Bowen Realty - Mobile, Alabama

Derek Spisak post hack

The team at Bowen has ensured that my rented home in Springhill was maintained to the high standards of the neighborhood.

When I needed locks changed they sent a personable father / son team over right away and added the expense to my bill.

Lawn care was provided and their service "manicured" the lawn probably every two weeks.

Even though I am in a detached home, it is treated more like a condo, my only effort is to change the air filter on the first of the month.

They have unique properties that often reflect the historic character that makes Mobile unique.

Johnson Maria

I know it can be difficult hearing, reading insults or unethical facts however the professional are to remain professional; i am pleased to have taken the time to read these reviews. Read all I can it's getting overwhelming especially how Bowen sued the tenant, reported to credit before the suit were final and hasn't returned the security deposit as so ordered by Judge. It takes more energy to be evil and then over and beyond to be I hope this isn't somes first nature. The Bowen website and rates are attractive; I've been drooling over three units however I personally do not need any of these problems.
Thanks for taking time to share your experiences; Bowen reply is all I needed showing integrity. Decades of business should equal thick skin as well as training professionalism by example. Sometime PEOPLE get comfortable when Family Owned or handling inhouse.

Horace Penn

I don’t even know where to start with this review, wish I would have read the reviews before I wasted my money on an application fee. I was told that I was denied because of my rental history but when I called the places that they claimed to have called on my behalf I was told that no one contacted them in reference to me nor my wife. I feel as if they gave us the run around instead of just saying upfront that they didn’t want to rent to us. They also claimed to have found things on our credit reports that no other rental company found. My advice to anyone that is trying to rent from them if this is your last resort continue to look elsewhere especially if you are a black couple looking for a place to stay.

Pam Ward

Pleas take my advice and DO NOT RENT FROM THESE PEOPLE. THEY ARE KEITH REALTY COUSIN!!They employ criminals and they don't CARE if you are in danger or not!! It took 8 months,to get windows,fixed...they installed a new ceiling fan and the screws flew out a few days later. This,realty company seriously only cares about money. They will not fix anything unless you crawl up their arses. The owner of the home,I rented, constantly stalked the house and this experience has been awful. They won't cut your grass or overgrowth . DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DO NOT DEAL WITH THESE SLUM LORDS!!! They will over charge you while being rude as hell. Erin Bowen especially and her rude mother will show you NO respect and they will harass you for anything. You will not get your security deposit back and you will be miserable. They should be sued.

Mickey Michaels

For those who currently have leases or are considering signing a lease, please read all the way to the bottom. I moved into a duplex property off of Government Street in June 2016. There was an obvious roach and rodent infestation, evident by scuttling roaches on day of move-in and rodent feces and urine with half-eaten nuts in the closet and feces under the kitchen and bathroom sinks and in kitchen cabinet drawers. None of this was evident during my walk through a month or so prior and an exterminator later explained why. In any case, I had already signed the lease and been given the keys and I made Bowen Realty aware of the situation immediately. They apologized and said someone would be out to clean up the mess immediately. The next day I personally stopped into realty office to explain what happened and they again apologized and said all holes should have been patched up prior to me moving in and that it would be taken care. They then tried to blame the previous tenant who they described as elderly and in poor health and "perhaps" she didn't report this because if she had it would have been taken care of. As it was in the lease for tenants to be responsible for extermination services, I hired the exterminator that the company recommended who was nice and professional and also commented that his services could only do so much as the access holes were in need of repair. There were other things that happened like light fixture dropping from ceiling and air conditioner breaking, which to be fair Bowen Realty did fix promptly. However they never addressed the roach and rodent situation. I sought legal advice and I notified Bowen Realty that I would be vacating the property if the infestation issue was not addressed. They never acknowledged my letter. So I moved out in the given time frame per my legal rights. Shortly thereafter I received a bill from the Realty company for the entire year's amount of rent. And then a subsequent bill and creditor notice for three months of back rent. Bowen Realty then sued me. Ms. Bowen showed up in court with her counsel but lied to the judge when asked why I terminated my lease early. Although I had mailed the company a letter (via certified mail) and PROVIDED copies in court with the original letter detailing why I would be terminating my lease, she stated in court that I moved out "to be closer to my friends". This lie, in addition to a work order produced in court where it states someone had come out from Bowen Realty to fix the holes (of course, which I had no knowledge of) confirmed everything I needed to know about this company. If one of the owners could so blatantly be dishonest before the judge, I will leave it for others to determine how honest and upright they would be with tenants. I am thankful that the judge ruled in my favor with the evidence that I was able to provide. And as part of the ruling, it detailed that it is AGAINST ALABAMA TENANT LAWS for tenants to have to provide extermination services, as this is the responsible of the landlord. However, this was in my lease and their counsel even highlighted this in court (the fact that I had initialed in the lease that I was responsible for these services). So for anyone who currently has a lease with Bowen or is considering renting from Bowen Realty, I would suggest that you review your lease and if possible seek out legal advice if this clause (about tenant being responsible for pest control) is in your lease and how to proceed. Finally, as a result of the ruling as Bowen Realty was in fault of not providing a safe and healthy dwelling for me, they are responsible for refunding my security deposit, which I have yet to receive despite the ruling being two months ago. I would have been content enough to move out and put this horrible situation behind me but as Bowen Realty took it upon themselves to send this to a credit agency and then sue me, they should now have to abide by the same ruling for the suit which they initiated.

Weatherby George

Horrible place to rent from. They won't take care of any problems. I have lived in a house for 4 months and they have yet to get a giant hazard from my backyard. But they will look for things to charge you extra money for. They are accusing me of having a second tenant in my house when it's been just me the entire time. And the haggard woman that talks to people on the phone is nasty and demeaning. She needs a job not working with people. This place is a joke, I should've trusted the reviews and listened to everybody in the beginning when they said "You're renting from Bowen? Oh God..."

Pamela Wilson

The company and people are very nice and also are very understanding and a place I recommend Bowen Realty has been tremendously helpful to me when I moved to Mobile. They helped us find a place, answered all of my questions, and were incredibly friendly. We've been happy with this businesfor over 3yrsThe whole rental experience has been great -- quick to schedule needed repairs, understanding about my situation, etc. I cannot recommend them enough!

Meagan Thomas

I turned in a work order yesterday afternoon to Nicole @ the office on Dauphin.
My list was @least 5 items long, & I honestly didn't expect everything to get done this week.

But this morning, Jay from maintenance came in & fixed everything in two hours (including the time it took him to pick up faucet replacement supplies @ Home Depot).

And I love my MC apartment. It's a bit older (which I really like); it's a lot of space for an affordable price. It has hardwood floors, & my neighbors are pretty friendly.

(Some of my friends @ other apartment complexes w/other property management have given up working with their main offices. They have to keep calling to get anything done, & it just sounds like a hassle.)

Overall, I've had a pleasant experience working w/Nicole, Colleen, Mark, & Jay. So, I would recommend working w/them (& considering the MC apartments).