Connor B.
2/5
My wife and I lived in a rental in North Charleston that was managed by Oak Trust Properties. We loved the location, but it became apparent that Oak Trust was not a great property management company for renters. Something to note, many of their positive Google reviews are from property holders who use them as a property management company, so this is a detailed review from a renterās perspective.
When we moved in, the dishwasher was broken and there was old food in the trash can in the garage. It caused the garage to smell terrible. A set of blinds in the kitchen were broken, and it was clear that Oak Trust had missed cleaning a few spots. They had left the outside dryer vent full of lint, which could be a fire hazard had I not cleaned it. There was a half inch thick of dust on top of the blades of the living room fan. This fan was very high up, so they probably thought it was too much trouble. It took them over a week to remove the lock box from the door. For the first couple weeks we had very little hot water. Apparently, Oak Trust turned down the water heater to save money while showing the property but forgot to turn the water heater back up. We only found out about this because the pilot light to the water heater went out, and the technician who serviced it told us, and fixed the hot water. Though the property management gave a rough initial impression, my wife and I were still excited to decorate and call it home.
The neighbors were nice, and the location was great! It started to feel like home. We had two dogs, both of which required a pet fee. Many of the kitchen appliances were cheap and dated. The oven eventually died a few days before Thanksgiving, when we were supposed to cook for our family. I immediately called Oak Trust and begged for an oven, and even said that I was willing to buy a new oven if they reimbursed me. Thanksgiving came and went, and we were forced to use our small air fryer/toaster oven to try and cook everything. It really became apparent that communication was not Oak Trustās strong suit, as they began to dodge our calls, texts and emails. We became worried that we would not be able to cook Christmas dinner. It would be another week or two before they installed an oven, however, this oven was also broken. After calling and explaining that the oven they installed was broken, eventually the cheapest oven from the local home depot was installed.
I was offered a job opportunity in another state. We cleaned and completed our move. We still had the lease for over a month, so my family and I actually drove back about 5 hours to give the unit one final deep clean. We brought vacuums, carpet cleaners, and sprayed for bugs. We cleaned absolutely everything, including the spots that Oak Trust missed when we moved in. We fixed issues from the previous tenant just because we wanted it done right. We made sure to clean scuffs from the previous tenant. We even slept on the floor so we could roll the trash can back in after the garbage people came to pick up our used cleaning supplies. The house was VERY clean.
Of my $1495 security deposit, I was given $360 back. A large portion taken was due to cleaning. Apparently, in the lease it states that the cleaning MUST be done by ONLY a professional company. Even though we vacuumed, and carpet cleaned, because it was not done by a company, it didnāt count. I asked them if there was any proof that cleaning was necessary, but they didnāt provide me any. They just said that the lease said you had to use a professional cleaning company. They charged me for flea treatment even though our dogs hadnāt been there in two months, were always on flea medication, and I treated the house myself for pests. I am literally an expert in insecticides, and the chemist for an insecticide company. They said that since it was not done by a company it didnāt count. Warning, their contract FORCES you to spend at least $450 to hire a cleaner/pest control or they will take it from your deposit.
