Portola Property Management

It is rare that I write reviews but I simply have to in case it can save anyone else from using this company. Everything here was a nightmare for me. We had a good cop/​bad cop pair of agents to work with. The bad agent was a nightmare. I had an application completed for a house we were interested in which was turned in on the 3^rd of July. It sat there with no contact until the 9^th of July at which point we were told we were approved and had 48 hours to accept. the next day we were told the house was no longer listed by them and we could no longer be considered for the house. Super unprofessional. However, when I tried to get our packets with much sensitive credit info back, I was told I couldn’t have the originals and I could only pick-​up mine, not my mother’s. The one agent was continually rude and difficult. We constantly got differing info. we have since dealt with a very good property management company and it was just easy, smooth and quick.

We’ve rented through Portola for the past 2.5 years. We moved from out of state and they worked with us to make sure we were able to settle in. For the years we rented with them they were friendly, courteous and responsive. And, when our landlord unexpectedly decided to move back into the property, Portola worked to try to get our lease extended and then went out of their way to try to find us another property. They were fantastic!

It is very hard to find a property manager with the combination of skills like Kathleen Richards and her team. They are very nice and friendly while at the same time maintaining a very high standard for the property. They manage properties for some of my clients and I have only received rave reviews from my clients that have properties managed by PPM.

Portola goes above and beyond. Treated properties like her own. Most important to owners she finds the right tenant. Excellent screening process. Not your typical management company just trying to find a warm body. Treats her vendors with respect She paid me out of her own pocket for work an owner didn’t feel was her responsibility. A owner can trust Kathleen and her team will care for your investment. I have been working with them for five years and am always amazed at their diligence. I noticed many negative reviews here on Unilocal and see that they are disgruntled tenants mostly. Hmm I know that they always look out for the tenant best interest as well. I have seen them protect tenants from paying exorbitant repair costs when they move out by owners unrealistic expectations as well. So know whether you are a landlord looking for great representation or a tenant looking for a fair management company you can trust Portola Property Management to look out for your best interests.

I had to sue them in court for unlawful eviction. I won.
Renting from them was a nightmare. Anyone who trusts them to handle their property is a fool and will get burned.

I’ve had previous bad experience with property managers and I’m pleased to say that it was a pleasure to deal with Kathleen Richards and Susi ValldeRuten for tenant placement service. They were not only prompt and courteous, but very knowledgeable. They provided both the renter and us with a clearly worded contract. I’m very happy with their service.
Bruce D.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, DO NOT USE THEM!!! Terrible customer service. Unresponsive, Very unprofessional, they will nickle and dime you to death!

Having been in the real estate business for over 7 years, I have found Portola Property Management to be very unprofessional.
They do not respond to property emergencies in a timely manner.
Have unfair policies such as a $ 250 «paperwork fee» if a tenant moves out, not to mention – if more than two people move out, everyone is kicked out (ask about all their procedures before signing anything!)
And lastly, they knit-​pick and take $ out of your deposit even if you have the house professionally cleaned.
All in all, we have found this company very difficult to deal with, unhelpful, and unreasonable.

I had read such great things about this property management company but was very disappointed today when I spoke to them about a property they have listed for rent.
As HZ mentioned, they are very unfriendly toward out-​of-​towners. We live in San Jose and called on Saturday morning to see a place in Santa Cruz. The machine said we would have our call returned within 24 hours. Instead, we received a return call Monday morning at 9:45 a.m. saying they were showing the property at 10:30 a.m. that same day. I asked if there was another day this week to see the place since I work in San Jose and could not make it. Susie made it pretty clear they preferred to show the apartment to everyone at once.
When I mentioned that my boyfriend was traveling and I normally take video so he can see the property she flat out refused to show me the property unless both of us were there at the same time. Susie, informed me that they don’t have time to show the apartment more than once a week and would definitely not show us the property at two different times. She was very inflexible and borderline rude. The conversation was uncomfortable and she really made me feel bad because we could not work around their very limited schedule. I wish we had been able to come to a compromise but after a lot of back and forth I gave up and just thanked her for her time. It was clear that she wasn’t friendly and wasn’t going to be flexible with us about anything.
I am willing to give them one more try and will write a follow-​up review if I have a better experience, but for now I would say overall the staff was rude, inflexible and didn’t live up to the reviews I have read.