Carefree Property Management Inc

Wow, just got off the phone with the receptionist after asking for assistance in getting my password reset so I could log in and pay rent and the receptionist is the rudest woman! She lectured me on how resetting my password goes on my record?! I was never told this when I signed my lease and I also have paid rent on time for the last year and a half. The receptionist also hung up on me after her rude and threatening words. I strongly consider hiring a receptionist who deals with the every day public who has customer service skills. I can say that the woman that handles all housing issues has been very pleasant, but you can tell that when I bother any of these people that it’s a HUGE inconvenience. For someone who comes from Property Management it’s always important to remember that your renters are the ones that pay the bills, it would be nice to be treated with respect.

Lived in one of the properties that they manage in Beaverton. Beautiful modern condo that I really enjoyed. Nevr had any complaints with the property or the property management, everything was pretty straight forward and clear when I moved in. Pam was the person that I dealt with and when I left, aside from plastering a small hole in the wall that I made when a barstool tipped over the day I moved in, I got almost all my deposit back promptly.

Future tenants be ware: renting through carefree property management may end up damaging your credit.
We rented through carefree a couple of years ago, and when we recently applied for another rental we were asked why we had unpaid utility bills at the apt we rented through carefree. Somehow, although we had no unpaid bills whatsoever, this misinformation was reported on our credit. In phone conversations with carefree they confirmed that we didn’t owe anything, yet claimed that they could do nothing to clear this mistake on our credit history. In fact, they said that this has happened many times (even to one of their own employees), and that they have no idea why or how to fix it. They did write a ledger stating that we owed no money to carefree, but the actual dispute now rests heavily upon us alone.
It seems to me that any serious property management would do everything ensure that their tenants do not wrongfully end up with a damaged credit history.

I’ve read the reviews from the landlords and some from tenants and not surprised landlords like these people because they rob tenants. Look at both sides people. Landlords might keep people in their rentals longer if the management company is/​was ethical! Within 2 weeks of moving into my new home I got the most hateful email from Carefree threatening to evict me because 1) my garbage cans were ‘too full’ (I shared ONE garbage and recycle bin with TWO other homes and I JUST MOVED) 2) the cardboard in the recycle bin wasn’t cut up and put in correctly 3) apparently I didn’t know what schedule I was on with my 86 year old neighbor to put the garbage and recycle to curb (notty me) 4) my dogs poo (which was bagged and tied) smelled too bad in the garbage can 5) apparently I wasn’t cleaning up my dogs poo (although no proof and we picked up daily) 6) our dog made her way into the neighbors yard (never mind the fence was broken on HER side). All of these things could have been resolved with a quick and nice phone call or a friendly visit from my neighbor. I had been a homeowner 6 times, a corporate professional, an honest and very responsible adult and had never been threatened with eviction — especially after 2 weeks and for such minor and silly issues. I was told the next ‘notice’ would warrant an eviction. I lived in constant fear and after 6 months, I moved on my own and paid the lease break fee because living there caused me so much stress. I did get my deposit back (because I am a great tenant). I hired a plumber on my own, replaced a broken shower head on my own because I refused to call them for help. I simply didn’t want to call any attention to myself. I am not leaving out details that are pertinent; i.e. my dog never barked, never caused any problems for anyone, there were never any noise complaints (although I ended up with a neighbor who played his stereo as loud as he could all hours of the night and Carefree could care less). I have not left anything out. If you care at all about feeling secure where you live, do NOT rent with Carefree.

after I gave notice to my tenets that we were selling our Happy Valley house this company sent us a notice that they were canceling our contract with them 5 days prior to the time the tenets were to be leaving. This type of business practice after we paid them $ 130 a month to do basically nothing should tell you something. When I called to complain Janet our management person just blamed it on the owner saying «he said to just cancel it «so they didn’t have to be involved.
Please be careful when dealing with this company. It was wrong and they know it. Lucky we have excellent renters. I am still contacting my Portland attorney to see about fixing their behaivor.

I have bank statements that state otherwise and I have emailed them to Kathleen as she asked the when she noticed she was wrong she stopped responding all together. When you’ve «bounced» a check there’s a fee and it shows in your statement… No evidence of that! Your online payment system and your lack of knowledge of how to use it is the reason! You’re an unprofessional company and you still owe me money I just gave up on trying to get what’s rightfully mine.

Pam Widman, rude and unprofessional. Have contacted her about many listings same day they are listed. Either she doesn’t even bother to respond and when she does she is nasty and rude telling me «i’m not showing it to anybody else, I have too many people already». I ask if there is anything else and she doesn’t even bother to reply. One reply on a property she responded as if she were scolding me «I HAVE YOU ON THE LIST» as in «leave me alone». Pam you are rude and nasty and in the WRONG INDUSTRY! Disgusting and rude, I will never do business with this «company». I guess if I didn’t want to deal with people I would work for a company named «carefree» too. RATING ZERO!
Upon reflection I probably dodged a bullet not being a client, looks like they don’t give a sh*t before OR AFTER they rent a property. And here is Shea M. to make excuses and defend crappy service on each and every CONSISTENT complaint.

I am interested in a couple of the places that are available for rent here, but after 3 attempts, on 3 different days, I cannot get anyone to return my phone calls.

Terrible.
Between them and the owner, I was treated quite unfairly. Upon departure I was charged for a countertop that I should not have been charged for. The countertop cracked because when I opened the kitchen drawer it rubbed up against the countertop each time. They also refused to give me the mold report that I insisted be done because there was mold in the place. And lastly, they never respond timely and frankly just don’t care about you as a tenant. I even remember them taking weeks to get back to me one time because they were on vacation. That one was hard to believe.

We were treated so poorly when shown a property by Pam Widman. During our showing we were told she doesn’t like renting to men (discrimination). She was extremely rude and didn’t even greet us, ask our names or look at us after she pulled in late and canceled on me the day prior. Instead she greeted us with «Is that your white car? The headlight’s broken.» It is broken because my roommate got in an awful accident recently and hadn’t had the time off work to get it fixed. The property was nice and well within our price range, but we couldn’t imagine renting to someone so unprofessional so we decided on not applying.

RE: management’s response to me «Unfortunately when a unit comes available in a highly desirable neighborhood we often get such a flood of interest…»
If you already have such a flood of interest, no need to put it on craigslist to get more phonecalls.

We have used Carefree to manage our properties in Portland for almost 10 years. In ten years have there been problems? Of course. Have these problems been handled professionally? Absolutely!
We live, much of the year, in Hong Kong so communication is essential and Kathy and the others are very good about responding to our e-​mails. Their back office is dependable. All our reports are accurate and prompt.
Once a year, we do walk throughs and both Tim and Kathy accompany us, giving us their time and asking nothing in return except their usual charges. We generate a to do list which we rarely have to follow up on and when we do, they almost always have a good reason for the delay in handling the issue.
Most of our tenants have been with us for these last ten years. One of the reasons, I am sure, is because when they need something, Carefree responds.
We had two previous property managers before we found Carefree, after an extensive search and a half dozen face to face interviews. There is no comparison between Carefree and the previous managers. We are glad we found them.

One might imagine good reviews of a property management company are rarer than a white wallaby since the laundry list of gripes, repairs and issues they handle from certified nuts on a daily basis is probably endless. I can easily see why they might get bad reviews from those who don’t like paying their rent or say, have a police record. Just sayin.
But I never had a problem during my year renting with Pam Widman, even though the townhouse had its share. I wasn’t the one who hired Carefree, but I was the beneficiary of their efficient help when we needed a dishwasher replaced and then a large panel of windows.
When I hire a company to manage my rental property, I’ll call Pam.

Folks at Carefree have always been prompt about getting back to me on questions… often after business hours. Staff member I normally worked with most often was very competent and always either knew the answers to my questions or knew who to consult to get the answer.

**EDIT**
Though Brad, the maintenance gentleman did come out the day of our move in, he did not have any cleaning supplies, nor did he clean anything. He removed the condoms, and food from the fridge, and took pictures of the house. And though the house was re-​keyed that night, the bedroom window did not lock (probably how the unwanted guest who was residing in our apartment got in).
Moving is expensive, and takes time, the last thing I wanted was to go through the hassle of moving again! I merely wanted my house to be clean and safe upon move in, and pay my own bills, not the bills of the other tenants.
After further communications with the management team, it is becoming more apparent that it is the OWNER OF THE PROPERTY, NOT Carefree, who is lax on the upkeep of this property. That being said… As a tenant it seems unfair that we have to suffer because the management team and the property owner are on a different page.
****I am current resident renting from carefree, and for people who are considering renting from them… take the time to find someone else! Since the day I moved in this company has been nothing completely unprofessional.
Upon arriving at my unit I found condom wrappers in the cub bards, feces floating in my toilet, food in the refrigerator, and mud stains on the carpet. I called immediately, and asked to speak to the manger. I wanted someone to come out and help clean the place. The manager told me it was too late to send anyone out, and that «it wasn’t her fault the unit was in such bad condition.»
Since then it has been a month of arguing and hassles. After taking a look at our electricity bill, it turns out the community washer and dryer, as well as half of the other units are going to our electricity meter. When we brought this to the property managers attention they blatantly told us they refused to fix this issue, and if we didn’t like it, we could leave.
Talking to the managers has been like arguing with a teenager. It’s been a complete hassle to get simple maintenance issues fixed.
If you are looking to rent from them, understand they will not respond to things promptly, and they will make it seem the maintenance requests are your fault… If they ever respond to you that is. In all honestly, the company could be sued at any second. Try and find a more reputable property Management place! It’s well worth your while.

I still live in the neighborhood, and I actually walk by this property several times a week. If I remember correctly, one of the two different people CareFree has leased this place to within the past ten months did end up wrapping the windows. However, I am very happy to hear that these tenants have not had to deal with a mold issue. I’m going to assume that the bathroom fan that was installed during my tenancy has done a world of good.
Also, if you consider $ 52.50 per hour a reasonable price to pay for someone to walk around spraying Febreze (or whatever it was that they ended up spraying) — please consider me for the next time such a job arises. But, in all honestly, I didn’t push the point at the time, because I was prepared for much, much worse.
Finally, I know that I’m not alone when it came to dealing with some of CareFree’s less agreeable staff, but I do want to point out that Linda was a delight to work with. I know she could only do so much for me, but I believed that when Linda said she was going to call someone to follow up on any one of my many situations with my rental — she was actually going to call someone and get back to me. Linda was the one who made sure someone came out the same day to replace the pipes from the bathroom sink that had rusted clear into the wall. Whenever I spoke to someone else in the CareFree office, I felt as though they could have really cared less about me or the fact that contractors were telling me to plan on using the bathroom at Burger King for the next day, because I didn’t have a toilet to use.

Absolutely THE WORST. I definitely agree with all the comments the first review gave — inept, rude, useless, etc. They basically work as hard as they can to get every penny out of you but do not return calls or do anything for the property without intense badgering.
We also moved from out of state to Portland, and we were told that the place we were renting had been cleaned, new carpet, etc. When we got here, it was filthy. I mean, FILTHY. «We’ve had issues with our cleaning crew in the past» they told us. Then why do you use them??? None of the repairs that were supposed to have been completed before we moved in were done, and it took months to get them to finally do them.
On top of the unbelievably bad service, the place was horrible. Advertised washer and dryer, but they looked older than I am and probably haven’t worked in fifteen years at least. We had to arrange to get them hauled away, as carefree couldn’t be bothered. They also would not remove these scary, giant steel drums, which we had to pay to haul away. The house seemed like it was being held together with bubblegum in places. I think when they finally do get around to fixing anything, they find the cheapest way to do it. Need a sidewalk repaired? How about wood chips instead? Big hole in your door? Here’s some putty and paint. If you actually rent with them this probably won’t be much of a problem, since they virtually never get back to you or do anything at all, so you will probably be doing your own repairs. And of course they will probably deduct it from your security deposit since it wasn’t approved.
*** EDIT ***
In response to the reply from the company — Perhaps my memory is not what yours is, but you did not send in a cleaning crew a second time, and I don’t recall you even offering that, only telling us that you had «issues» with your cleaning crew. I do remember my wife and I spending a full day cleaning the house. I mean, the toilet was completely FULL of feces when we got there, and the water was off which made for a very pleasant smell. Windows, cabinets, and walls were coated with filth. I can understand your desire to «save» a tree, although regretfully I do doubt your sincerity given my other experiences with your company. Considering it was the only path the front door of the house, I cannot imagine how you would believe that wood chips were any better than a mud puddle. But, sure, I will give you that one.
This is just a guess, but perhaps if you had cared to try and resolve your poor service while your customers were still your customers, and not years later, you would not have such terrible reviews on here.

**EDIT**
Per Pam Widman’s email dated 2÷18÷09, we had to give the tenants back the deposit except for $ 300. And had never heard back from Pam regarding the wands after repeated phone calls. If you would like to rectify this, feel free to contact me. A response 2 years later though… hardly prompt.

Too bad you can’t give zero stars, as this business definitely rates nothing. I will only add, in the unflattering adjective department, the phrase «borderline criminally negligent». I paid «Carefree» to manage my property when I was out of the country, and they managed to do thousands of dollars of damage to the property through neglect, misinformed me about tenant relations, and (because of inadequate response to a break-​in) opened me up to possible identity theft.
DO NOT use this company to manage your property!