D & E Management

I rented an apartment through D & E about five or six years ago. The reason I’m finally writing a review is because I have recently heard similar stories from friends also renting through D & E (now known as Green Rock Apartments). Dale Howey is extremely unprofessional and takes advantage of people. A mere 48 hours after moving in, my then-​partner and I attempted to use the garbage disposal and it was completely backed up with unidentifiable waste. We called Dale and he accused us of causing the damage to the garbage disposal, refusing to repair it unless we paid for it. We argued that we had just moved in and it must have been the previous tenant, but he said there was no proof of that and we had to pay for it. That’s the first $ 100 he stole from us.
Fast forward to a few months before the end of our lease: Dale hired a contractor to come to our apartment (unannounced of course, which is the way Dale does things) to measure the dimensions for new carpeting that was planned for several apartments in the building. Dale didn’t tell us this, but the contractor did (and was later confirmed by a friend who stayed in that building well after we had moved). We had no issues during the final walk-​through of the apartment, after having done a very thorough cleaning, but were still deducted a cleaning fee and charged for carpet replacement because the carpet «smelled like cat piss.» Our entire deposit was taken by this man to pay for a carpet replacement that had already been planned. I chose not to pursue this legally because I moved out of state after my lease ended, but in retrospect I wish I had said or done something. Dale Howey stole hundreds of dollars from me and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

I am a current resident. Whatever you do do not rent from this landlord. He vicious, unreasonable, lies to cover himself, and is grossly unprofessional. The Faucets are cheap, the cabinets are atrociously bad quality and my garbage disposal they have had to «repair» because I haven’t run water in it once a week even though I don’t even use it that often.
The maintenance staff here has been great that is the only Silverlining. Dale will say anything to cover himself when in fact he never remembers what he says or promises. Then when he under delivers he makes you out to be over demanding and a problem. Twice I drove from a far distance one first looking at the building and arrive to find they had already rented out the apartment they scheduled to show me and each time rented it before I could apply.
Dale also has a reputation for reading these reviews and lashing out at each individual with personal attacks which I’m fine with because everything I’m saying is the truth. He attacks personally to try to discredit people, I saw him do this to other reviewer’s in the past and I’m still making this review. When I went to the city to begin filing a lawsuit against him they knew him very well for all the wrong reasons. He has a reputation in the city and at the city office for poor conduct as a landlord.
Do yourself a favor and those you’re going to live with and rent elsewhere this is not a place to live.

I leased from D&E Management — now named Green Rock Apartments — for about a year and a half. I ended up not re-​leasing because I moved in with someone, but I most certainly would have stayed otherwise. This was my fourth apartment in the Twin Cities area and by far the best rental experience I had. Why? So glad you asked…
Dale (the owner) offers numerous opportunities to be «green» with minimal effort. He provides means of recycling just about anything between the mixed content dumpsters (very convenient) down to buckets in the basement for batteries, light bulbs, and a number of other harder-​to-​recycle items. There are also compost bins at each location. They offer payment incentives for the lowest electric bill each month and it’s actually pretty easy to win. He is completely committed to respecting our environment, which he definitely evangelizes about, but he does not mandate it or police your personal behavior. If you have ideas for increasing energy efficiency, he is more than willing to entertain them. I asked for a new bump strip on my door last winter and it was installed within days. When the chain in my older model toilet broke, he had a brand new high efficiency one installed the next business day. It often feels like pulling teeth to get landlords to make repairs on non-​emergency things, but D&E will get to it ASAP even if you tell them that there is no rush. Oh and paperless bill pay — you can just pay your rent online. Super easy.
My apartment was gorgeous, beautifully maintained, and extremely affordable. This was the nicest apartment in this price range (around 650 for a one bedroom) that I was able to find in Northeast or any other region of the city. Highlights: nice paint colors, solid cabinetry, new big windows, unique floor plan, great closet space, free off street parking, and a very neighborly feel.
Any neighbor-​based issues were quickly resolved and I felt like Dale was generally fair in his approach to those. Dale’s writing style is pretty straightforward, but I know sometimes his sense of humor and rushed disposition can come off as a bit abrasive. In spite of this though, I think his commitment to the business, the tenants, and the environment is what shines through. He wants your rental experience to be positive and if there are any issues, I believe he is fair as long as you clearly explain your side of things. Case in point, I had a couple questions about my returned deposit after move-​out. I articulated my concern, he heard them, and the outcome was totally fair and satisfactory to me.
As with all owner/​tenant issues, the lease provides the bottom line, so make sure you know what’s in it and if you have a problem, use the lease to justify your position. That goes for anywhere you rent.

I recently got out of a lease with D & E Management this June. In the beginning, I thought Dale was awesome. I loved the apartment; it was beautiful, well maintained, and repairs were done promptly.
Great. Right? Well, there was a downside. First off, he could not get my name right. He insisted on calling me «Riley» (my roommate’s last name). Dale became very overwhelming and intrusive. He is very environment-​friendly, which is fine. However, he pushes this point excessively. At one point, he sent out an e-​mail detailing how we could recycle every item we use in our lives. He stated that he would eventually like to eliminate all waste at his sites and have only a small bin for food items that need to be thrown away (the only thing that cannot be recycled, or so I assumed from the e-​mail).
He informed me in early March that he would be showing my unit to prospective tenants. Keep in mind, this was 5 months before the end our lease and we gave him no indication that we did not plan on resigning our lease. I requested that the apartment not be shown until I had decided whether or not I wanted to resign the lease (stated in the lease that I must notify him 60 days before the end of the lease)
Six months before the end of my lease (August 1^st), my roommate essentially moved home to her parents, paying $ 400/​month for a place she never stayed at. At that time, I rescued a 5 year old lab from the humane society. I did not expect Dale to allow me to have the dog at the apartment, so I decided to keep my dog at my parents until my lease was up. I did call his secretary, Jade, to confirm the pet policy at my apartment. She stated that dogs were not allowed, which I understood.
I informed Dale about the situation with my roommate (who had essentially moved out) and my new dog. I explained to him that I understood that I was obligated to pay rent until the end of the lease, but requested that he change the availability for my unit to open up the possibility of renting it out earlier. He told me he would do what he could.
During this process of showing my apartment, I received several rude e-​mails from Dale and Jade regarding the «cleanliness» of my apartment during showings. During that time, I had basically moved back to my parents (bringing my pets with me). Dale never gave me proper notice as to when he was showing the apartment so I could clean my apartment (to his high standards) prior to the showing. He would often text or call around 9pm to inform me of a showing the next morning. On a few occasions, he texted my dad’s phone number regarding the showings. Thus, this information was sometimes not relayed to me until after the showing had occurred.
The incident that really crossed the line for me was coming home to my apartment after a week, only to find that my roommate’s and my bed were haphazardly made (I distinctly remember not making my bed prior to leaving, and I would never make my bed in such a fashion). I also noticed that Dale had taken it upon himself to turn off all the circuit breakers for my unit, leaving my apartment freezing during an unusually cold spring in Minnesota.
That night, Dale contacted me to inform me that he had potentially rented out the unit for June 1^st. I searched Craigslist to view the ad for our unit. Dale had posted the ad just that night, and he stated in the ad that the unit would not be available until August 1^st. Also, the ad stated that dogs were allowed at the residence.
Upset, I e-​mailed Dale the next day expressing my concerns and disappointment regarding the availability date and pet policy that contradicted what I was told. Dale responded with a very unapologetic e-​mail and stated that if I wanted my dog at the apartment, I would have to pay an additional $ 250 non-​refundable pet deposit (keeping in mind that I only have 3 months left and I had been commuting 60 miles one way from my parents because of my dog). I was appalled.
I responded with a threat to bring him to court for violating my privacy and failing to give proper notice before entering my unit. After a few weeks, we compromised. He released me from my lease on June 1^st, without the return of my security deposit.
Overall, it was not a good experience. The property itself was very nice and decently priced, but dealing with Dale is just not worth it.

I am so appalled at the actions of Mr. Dale Howey and the rest of D&E Management. I grew up in Minneapolis and never have I gone through such a dishonest and blatantly prejudiced experience.
I am relocating from Chicago back to Minneapolis and I contacted D&E Management about viewing an apartment in one of their properties that is close to Downtown. I took a trip back home and viewed the apartment and really liked what I saw. After an email correspondence with Mr. Howey where I explained that I needed to rent an apartment before July 1, I sent in an application, the $ 30 fee, and a letter explaining everything I was interested in.
I did not hear back from D&E, nor was my check cashed for a week. I called and left messages and also sent an email to no response. Finally, after my check had been cashed, Mr. Howey emailed me and informed me that there were no availabilities in the building I had been interested in, and it wouldn’t be available for two months! He then informed me that there was another property I could look at, but it wasn’t available until ⁸⁄₁.
Well, that leaves me currently homeless. I went back on Craigslist today and lo and behold, the apartment that I wanted, the one that went from four availabilities to none in a week, was suddenly being advertised again. The same property was re-​listed with availabilities starting July 1^st.
I am still waiting on my refunded $ 30 check that should have never been cashed. D&E and Mr. Howey have some shady business practices. Please do your research with this company before sending them any money. I know $ 30 is not a big deal, but the fact that I am suddenly homeless is.