These are archived reviews of Acadian Properties from 2007. For more recent comments, please visit the entry.
2007-03-01 13:10:12 BEWARE!!! They are dishonest and do not take care of the properties! I am currently renting from Acadian (locked in a lease). I wish I had seen this before because I would never had rented with them if I knew. This all sounds way too familar, the events and problems at the place I am renting are all summorized in these comments. They lie, don't perform required maintenance, don't respond to calls. I have documents and pics of all the problems so far....sounds like it will be needed for move out and to get my huge deposit back. —RentersRights
2007-03-03 18:33:10 They told us they would replace the blinds that were bent, I thought they would be cool and didn't feel the need to put it on the move in sheet. They came to measure for the blinds several time, and then never replaced them. We gave them flak when we moved out so they charged us for brand new blinds on the move out. Thanks acadian. Oh, the back door window would not lock, it was a security risk. In my naivite I figured they would replace it when it was brought to there attention, no. they charged us for the back door, which didn't fit and let roaches in. It took several months to get the door in, and then several weeks for the repairs on the door to take place. I'm not even going to bring up the front door, but basically same thing happened. —StevenDaubert
2007-03-08 18:08:03 These people are the biggest piece's of shit alive. And you know what, I didn't even rent from them. This was just from trying to fill out an application! I made an appointment to see a property at 3:30. They said to fill out an application after that. I go see the property and ask for an application. They then tell me its due at 4! What the %#*&? Then they told me it was my fault for not having it in time! What a bunch of idiots! I'm sure they're all high school drop-outs and mad at the world for working a menial job. Eat a dick acadian! —JoeWaltz
2007-03-15 11:18:47 Just took a look at 1824 Raintree this morning... It's a dump, like a lot of their properties apparently. There's a big hole in one of the walls and the garage door leading to the back yard only opens about 10 inches and looks like it could be kicked off the hinges by an 11 year old. The bathrooms are in sad shape, and the bedrooms are small. Would've been a decent place 20 years ago, or if they'd have kept it up to date since then. A couple final gripes... they double booked my viewing appointment which seems pretty classy and also didn't show up on site at the specified time. I had to call them and when I did they said they require you to come into the office before going out to view a place. They never mentioned this policy when I made the appointment. Seems kind of important! Anyway, they're not my problem anymore as I'm currently shredding my rental app. —ThomasPomroy
2007-03-19 15:19:52 I've been looking at a couple properties that Acadian offers and tried to keep a balanced mind when dealing with them despite the negative press about them. However, I scheduled an appointment to look at a house and the booked me three weeks from the day and said I was the only person who had asked to see it and would be the first to do so. Also they added that people are not allowed to sign a lease unless the go on a showing of the unit first. I called a week later to verify my appointment and was told that this place had already had a lease signed, I asked how this could be since I was supposed to be the first to see it, he said he didn't know and then became rude and defensive when I inquired whether or not he or anyone in the office was planning on notifying me that it was pointless for me to view the unit now since a leased had been signed. He said a few more rude comments and hung up on me. I refuse to rent or even look at another Acadian Property and hope others will do so as well. —RobertYoung
2007-03-19 15:32:50 Oh and if anyone wants to contact the owner of Acadian Properties and let her know about your problems, her name is Lisha Shaw and her phone number is 530-867-1869...how I love public records —RobertYoung
2007-03-19 15:58:32 When my husband was a student he lived in a house owned by Acadian. He and his roommates were model tenants and yet did not get their deposit back. They were told that it was for minor repairs that were made when they moved out even though they had documentation showing that Acadian had already attempted to fix the problem while they were still renting. —MyaBrn
2007-03-22 00:12:07 i used to live at oakshade. nice place to live. it was cheap and spacious. after a year, when it comes time to renew leases, it takes the owners months and months to decide whether they want to convert oakshade into condos or let us renew our leases. this continues until late march, when most complexes have filled out most of their vacancies. they finally tell us they will not be renewing leases after all, and the manager (not the owners) apologize. these fuckers took their sweet fat time waiting to decide whether to let us know whether we could stay or whether we'd have to leave. now i (and everyone else i know in oakshade) are scrambling to find housing, in late march, right after finals, when i should be laying back and unwinding. they could of made up their minds a long time ago to give use tenants an easier time, but NOOOOO. the owners...i hate them. i hope they die old, senile and forgotten. i hope their children and grandchildren are retarded and deformed. —AndrewLee
2007-03-26 21:40:28 If you're thinking about moving in with Acadian, don't. A private owner will be far far easier to deal with. They tried to rip us off (not because they are mean or evil, just incompetent and greedy) and I ended up taking them to court. It was a long, painful, process. They offered to settle for half the amount once I *served* them (writing letters gets you NOWHERE, write once then serve them if they don’t comply). After a day in court, the judge awarded me 400 dollars (I sought 500). Do yourself a favor, take a million pictures, and then give Acadian copies right when you move in. Keep your own and make sure they are dated somehow. Details of my experience are here: http://www.digitalkarate.net/?p=8 —AlexGourley
2007-04-11 15:48:37 Wow, I cannot believe the encounter I just had at Acadian Management. I will spare you the details, but suffice to say they are rude, incompetent, and unprofessional. I missed the scheduled showing of an apartment because their system is so disorganized, and when I expressed irritation about not being able to see the property, they cancelled my appointment to look at a second property and refused to rent to me. After reading the comments here, I'm glad it happened. But wow! They certainly have some crazy people working in their office on B Street! —aafrancis
2007-04-12 12:48:30 THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY RUDE, INCOMPETENT AND COMPLETELY DISRESPECTFUL. I am guessing that the rude of a prick names joseph is the son of the property owners since that is most likely all he can do- Live off his parents as a trailer trash high school drop out!! Anyways, Chanell is no better ( and since her name is a trailer trash imitation of a designer name I could expect no more from her either). They are the most un-professional people I have ever had the misfortune of encountering!!! Do yourselves a favor and DON'T rent with them!! —MARGARITA
2007-05-03 18:14:00 My roommate and I just went to look at an Acadian property on Adams drive it looked REALLY nice everything brand new, but i've read all the comments and now i don't know! Does anybody live on 645 Adams Dr. that can tell me about the place? —dora
2007-05-09 16:11:15 Dora....you should also take a look at the place during night time. Allot of the properties have cockroaches and you will see them at night since that's when they tend to come out. If I had known about this site prior to signing a contract with them I would never had rented with them....my place also look very nice during the first time visit but once I moved in, it has been an uphill battle to get them to do "anything". They only cover pest (rats, spiders, ants, cockroaches, etc) for the first month, after that you are on your on with any infestations. Read everyones advice closely...DO NOT rent from them. —RentersRights
2007-05-23 18:21:37 The wife of the owner apparently is the manager for Mishka's and The Varsity Theater, she doesn't like the wiki much because of the personal attacks here towards her and her husband; but she does like the idea of the wiki, as such I think that the community should try to have a cooperative positive communication with these people and perhaps resolve these differences. Then again, I have never rented from this company, nor have I talked to this person much, I am a bit of an idealist. —DavidPoole
2007-05-24 20:55:08 I have a different take on Acadian. First, I am not a student. My wife works at the university and we moved here from boston 2 years ago and have been in an acadian managed property since then. My experiences with them have been mostly positive. They have taken care of repairs that I asked them to take care of, and even got the air conditioner fixed in the middle of the nasty heat wave of 2006. The employees have never been rude to me, and they always call when someone is coming around for routine maintenance work.
Sure, they are not down home and friendly, like you would get if your landlord live next door, and they are sticklers for following the rules they have. But to me that is reasonable. If they didn't, people would just walk all over them.
For people complaining about bugs and mice - they are all over Davis. It is part of living so close to farm land. Get a cat and get over it. —WilliamMead
2007-06-08 19:49:17 Well, I lived in an Oakshade Apartment for three years and just won my lawsuit against Acadian Properties. When my roommates and I moved in to our apartment the carpet was already three years old and well worn. In all, Acadian wanted more than two thousand dollars to replace five year old carpet. California Civil Code 1953.6 (I'd have to check my notes but im pretty sure thats it) hold that a landlord cannot charge a tennant for anything that would qualify as normal wear and tear, etc. Well, I told them I was right and we'd take them to court. We did,and we won. The Judge ruled that they had to pay us back some of our deposit and ruled that their claim for the Carpet was invalid. They also had to pay the $50 court filing fee. So, don't be afraid. Just threaten suit. Tell them Pete Shenkin sent you. —TheShenkbone
2007-06-14 09:47:44 I am an attorney who has filed a lawsuit against Acadian. I did not opt to go to small claims court. I filed an actual civil lawsuit in the Superior Court of California. As of June 2007, we are in discovery. In my complaint, I allege Acadian failed to provide adequate heat, failed to return approximately 99% of my security deposit, and even failed to give me the right key to my apartment on the first day of my lease. I allege, as a result, I had to sleep in a hotel that first night, and Acadian didn't even reimburse me for hotel expenses or even offer an apology! (I may publish the complaint on the internet soon since it is a public document, but must first check if it's permissible.) I'd appreciate any insight on your experiences with Acadian. Please email me at [email protected], and let me know of other useful websites such as this one that discuss Acadian.
(Sorry, I fixed the email problem. The address should work now.)
2007-07-03 12:21:09 i concur with 95% of the comments here. renting from acadian should be a last option only. you won't feel good about dropping a rent check off every month, actually you'll feel terrible. —joel
2007-07-27 10:12:55 I'm over with renting from these guys and on to better things, but as I was browsing this website I thought I should make a short post, maybe if enough people continue to write about their experiences it will help improve their practices. Some of the folks that work there will ruin your day. We had a miserable experience trying to get appointments to look at properties, and after we submitted an application they were as rude as possible about getting back to us on the status, in fact they told us not to bother them. We ended up renting from them anyway, and our apartment was fine, but not because of anything acadian did, it was just a decent apartment. We had few interactions with them while we were living in our place, but when we did, we were usually hung up on, or the calls were never returned. Bottom line, you have a lot of choices about who to rent from, why pay good money to benefit someone who treats you so badly.
—robb
2007-08-10 17:59:32 I have never encountered such horrible people in my entire life. The lady who runs Acadian is rude, unorganized, abnoxious, and self-centered. Her staff is equally as irritating. My apartment complex changed management companies half-way through our lease and it has been a nightmare ever since. DO NOT RENT FROM ACADIAN!!! I promise, you will be miserable if you have to deal with these people. I went into the office yesterday because I wanted to see a copy of my lease (since I had received a notice in error from Acadian) and the manager there would give me the information I was entitled to and called me a "slut." I have contacted the Better Business Bureau, the City of Davis, and law enforcement personnel because of their behavior and the way that they opperate. If you can AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS! —alliem
2007-08-29 13:21:33 DO NOT RENT FROM THESE PEOPLE. THEY LIE. DO EVERYTHING IN WRITING. ALSO WILL BULLY YOU AND CHARGE YOU FOR ANYTHING THEY CAN. I SPOKE WITH JOE IN THE OFFICE AND I HAVE NEVER DEALT WITH SOMEONE SO UNPROFESSIONAL. —NewToDavis
- Getting and saving everything you do with them in writing is the only true way to deal with them, and if you have to talk with them submit it in writing and keep a copy for your records so you can prove to them what you say is true. —StevenDaubert
2007-08-30 14:36:11 I can only describe my experience with Acadian as horrific. I wish I had seen this Wiki page before I had signed the lease a year ago, but thank god I am moving out now. Where to begin... lets start with maintenance. My AC unit had mold for the entire year, after 3 "fixes" (one time the dude forgot to put in a filter). All of the damages I itemized before moving in didn't get fixed until about 8 months later. It took one guy 3 days to seal up and paint over some cracks in the bathroom and bedroom, and he spilled paint on the carpet and my clothes without cleaning anything up. As for management, what a bunch of condescending PRICKS!! The office is an aura of soulless, bitchy attitudes. They never get anything done, have extorted me on a number of occasions, and send "PAY OR QUIT" notices to your door if you're a day late on rent.
This place should be shut down. Enough people have had problems (including filing LAWSUITS) with Acadian that serious action should be considered. Unless you want your apartment management experience to be a COMPLETE HEADACHE, stay away from these people. They are heartless, simple-minded scum. —Chronoz
2007-09-05 00:33:25 does anyone know how much their late fees are? they are saying i paid my check late when i clearly gave it to them ONE WHOLE WEEK before it was due? —earthwind
Late fees are illegal. Look here: http://www.caltenantlaw.com/LateFees.htm -MI
I just took a peak at that page, very informative... I'm pretty sure Acadian charged late fees StevenDaubert
2007-09-23 20:36:12 I rented from Acadian in the past, and it was awful. They screwed up on my move in date, and the house wasn't ready. Getting maintenance done was like pulling teeth. Slumlords count on tenants not knowing their rights, so educate yourself! Don't take their word for anything (like not being responsible for bug and rodent infestations? Bullshit!). Get everything in writing. Call Legal Services of Northern California for info on tenant's rights, and possible legal assistance. —NiftyWitch
2007-09-25 15:49:11 Dealing with Acadian has been one of the worst experiences of my housing history. The people that work there are rude- I went in with a letter to dispute my security deposit, and I handed them a printout of their page on DavisWiki (about 7 pages of nonstop complaints). The lady that worked there told me to get out of the office or else she'd call the cops on me to escort me out. A) I have a right to complain about their horrible service and B) I'm 5'3 and about 110lbs... I really don't think I present much of a threat, at least in any violent way. YOU GUYS... call Better Business Bureau and file a complaint! You can do this online at https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/GetStarted.aspx I'm livid about the way they treat their clients. Some of my roomates are on student loans and they really can't afford to lose money to some shady business. I'm sure this applies to many students around campus, and I really don't want anyone else to suffer the hell that is Acadian.
I'm filing a lawsuit against Acadian on Oct.9, if they don't respond to my letter. If anyone has any information or anything that they can add to my statement, please contact me ([email protected]). Thank you! —MI
2007-09-26 02:43:40 Judging by the overall disapproval, we should perhaps think about a larger suit against them, I am sure enough UCD students have been burned by this company that we could pool the time with the lawyer to figure out if the collective would have a good case against the company.. —DavidPoole
I'd be down to do this. I actually have a phone appointment with a lawyer on Monday (using my free 15min. as UCD undergrad) and plan to ask her about what options I/we have. Lets get people together and do something about this, bc I think it's about time.. I mean this is a pretty long list of complaints, if you ask me. —MI
2007-10-01 16:45:44 I hate Acaidian Properties! The most help you get is to be mooed at by the cows that work there. They are unfair to lease from and enjoy informing you of how much they have just ripped you off. They do not follow the same type of rental agreements as other companies plus their rental rate are much higher then anyone elses. I live in a duplex now I pay 950. They were asking $1400 for similar properties, but with out the plus of good managment. Please do not give these people your money they are just looking to use students because they know we don't have much retal experience. —.Maggie.
2007-11-12 20:58:24 The house was horrible, but the rent was very VERY cheap. Everyone in the office was always nice to me, especially Joe the leasing guy and the younger lady. I overall had nothing but good experiences with Acadian. They are just a management company so I think that the problems mostly come from them being just an agent that doesn't have a whole lot of power over the property since they are not the owners... I suggest people that have problems with their properties and don't get an OK from Acadian to fix it up try to contact the owners who can actually do something. —qwerty
2007-11-12 21:08:30 But yes, the best thing about some of the houses being a bit old is that they are so so very cheap. There was a 4 bedroom for 1600. A 4 bedroom apartment is at least 1900. I would also like to emphasize I had very positive experiences with the office staff. I don't remember many of their names, but they were all very nice and professional and Joe (Joel?) was particularly helpful and went above and beyond to help me, even had our appointment cut deep into his lunch break. Thanks guys —qwerty
2007-12-04 09:04:31 Acadian charges late fees despite knowing that such fees are legally unenforceable.
Their staff (Joe, in particular) also possesses an incredible selective memory. They will magically forget anything not put in writing.
Therefore if you rent from this company, absolutely insist EVERYTHING they communicate to you be put in writing. And I mean EVERYTHING. If they call you, interrupt them and say "whatever you want to say to me, write in a letter and mail to me." —JewpiterJones
