she out of office and to contact Alexis which I do. I call Alexis on a Monday and explain to her the situation. She says «I don’t see a service request here.» She ends up sending a service request and tells me there should be someone out the same day that Monday or the following day. I said «Ok great thank you very much».
NO ONE CAME, NO ONE CALLED.
Now it’s over 4 months and supposedly between the both of them 2 service requests were sent out.
I email Lydia… again and say no one has came and no one has called this needs to get fixed asap! then Lydia sends me this email:
There is nothing that can be done about the sounds from the pipes at this point. So sorry.
Cal-​Prop does not manage that unit. Please confirm you have spoken with the upstairs neighbors. What is their name as well as the condo address.
So I call Alexis because now I’m fed up with Lydia. I ask her about the service request she had put in and she says Lydia handles that location. (That’s not he answer I was looking for lady!)
I tell her I need to speak to someone other than Lydia or even get me on the phone with the owner. She mentions she can not give out that info which I understand and Lydia is in the office, so I say fine forward me to Lydia. No one picks up, then I hang up and call Lydias direct number and no one picks up, then I call her direct number again and push 1 for her cell and no one answers again!!! So I leave a VM and then I email her and this is my email:
I just left you a voicemail.
I have no idea why you would say that you do not manage our unit when my husband drives to your location to drop off the rent check.
I spoke with Alexis while you were out of office and she said she did not see a service request order for our unit. You had told me that you sent one within these emails over a month ago.
Anyway I let Alexis know the situation and she also said that she put in a service request and some one would either go that same day August 10^th or the following day August 11^th. No one called and no one came.
Now I get this ridiculous email from you saying there’s nothing you can do and you’re sorry?!
I clearly said this water issue has been going on for more than 3 months. Now there’s even a bigger issue!
I have water coming out of my walls when we take showers!
Cal-​prop manages my unit and these problems need to get fixed asap! I pay $ 1,295 to live here. I should not have water coming out of the walls or pipes making loud noises when I turn on the water.
If you are not the person who I need to be speaking with then I need someone who will actually help me and do their job.
And this is her reply:
I am sorry if you mis read my e-​mail
Cal-​Prop does not manage the unit that is leaking which is unit 34.
—-
OMG!!! She’s driving me crazy!
How in the WORLD would she know what unit is leaking and where that water is coming from if she hasn’t stepped one foot over here within the last 4 months that I have been trying reach her?!
This place is a joke! Where are the service requests that were mentioned?! Why hasn’t anyone showed up!
If this water issue that I have is big it’s on CAL-​PROP! If the owner has to pay for all of the water damage, pipes anything else that’s wrong with the unit regarding the issue then CAL-​PROP is costing him $$$$$$!!!
If they would just be attentive and communicate with tenants to get these issues fixed then I’m sure they would have people who would want to rent through them.
STAY AWAY AND SAVE YOURSELVES!!!

Do not rent from Lydia Carnes. Cal-​Prop took over management of the property I rent from and is a constant source of problems. Without offering any compensation, they took out my only bathtub for four days, leaving us on our own in finding a way to shower. Only after pointing out this is illegal did she reduce our rent for the month. We rarely get notices for water shutoffs and maintenance. Cal-​Prop is unprofessional and irresponsible.

Our landlord changed property management companies from Utopia (bleck) to Cal-​Prop towards the end of our lease. Although there was a little confusion up front about who our contact would be, we were eventually supported by Felix Lozada. We found Felix to be responsive, polite and flexible. He was not overly persistent nor did he allow issues to linger. We certainly appreciate that the property owner made the switch.

By Patricia Pérez if anyone that smokes Marijuana make it your home, if you have loud parties, dogs, music, drug use you just found your home. Anything and everything is accepted, but if you are a quiet renter don’t come here the Marijuana use goes up to apt.10 and it’s hideous you will be incurring high electricity bills due to fan running 24/​7, they are narcissistic tenants that think they deserve it all and management does nothing to stop it.

I want to give Cal Prop more stars because the man who just took on our complex has been much more professional than anyone else I’ve had to deal with at this company. He so far is the only good thing about that place — I think his name is David Correll. The other people who came before him rarely responded to any calls or messages. With that said, I’ve had several issues with them. From rarely responding to rudeness. This whole complex had roaches running around for months before they finally responded and did something about it. There were termites for a while in several apartments too. My specific area is HORRIBLE but I know there’s nothing they can really do about that — don’t move to City Heights! I’ve gotten my car keyed a few times and so have all of the neighbors on the whole street. My neighbors’ cars were stolen 3 times! Everything gets tagged out here and street parking is terrible. I’ve found bongs, needles and used condoms in the bushes of this complex. When I moved in, I was new and had no idea how bad it was. To top it off, the parking spot issues have been ridiculous. Everyone is supposed to get one (or two spots depending on the number of rooms you have), yet other neighbors have continually harassed me for parking in «their spot» even though I have only done what this company has told me. I only park where I’ve been assigned. They have changed parking again and now I am wondering if I’ll start getting harassed again. Also, one of my neighbors is completely psychotic. She cannot stand kids and cusses at us through the walls and out her door if my little one makes any noise. She comes outside in her underwear constantly and stares in everyone’s apartments. I’ve complained about her several times but I suppose nothing can be done about it. My only point here is AVOID CITY HEIGHTS AND THIS COMPANY! Crazy people live here and the company is crap.

If I could give this company zero stars, I would. This place is unprofessional and will attempt to rob you blind. DO NOT RENT WITH THEM. Lydia Carnes is the worst of them all. If she is the manager for a property you are interested, save your time and money and look elsewhere.
The unprofessional and condescending tone they show you at the end of your lease is a complete 180 from how they treat you in the beginning.
I failed to check up on this company prior to renting and am now paying for it. Please take all of these reviews seriously; the positive ones are the exception and not the rule.
Renters beware.

This place gets –10 stars. The most absolute worst customer service, people, and experience EVER. We originally were renting from another management company until they changed over to Cal-​Prop. We would have never rented the house if they were the original company. The complete lack of communication, especially from Lydia, was ridiculous. We lived at the residence for about 2 ½ years with no problems. We were quiet renters and got along great with our neighbors. In the end we moved because they were raising the rent and taking the water credit away from us… because they thought we weren’t taking care of the yard (during the drought). They stopped having the gardener come and expected us to do the yard work. The gardeners did a crappy job and it was their job to take care of the sprinklers. We also started getting spied on and got small complaints like the trash cans needed to be put out of sight (even though the trash cans have been in the same
Place for 2 years). We were fed up. When we put our notice in, we fought with Lydia about showing and entering the premises while we were at work. We told them they could not go into the house while we were gone and she tried threatening us to get a court order to enter. Basically we have two dogs in the house and work full time. Not the smartest thing to do to enter a home with two large dogs and the owners not there. No one in their right mind would be able or even want to take time off of work multiple times a week to accommodate the stupid landlord anyways. After move out we got our deposit back… what a FREAKING JOKE!!! Out of the $ 2200 we put down we only got 45 dollars back. That’s like a slap in the face. Lydia tried charging us for the broken lattice (was broken at move in which we had put on our move in check list), our utility bill which we already paid (I mean who the hell does that?!) and a bunch of super minor crap. We lived there for almost 3 years! It’s called normal wear and tear! This house was old. And it had so many problems. After arguing with Lydia forever, we settled and got most of our money back. DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY. And anyone who has dealt with them I’m so sorry. Lydia is a terrible person who has no people skills.

Cal-​Prop is quick to raise your rent every year. However, they’re not quick to respond or resolve issues in any kind of an effective or friendly way. Read the reviews. They’re here to make money for property owners, not to make a good experience for tenants.

Cal-​Prop failed in managing my property.
I rented a home, and at the time of lease signing was promised that it would be cleaned and the dog odor from the previous tenant would be removed from the carpets.
I started paying rent Feb 1, and because of having to move across country, moved in Feb 8. At that time, no one had cleaned the apartment. There were still nails left in the walls. The dog odor was so bad that it caused my allergies to act up. The walls had multiple marks on them.
The garage door openers did not work. I have been living here for a month and they still have not given me the garage door keypad code. The key lock for realtors was left on the door two days after my move in.
Essentially, no one had viewed the apartment after the previous tenant moved out and I moved in.
When I brought all of this to the attention of Cal-​Prop management, they said that the best they can do is apologize.
Really? What can I do with an apology?
I will never use Cal-​Prop management again, and I suggest the same to you.

Horrible. Worst management company, ask anyone who is a tenant.

I am currently renting from this management company, and so far so good! We are working Lydia and the process to get the our apt has been fantastic! Will update when we move out

It’s only fair to update that my apartment needed a bunch of things done, and Cal-​Prop has been very good about fixing things promptly. All their maintenance people were professional and knowledgable. When they came and I wasn’t there, they always locked the doors and left notes or called me and told me how everything went.
While my initial dealings with Cal-​Prop were less than perfect, they have earned a bit more of my respect now.
I give four stars here with regards to how they have dealt with me as a tenant. I still feel like they could have been a bit more chill with me earlier in the process.

Cal-​Prop Management is the absolute WORST property management company that I’ve ever come across in my rental history.
I rented one of their Hornblend St. apartments on a month-​to-​month lease between jobs. I lived there for 5 weeks, moved out 3 weeks early, and was charged $ 274.41 out of my $ 925 security deposit. I work full-​time and was only in the apartment for maybe 2 hours per day when I wasn’t sleeping.
$ 90 for carpet cleaning when almost all of my carpet was covered with rugs and I did not wear shoes inside. $ 104.85 when there was nothing that needed to be painted. $ 52.50 when I thoroughly cleaned the apartment myself (not that there was much that needed to be cleaned since I was barely there) to where it looked exactly how it did when I moved in.
On top of all of these false charges, my move-​in checklist was so marked up with flaws that you could barely see any white on the page. Doors and cabinets didn’t close properly, the sink was rusted, the stove was missing a burner, etc.
100% DO NOT RECOMMEND. I would leave them –5 stars if I could for falsifying charges to earn free money after not even maintaining their apartment conditions in the first place.

At first glance everything seems to be in working order however, if I had given myself more time and really looked carefully I would have seen all of the problems with the apartment/​condo and Cal-​Prop. My biggest issue is the major lack of communication with this company.
First, the condo I moved into was filthy, particularly the kitchen. The blinds in the kitchen looked like they hadn’t been cleaned since the previous tenants moved in. Clearly at some point there was a grease fire on top of the stove and the cabinets had grease all over them. Again, at first glance everything looked clean but when I started opening cabinets and touching things you see major work needed to be done.
I asked my property manager, Eric Paulin, to have the bulbs in the kitchen and dining room replaced and he informed me I had to do it myself. I explained to him I wasn’t sure how to remove the coverings on the lights (particularly the kitchen light which is 8 ft high) and didn’t want to break anything. His resolution was for me to take a picture of the light and he would walk me through how to remove the covering. Okay? To be fair, the maintenance guy did changed the light in the dining room.
Then when I called regarding a parking problem in the complex, I was told my file had been transferred to another property manager. Why wasn’t I informed of this? Now I am dealing with Lydia Carnes and she was a little short on the phone but she redeemed herself in later conversations. She says «All I can do for you is ask about the parking issue with the homeowners association.» Excuse me??? You can rectify the situation and get this resolved. I was promised a parking space, in writing, and there shouldn’t be any problems with that.
I haven’t even been in the apartment for a month and I can already tell this is going to be a looong lease. I am just looking for any reason I can break the lease. Broken plumbing, electrical problems, just something!