Hunter Properties

After leasing a Cardiff home from Hunter Properties for nearly 12 years (see my previous review), the owner decided to sell. Kelly was extremely considerate and accommodating by giving us 5 months notice, the option to buy, and giving us the option of moving early if we found another place sooner… which is exactly what happened. Through it all, Kelly and Bruce made the process as easy as it could possibly have been. They were showing the property while we were still there and always asked if it was convenient. Now that we are in a new home which is managed by the owner (who is a lovely person), we really appreciate the wonderful service we had from Hunter Properties. We never worried because Hunter took such excellent care of us and the home. Of course, we treated the home as if it was our own and always kept it in tip top shape… and Hunter appreciated our efforts. We now need to handle all service calls and repair issues ourselves by contacting the owner or his buyers coverage insurance carrier. We miss Hunter Properties and the fabulous service they provided. They are top notch property managers! Thank you Kelly, Bruce, and staff for everything you did for us!

We have rented our house through Hunter Properties for many years and couldn’t be happier. They have always worked hard to keep our house occupied and they do a very good job of screening tenants. Kelly and Bruce and their team are always available and they take care of repairs in a timely manner. They are responsive to both the tenants and the homeowners. We especially appreciate the way they prepare monthly statements and make monthly deposits on time. We highly recommend them!

I’m an owner and I’ve experienced nothing but good service and support from this company. They screen all rental applicants and I trust their judgement when they feel there might be an issue with someone. I also love their contractors and maintenance people who I know do not overcharge and care about my properties. I appreciate the job they do and will continue to use them with any future rentals I own. I’m putting in 5 stars because I trust them.

Last Saturday my wife and I drove to Encinitas to view a condo that Hunter Properties were showing at 1.30pm — 2pm. I initially phoned Laura about the place when it appeared on Craigslist 12 days ago but I was told they were not showing it until Jan 17… last Saturday. This was a bit of a pain because we had already looked at other rentals and needed to make decision. When we got there a property manager named Nicole showed up and stood the whole time in one spot inside the property while telling us and 2 other prospective tenants that they charge $ 40 a person to run a credit check and after completing an application we had to leave a deposit of $ 1000.Nicole stated that it had to be a banker’s check for $ 1000…no personal checks accepted. The $ 1000 banker’s check holding deposit was to show we were all serious about renting this dilapidated town house they managed. Of course my wife and I only pay for credit checks when we want to secure a rental property for ourselves. But no, these bozos wanted to hit every individual interested with a $ 40 credit check fee each plus a $ 1000 banker’s check deposit per application… before they had even selected who they were going to rent it
wife is going to report these stooges to the BBB. And the condo was a dump anyway. AVOID THESE SCAMMERS!!!
Update after pathetic response from the owner of Hunter Properties.
We have never heard of any property manager demanding a banker’s check for a holding deposit prior to approval. Your company claimed the condo had recent upgrades including being freshly painted but the large rear patio was in desperate need of new paint all over. Your property manager Nicole has very poor communication skills. Your explanation for Hunter Properties’ shady procedures demonstrates a clear lack of intelligence and integrity on your behalf. We are relieved we didn’t rent the condo off you.
Further update after another added comment from the owner.
My wife and I were at the condo for over 30 minutes and saw only one another couple and a single man inspect the place in that time. The condo was still listed on Craigslist, HotPads, Zillow and Trulia two weeks after we looked at it. And it was substandard!

Two thumbs down for Hunter. Their professional standards are very low and their ability to work together with homeowners was very limited. Our main contact was Nicole there, but the other staff were no better. They managed our property for about three years. Communication from their side was consistently poor. We rarely knew what was going on and were regularly misinformed by the staff. A satellite dish was installed on our roof without our permission and we only found out when we toured the property ourselves. Also our lease did not allow pets but Hunter approved a puppy against our expressed instructions! The staff at Hunter do not listen, they are too busy covering up their own mistakes.

I was recommended to look into Hunter Properties from a friend who rents from them, and gave the two thumbs up. All the gals in the office are very nice, and helpful and anytime I have had a maintenance issue, I feel it was fixed in an extremely timely manner. We really love where we live, our neighbors, and would recommend Hunter Property Management Company to those who are looking for a place to call home that isn’t like the traditional apartment style renting. Two thumbs up here!

I would steer clear for everyone’s sake. What a headache! The management team says one thing and does another. We used them to manage our property for about 3 years and lived out of state. We have a large yard and a good gardener who keeps an eye out for us so that helps. The real issues were followup.
Issue 1, we listed «no pets» and come by announced for a walk through and there is a new dog and the tenants seemed to be surprised that we showed up even though everyone had agreed ahead of time. Dog droppings everywhere in the yard. We were told we could ask the tenants to give up the dog but we are not that cruel. We love dogs and do know how destructive they are since we have 2.
Issue 2, we had a couple of irrigation floods and they seem to just ask the gardener to fix leaks that are way more complex than a gardener can handle. If they came by they would understand the extent of the problem and get the appropriate person to work on the problem. There is no communication as the what the problem is at the time and just a large bill at the end of the month.
There was a walk through by the property manager within the past few months and they did not notice that during the heat wave this year that the tenants decided to run an extension cord out the window for a portable air conditioning unit and along the ground to a plug outside to plug in outside of the house. This is exactly where the irrigation pipe started flooding the second time. The appropriate order of how to manage the AC system would have been to ask to get the appropriate electrical set up indoors for those units rather than run extension cords outside and create a fire risk. I am pretty sure the manager did not see the potential problem. If it shorted out at the outside electrical outlet, the potential fire damage would be huge.
Issue 3, Ornamental heavy metal items we had installed with bolts and screws are gone and no one seems to know when they were taken. Unfortunately we believed that people would enjoy nice things and they would remain there.
Issue 4, installation of a TV satellite dish on the roof without our consent recently. The dish was not there 2 years ago and they claimed it had been there for years. We know the roof is old and would not authorize that the dish be installed on the roof. The consequences are felt by us because we will have to repair the roof when the damage occurs and they act like it is not a problem… because it is not their home.
I will give them credit for finding the very nice tenants we have who are responsible so I place most of the issues we have had with Hunter is the management’s hands.

a TRULY wonderful property management company that takes the needs of their owners and their tenants into consideration — ALWAYS! They have mastered the importance of good, strong and balanced communication between both parties — and pride themselves on quick, efficient work to get the job done! I believe they are the best property management company in North County San Diego!

Solid professional property management firm which managed my Encinitas condo for 14 years with sterling results. Fast, responsive, and professional. Much recommended.

Hunter Properties are your typical Slum Lords. They could give a rat’s ass about the people living in the properties they manage. In fact, the property I lived which they managed had rats, and it took them months before mobilizing on the issue. Even so, after two years with a perfect rental history, when making an innocent mistake writing the wrong amount on a rent check by accident, they had the audacity to charge me a late fee of $ 90. Beyond the fee, I found this to be a violation of basic human decency. Had they bothered to email me, the issue would have been settled easily. But as they noted, per their lease, such a notice was not required. Rather, they decided to file paperwork for eviction on the assumption that I had jumped ship.
I would strongly recommend not doing business with this company.

Kelly and Laura made my house sale a surprisingly easy and smooth transaction. This was particularly valuable, since while I’m deployed to Afghanistan. I would definitely do business with Hunter again.

I have lived in my home for more than 3 years and the staff at Hunter always greets me with a smile and are quick to solve any issue. From a second vent fan being put into my bathroom to cleaning out my drier duct Lorrie, Kelly and Bruce are always available and schedule an appointment with in the next few days.

You know what’s strange?! Unilocal filtered all the good reviews so you have to click in «more filtered reviews» to see the great reviews.
Anyways, from getting into my apartment to any type of maintenance and repairs that need to be done, Nicole at hunter properties has made my experience very positive. They answer the phone, treat me with respect, and get repairs done within days of a complaint if not the same day. I am extremely happy with the customer service and efficiency of hunter properties. I have a very good feeling about having a lease through them and I love my apartment.

I have lived in my apt. a little over a year now and I have had nothing but good experiences with all the girls at Hunter Properties. I have not rented an apt for a very long time, I also own a home I rent out. Hunter properties treats me with the kindness and respect that I give my own tenants. Recently, I went through the process to get a therapy dog to live with me. Kelly was so nice when all paperwork was accepted and it was a go. I do want to thank everyone for there help as my quality of life is much better!
NI

We just got a place and love it! The location, big windows and quiet neighborhood are just what we were looking for. The application process was fast and painless. The property is well maintained; nice color of paint, clean and nice carpets.

As both a property owner and tenant, I have high standards when I’m working with a management company and was pleasantly surprised to discover the lightening speed response time of the Hunter Properties team. When I was forced to quickly move earlier this year, they had me in a new place within a matter of weeks that accomodated both my budget and school district requirements. When the occasional repair has been needed, their vendors are calling to schedule within minutes of me getting off the phone with Hunter… If you’re looking to rent or have someone manage your property, give their team a shout.

I used Hunter Properties last year to rent a place and have nothing but praise for Nicole and how she handled the entire transaction from showing the place to explaining the process from applying to signing on the dotted line. She informed me that there was a lot of interest on the property so I had to move quickly if I wanted it. I moved quickly on the place and was approved and have been in the place now since last May and couldn’t be happier. Because the property I am renting is in an HOA community, there are a lot of HOA rules and regulations to conform to and Nicole keeps me apprised of all changes or routines that will affect my unit. I have had nothing but success with Hunter Properties to date in any inquiries or maintenance requests. I hope to continue with a lease renewal this year.

My experience with Hunter Properties has been overall good. When we had some maintenance issues and it did take a while for someone to come out, but once he did he took care of everything fantastically and even fixed something we hadn’t noticed. Our specific property and the overall community are well taken care of and feel very safe.

I rarely ever write a review, however others should be warned!
I called on a rental that had just been posted, which I knew I wanted to rent. I spoke to Nicole and explained how long I had been looking for a suitable home to rent and that I would like to see the place ASAP. I was told that the listing had just gone up and it would be a week or so till they had a showing in which anyone who was interested could come take a look. I spoke with her for another 10 minutes at least asking simple questions about the property, which she couldn’t answer half of. I gave my name and # so she could call me when I could see it. After the conversation I just felt unsettled, I knew I really wanted the home and was afraid if I didn’t take action to get in there I might miss out. I called back less than 2 hours from my 1^st call and told Nicole again that I knew I wanted to rent the place, so much so that I was willing to pay 3 months rent plus all deposits up front. I knew my credit was golden, so it shouldn’t be a problem there. I told her I realized they probably wanted to have as many prospective tenants as possible look at it so they could choose the best one for the client they were representing. What I heard next made my heart sink.
Nicole informed me that she was very sorry but someone had come in that morning with an application on the place and the $$$ and that it was first come first serve, so she was going to be showing the house to him later that day. I asked her if she had already known this when I spoke with her earlier. The answer was no, so I then asked her why she hadn’t let me know that it was 1^st come 1^st serve, and technically I had called before this person came in so I felt I should have the opportunity to be considered as well if not 1^st! Her reply was «well I didn’t know, we’re doing the best we can here». At this point I’m thinking, you didnt know? How long have you worked there? After looking more closely at the website, she has been there 3 years. I also saw that they state on the website that it is first come first serve, which I did not know when calling her because I was calling from my car via 411, while sitting in front of the house I so badly wanted to rent. At first she said that maybe I could come see the house too, but then took it back saying she had told the people it was just one person. I was still determined to have a chance at this home however, so I started scrambling to get my application, money order for deposit, bank statements ect, ready to take in.
Then I stopped, took a deep breath and thought to myself «this is not right, do I really want to put myself through all of this and end up disappointed and out 40 bucks for my app fee? I figured if this fellow that she was showing the house to didn’t end up qualifying for whatever reason, I would hear from her. Well I never did hear from her and funny thing about it is, the house has been posted on Craigslist 5 more times since then. I have not gotten in contact with her again, simply because I feel she is one of two things– either not on it, or not honest. Neither of which is something I want to deal with in a landlord. I may have had a better outcome had I spoken directly to the broker/​owner, I would hope that she is more professional. However she did hire this person, my hope for her is that she did so because this girl was a family member or friend of the family and felt obligated to do so. I will tell you, it is not helping her business to have someone like this working there. Bottom line. Proceed with your eyes open, if you really want a place they have listed you better get your butt in there and if possible go straight to the top when dealing with them, maybe you’ll have a better experience!

Although I didn’t have much experience with property management companies when looking for a new place after 20 yrs! in the same rented from owners house, I have had good luck with Hunter Properties in Cardiff. They really were understanding about a snafu I went through after leasing a place and then having to cancel after family issues — and then needing the same condo after all. There were a few things that needed fixing when we moved in but they got right on it and even got a new dishwasher installed in a timely manner. They are always polite and just nice. Hope to stay put for a good long while!