ProMax

I hired Promax to manage my property as a rental since I was moving out of town. It was a nightmare that cost me thousands of dollars, as apparently they couldn’t be bothered to get my house on the market. If you are looking for a professional management firm that will treat you and your financial investment with respect, are responsive and do what they say they will do then do not hire Promax.

Please do not rent a property managed by this company. My husband and I had nothing but problems and issues from day 1. We originally wanted to buy a house but figured renting a home for a year or two would help us save some extra money. The day we moved in the stove/​oven was not working. We didn’t bother to check the stove the first day because we were busy moving. The next night, which happened to be a Friday, we go to use the stove, it’s dead. It was about 4:45pm when we called so of course no answer and we didn’t hear from anyone until Monday. We ended up having to buy microwaveable food/​eating out at restaurants. They reimbursed me for the restaurant food but refused to reimburse for everything else we had to buy to eat I had had plenty of food that we could have eaten but were unable to so this ended up being an additional expense. In my head, I was thinking let’s just buy food that is easy to make to save the landlord/​company money. What a mistake that ended up being.
While we were living there, we had raw sewage start to back up into one of the showers. At first they didn’t believe us and we have to send them a picture to even get then to address the issue. We had to clean it up ourselves AND it took the owner a week to get back in touch with Promax to have the problem fixed. What is the point of having a management company if we ended up having to live with raw sewage in our house for a week?
While there, we must have had everything break on us. The faucet in the main bathroom, the faucet on the main bathroom tub, the garbage disposal, etc. When they came to fix these issues, they replaced everything with the cheapest crap they could find so things ended up re-​breaking. The house was advertised as newly renovated. Once we were living there, we realized that it was not newly renovated. It was probably renovated somewhere from 5 – 7 years ago and the renovations done were complete garbage. The grouting used was not the correct kind and I would have to bleach it to get it clean. They used latex paint on the walls so it would peel off after only using a command hook.
They require 60 days notice prior to the end of the lease if you are vacating. The owner wanted to raise the already high rent another $ 100 so we decided that we would buy a house instead of renewing the lease because we had had such a terrible experience. They put a tacky for rent sign on the house while we were still living there and in the lease it says that they can show the house to prospective renters. Well, day one into the 60 days, we had people knocking on the door to look at the house. I did not want a lock box because I have had realtors give me codes to let me into houses without the realtor being present. Since we were living there still and in the middle of packing, I asked the company if they could wait a few weeks to show the property. We were moving out a month prior to our lease end and the house would be empty and a lock box would be possible then. We had boxes piled high in the living room and basement and the place was chaotic. They refused to wait and were nasty about it. They were like it’s in your lease so you have to. Whatever. It was in their best interest to wait because like a said, the place was a mess because we were packing. They went forward anyway. They told us we would receive 4 hours notice prior to people looking at the house. Well, we had people showing up at the door without calling. My son got the flu so we asked one realtor if they could schedule a different time to come and then we had Promax calling us saying that we were refusing to show the house. Really? I had realtors show up without calling while we are in the middle of moving and they were asking us to sit and wait at the house for two hours while they brought their client back. Not how that works when you are supposed to call and schedule a time.
When we started to clean the house after we finished moving everything out, we realized that the list of items that the tenant is responsible for is ridiculously long and almost impossible to complete. We moved into an absolutely disgusting house that was not cleaned prior to move in and the lease basically says that the house had to be in better condition than when we moved into it. Well, we cleaned and did everything on that list. It took us forever. When we tried to get our deposit back, they charged us for cleaning out the shed and pest extermination. Everything we left in the shed was there when we moved into the house and we didn’t have a single issue with bugs while we lived in the house. My husband was there for the final inspection and no one mentioned seeing any bugs. Plus we had been out of the house for weeks at that point. We had to pay over $ 400 of our deposit for them to spray.
If you are a property owner, make sure you are physically checking on the property! You may think Promax is doing it. But I promise you, they are doing the absolute bare minimum.

We rented through ProMax for two years. After we signed the lease, we did have some unpleasant communication & customer service issues but they were with a particular employee who is no longer there. In the beginning, I was worried after reading the Unilocal reviews, but our experience turned out to be great. We really ended up just working with Tom and Rachel. They we both awesome. When our heat went out one winter Rachel was on top of things constantly checking on us and calling after office hours. They were both very quick to respond to any inquiries we had. Rachel also provided great service when our dishwasher and hot water heater all went out the 2 years we lived there. (all those items were original from when the house was built about 15 years ago). I tip I have is to leave the house cleaner/​nicer than you received it and ask if the homeowner has a home warranty and what that means for you before renting. (Sometimes it can take a bit longer to have work done if the homeowner has a warranty. Not Promax’s fault)

I have upgraded my original review from 2 stars to 3 stars. Mr. Riddell was helpful in getting my issue resolved. He was also helpful in resolving another issue in a timely manner (A/​C unit not working). I am thankful for his help.
However, it frustrates me that I now have to go directly to him, the owner of the company, in order to get action. His staff is slow to respond and usually send an email response after a phone call was requested.
Promax is showing signs of improvement. I hope they keep it up!
Mr. Riddell, your customer service has been great. Now you need to train your staff to deliver the same quality.

Terrible communication, even worse response. I had a feral cat living in the crawl space for 2 months waiting for them to approve an exterminator. The cat tore a hole in the floor and removed a sizable amount of insulation which they never replaced or repaired. They told me the day before move-​out that there was a Homeowners Association violation (without producing the letter) and demanded immediate action. The dryer sparked and burned me, but they did not replace it.
Don’t rent a property which they manage.

It appears it is time for an update! Since my last posting, we have experienced:
–Continued issues with the same expensive toilet
–Three separate pipe leaks in different areas of our home
–A contractor that got a snake stuck when doing routine plumbing such that holes needed to be drilled in the ceiling to fix the problem
–A rude email from the Promax President who got his panties in a twist over my previous Unilocal post

I’m only writing this review because when I first moved into the property Talon who works for Promax asked me to write a review. I agreed. However, I didn’t think I should write a review based on getting the keys. I knew to wait until after my lease was up. Well I rented for 1 year and literally from day 1 the property turned out to be like the movie ‘Money Pit’. There were dead roaches in the kitchen under the stove. The place was gross. The fridge glass broke. The ADT alarm went off and no-​one gave me a code. I felt like I set a record in the number of calls from the 1^st week for maintenance and help. They did repair the glass. They did send out a horrible cleaning service to clean the place. I continued to have so many issues from bed bugs to messed up drains, and leaks. It ended up being that the bottom line is the landlord is a complete jerk. My issue with Promax and why I signed a lease for a maintenance company as a renter. I wasn’t an owner. I didn’t want to have to watch YouTube videos to learn to fix things myself. I didn’t want to be responsible for anything but the basics of being a renter. However, as that home fell apart I repeatedly got either no help of a response that they couldn’t help due to the landlord. Remember they don’t work for you. They work for the landlord. So support is not something that you will get from this company. The one star is because someone actually stepped in and paid for what I was out with the bed bug issue out of their personal money despite the landlord refusing to reimburse me. I didn’t even get proper notification about my lease. I called because I didn’t get pool passes (btw I never got my parking passes either), and I asked about my lease. The woman says «oh yeah I think the landlord is going to need her place back». I was stunned. I had to rush to plan to move out and get my kid’s in a new school. It was a horrible experience.
Despite filming before and after video and taking photos and professionally cleaning the place, I still didn’t get my security deposit back. If you’re considering renting a place that is managed by these people-don’t. RUN! Unless you are fine with not having any support as a renter. And dealing with a prick on your way out of the door.
That experience was a blessing in disguise because I was so disgusted by that experience that I vowed never to rent again. And i did so much in that home by m myself that I said I mind as well own my own. I didn’t want to buy in Virginia but i said WTH and did because I will never deal with low-​life landlords and neglectful property managers again! YEAH!!!

I have now been in a rental property managed by ProMax for a year. The property manager and support team have been very good in responding to requests for maintenance and they have acted efficiently and professionally as an intermediary between tenant and owner to resolve issues as they arose.

I’ve been renting through promax for over 2 years. They are incredibly responsive and pleasant to work with! I doubt people bother ever writing a good review. I’ve yet to have a bad experience after multiple issues (pests, issues with next door neighbors, maintenance requests, etc.)
We’ll see what happens when it’s eventually time to move out — hopefully the past few years will be an indication of what’s to come!

I have used Promax to manage three properties for several years. They, Ron, in particular have been outstanding. They do a perfect job of raising issues, giving advice to the landlord, and balancing the interests of tenants and investors. Ron Riddell should be teaching at Harvard Business School because I have never seen anybody manage his staff as effective as him. I have not had a bad experience with any staff member. They are responsive but more importantly, they are knowledgeable when they respond. I, without reservation, recommend them.

Mr. Riddell,
You were given ample and repeated opportunities at the time to step in and resolve the problems we encountered. You declined at each such opportunity and hid behind your staff. Calls went unreturned, e-​mails were ignored, as was a certified letter. It took a credible threat of a lawsuit to finally dislodge my security deposit.
I no longer reside in the area, and we are years on from this incident. You had numerous chances to resolve the mess you and your staff created, and you declined at the time. Why now?

My complaints have been covered by all of the other reviews, specifically the hypocrisy with move in conditions versus what they take out from your security deposit.
However what I found most it infuriating was the LACK of customer service! And you can tell how little they care about customer opinion because the only time they comment on reviews is when they were given a compliment. They never once apologized, tried to explain, or even acknowledged CONSISTENT negative feedback!

With a tight rental market in Va this company takes advantage of circumstances. They were very unresponsive when it came to complaints regarding things that broke down in the house. They sent staff that was not able to fix things. when they did they were clearly overcharging the owner of the house for services as they ask you to sign service records and you can see charges to the owner. They took forever to return the deposit and even though we went very thoroughly cking everything they asked us to do, they still charged ridiculous amount of money for things that we were not responsible for. Like removing things from walls that were there before we moved in. So now you move out, you are out of the state, what are you going to do? Take them to court in VA??? Owner or renter I would not recommend PROMAX Realty VA to anyone.

Promax managed my property in Woodbridge for three years, and I have nothing but wonderful things to say about them. I was living 600 miles away, and when problems arose, they dealt with it while communicating with me every step of the way. They took excellent care of my property, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it in the same condition I left it when I moved back in last month. Notice all of the negative ratings are from tenants, who are most likely upset about being held accountable for giving adequate notice on breaking their lease or for having to clean up after themselves. It’s called basic responsibility.

Excellent service with Promax! In 2011 my property owner turned management over to Promax. Over the course of the year I had interactions with every department and received excellent, courteous and prompt service everytime! Easy online rental payment system, quick response to matenaince requests and most importantly I felt they always had my best interests in mind. They were accommodating, flexible and professional… I would certainly recommend them!

I am a long time landlord and have turned one property over to Promax and am in the process of turning over a second.
These guys are incredible. The owner Ron should teach management at Harvard Business School. Every individual I have dealt with at this organization has been A+.
I had a very difficult tenant that they have completely turned around that works with them very well. Not once have they complained how much work they have to do.

All I have to say is to look for all the previous renters and owners and sue their a****! They are crooks!
I can’t believe they are still in business!
I wonder if I still can slap them with a lawsuit after 2 years?!
Who’s with me?:)
I video taped and took pictures of the property before we moved in! We only lived there for 5 years. We were responsible renters! Every time there was a problem we called Promax right away!
When we moved out PROMAX wanted us to carpet clean the whole house! We got PROFESSIONAL CARPET CLEANERS to clean the whole house!
Only to find out that Promax pulled up all the old carpets in the house after we moved out!
How do I know? Because our old neighbors told us that!
We also complained about the carpet because it was worn and slippery!
Obviously the carpet that PROMAX removed came with the house which was probably build in the early 90′ and moved into that house early 2000 something…
We were only in that house for 5 years!
I kept a clean house and they know it. They also tried to charge me for a crack in some drywall. Which was ALREADY there when we moved in!
I called Promax several times after we moved out their property to discuss the issues, but Promax didn’t want to talk about it! Until I said that I have proof that some of the damage was there before us moving in!
So even with that proof we still didn’t get all of our security deposit back, because they blamed us for the worn out carpet! Really? We were only there for 5 years!
I OWN a new place now with new carpet that has been put in 4 years ago all through the house from top to bottom!
And guess what? After 4 years it still looks brand new!
To the new renters take pictures, video, paint, draw every little/​big damage you see before you move in or sign a agreement.
And to all those other people that had wonderful unicorns and rainbow experience with Promax… kudos to you!
Y’all must be more special than the people that had/​have issues with Promax. I wonder why?

I’m actually puking in my mouth a little as I think of my experience with Promax. No, really, I am. Read the other reviews, every single one of them is 100% true. Unethical thieves with little regard to human decency let alone proper customer satisfaction.
I’ll condense thoughts about how terrible Promax is, because honestly, I could write a book.
1. You’ll never hear from them, in a bad way. Have a leak? Oh well, your problem. A question? You’ll get a different answer from every single person you talk to, should they choose to respond to you. Some people pretend to help you but you’ll soon find out they’re either lying or just saying something to shut you up for the time being.
2. My biggest complaint– move out. As stated by the other reviewers, they are 100% completely unreasonable and unethical. Our place was 99% perfect when we moved out. Out of our $ 3000 security deposit we got back $ 721 dollars. They give you a list of «estimated costs» for things they’ll probably never do. Things that are ridiculous. Honestly, we feel like someone robbed us. How have they gotten away with this time and time again? We don’t know but we’re considering taking legal action, no joke.
3. The lease is ridiculous. When we first viewed the property it was listed through another real estate company and that is the person we deal with. She assured us that some of the things in the lease were probably just mentioned in a «general» way and wouldn’t be an issue for us. Not so. If you come across a Promax lease after viewing a property run away, and run quickly.
4. From the owners point of view I’d be majorly concerned too. We had several major concerns that we reported to Promax to only be ignored. Leaks, leaks that were showing up in the ceilings, possibly causes major damage over time. They were never fixed or looked at during our two year stay. Was the homeowner ever contacted? Probably not. Would they want this fixed or at least looked at? Uh, yeah, I would if it belonged to me.
Promax, you’re terrible. I won’t reiterate the blasphemy that spewed from my boyfriend’s mouth when we got our security deposit check back, but I will say I hate you. I really, really hate you.

I am writing from the tenant’s perspective. I lived in a property that was managed by ProMax for almost 3 years. My experience with them is that they don’t fulfill their obligations to the tenant and most likely to the owner. I also find them to be often adversarial in tone to the tenant. I know the owner is the customer, but they should also remember where the revenue is generated. It is almost impossible to get someone on the phone when you call and email responses come only if it is in their favor. Here are a few examples:
– When I first moved in, I got an email from the management company telling me all the things I SHOULD NOT do. This is after I had signed my lease that had my and their contractual obligations already spelled out. I found it set an adversarial tone immediately. I always felt like they treated me skeptically like some miscreant who was on the mission to destroy the owner’s house.
– Each year for lease renewal time, I’d fill out the renewal contract, mail AND email it in as well. I’d also ask for confirmation that the lease renewal had been received. In the two times I renewed my lease and despite multiple contacts each time, NO ONE EVER RESPONDED. My only indication was that my check was cashed each month.
–yearly maintenance was performed by the company the first year, after that no one ever showed up, despite the contract saying that certain maintenance was required and paid for by the landlord. I did a lot of the maintenance myself. If you are the owner, demand receipts.
–There tended to be a lack of office coordination. If I actually did talk to one person, that message never got to anyone else. There were a few times I would receive an email from someone in the office asking me to do something that I had already taken care of with someone else.
–I considered moving out after my second lease, but couldn’t find a good place to move, so I resigned a lease for the next year. So this means I received the checkout inspection appointment letter twice. Both years, it was the exact same form letter (which is OK) that said (paraphrasing here) «due to the high volume of checkouts at the end of the month, we need to inspect your property for checkout earlier in the month, around the 25−27^th. You will need to turn in your keys and be completely moved out at this point. There will be no refund for the earlier departure. You must leave utilities on for the rest of the month or be billed for utility shut off». So apparently it’s OK to charge me for rent when I don’t have enjoyment of the property to live there despite it being their inability to inspect to the lease schedule.
–Their check out conditions are ridiculous. THIS IN ITSELF IS A REASON NOT TO SIGN A LEASE WITH THEM. If I had to put the place back into the condition I arrived, that would be one thing, but the tenant handbook details a condition that is almost impossible to achieve. For example, when I arrived the fireplace was still dirty with ash still in it, yet upon departure I was expected to have the chimney professionally cleaned (I did). I also had a cleaner come through and do a high professional clean (when I moved in there was still food in the fridge!), yet I got billed $ 75 more dollars out of my deposit. I was also billed for repairs to the upstairs stair case where the OWNER had placed a baby gate and scratched up the wood. You can be present during the inspection if you want, but they clearly state up front that you can’t protest the inspection on the spot as they evaluate when the inspector returns to the office. They also state that you have no recourse to go back and do any repairs yourself… you turn in the keys at inspection and are at their whim for repair costs.
If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t rent a property from these guys. I bought a place in DC, and if I need to rent it at anytime I would never, in a million years, use them as my management company. HOMEOWNERS, AVOID THIS COMPANY…

Was really not a fan of this company. I lived at a property they managed for almost a year before we bought our own house. I won’t list all the problems we had with them, but here are a few:
When we moved in, the previous tenants had moved out less than a week before. Promax claimed there was no time to get maid service in to clean the place. It was completely filthy, and I had to clean it myself. This was fine, I brushed it off, but then when we moved out they expected it to be spotless.
Shortly after we moved in, we noticed there was no hot water. Promax sent somebody to check it out, and then charged us for it because the gas had been turned off. Really? We moved in less than 7 days after the last people moved out, and they already turned off the gas, and didn’t bother to mention it to us?
On one occasion, my husband forgot to sign a rent check. Several days after we had mailed the check, they called him while he was at work (and unable to take calls) on a Friday afternoon to ask him to come in and sign the check. By the time they opened again on Monday, we were past the 5-​day late period, and they charged us a late fee. Obviously it was our fault for not having signed the check, but I’m 90% positive they deliberately waited until the last minute to tell us.
A couple of months before we moved out, I found out the dishwasher had been recalled. When we called Promax, they insisted that we had to call the dishwasher company «to tell them what the problem was» and take care of it ourselves. The problem, clearly, was that the dishwasher had been RECALLED, and needed to be replaced. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the role of the property management company is to MANAGE the property, not tell the tenants to do it themselves.
ANYWAY, if you’re in the market for a property management company, I recommend looking elsewhere if you care at all about your tenants’ satisfaction.

Like the prior poster, my experience with Promax is they never take care of any problem you call them about. The tell you they will, but they do nothing. I have had trouble with the air conditioning and appliances and they told me if I don’t like a sweltering townhouse with appliances that do not work, then move out. I have never been anything but courteous with them but after calling at least ten times and mailing two letters explaining the problem, absolutely nothing has been done to take care of the issues.
I have managed property myself and taking care of problems with the property is really all you do to earn your fee other than collecting rent. This is not a hard job! I would advise anyone to stay away from these unprofessional do-​nothings posing as a property management company.