Live Oak Real Estate

Hannah Riordan 5 months ago

My experience with Live Oak Real Estate Company has been deeply distressing and has left my daughter and me facing severe housing instability. I lived in this apartment for five years with no issues prior to Live Oak taking over management. During that time, I was a responsible tenant, with no lease violations, and I performed maintenance on the unit as required. Problems began only after Live Oak assumed management of the property. In November, I received an email from Live Oak explicitly stating that they wanted me to remain as a tenant for another year and requesting that I notify them if I did not plan to stay. I responded affirmatively, explaining that this was our community, that my daughter is enrolled in school here, and that we intended to remain. I also confirmed this intention again through subsequent text messages. Based on these communications, I reasonably believed my housing was secure for another year. Between that November confirmation and January, the only change was that I requested necessary repairs to an aging apartment that has seen little to no proactive maintenance by Live Oak. These requests included serious habitability issues, such as roof leaks and a 20-year-old washer/dryer unit that failed. In fact, I avoided reporting many problems out of fear of retaliation and personally handled numerous repairs myself to minimize interaction with management. Despite this, there are still unresolved issues that Live Oak has been aware of for an extended period: - A shed in the backyard collapsed on one side over a year ago, leaving our stored belongings exposed to the elements - Mold in the apartment - Completely deteriorated caulking around the bathtub, documented with photos provided to management - Multiple other maintenance concerns that remain unaddressed Just days ago, in January, I was suddenly notified that my lease would not be renewed and that we would need to vacate. No legitimate explanation was provided. The timing creates a clear appearance that this decision was made in retaliation for requesting repairs, despite prior written and verbal assurances that we could stay. The consequences of this reversal have been severe. We do not have the $3,000–$4,000 required to relocate, and this sudden instability has caused enormous stress and hardship. As a tenant, it is profoundly disempowering to know that requesting basic habitability repairs can result in the loss of your home—especially when you lack the financial resources to pursue legal action. At that point, the only recourse left is to warn others. I would caution not only renters, but also homeowners and anyone considering purchasing or investing in real estate, to think carefully before working with Live Oak Real Estate Company. A company that discourages maintenance requests, fails to address safety concerns, and reverses written assurances to tenants raises serious concerns about ethical business practices. Based on my experience, I would not trust this company to manage or represent a property responsibly. I strongly urge prospective tenants and property owners alike to proceed with caution. I will also be submitting a formal complaint to the Better Business Bureau regarding this matter.

G Acevedo a year ago

When I left Virginia and moved to California, I needed a competent reliable person to oversee the rental of my condo. For years I struggled finding such a person. One day while reading the condo newsletter his company was mentioned so I thought I’d give them a try. It’s now been over 20 years since he started managing my property and over that time, I’ve had many tenants which Jonathan carefully vetted to live in my condo. When problems arose, he or one of his team members notified me quickly and offered solutions. He made renting my condo very easy for me. So, when I decided to sell my condo this year, there was no doubt in my mind that Jonathan was the right person for the job. He identified all the repairs that needed to be done, selected the contractors, scheduled everything and consulted with me as needed. He got my property ready for sale in about month. During the selling process he would notify me of potential offers immediately and offered recommendations on how to proceed. I truly value his experience, knowledge and honesty and would recommend him to anyone needing property management.

ed noble 11 months ago

Friendly and likeable staff. Always responded in a reasonable time frame to any issues we had. The maintenance people they used were always friendly and eager to fix the problem. A particular "Hats Off" to Travis. Jonathan was always professional and reasonable keeping both the renter and the owner apprised of any actions that required their attention.

Zy'Mari D 10 months ago

I’ve been trying to call for a week AN ENTIRE WEEK everyday of the week about a property that they have listed. If that doesn’t SCREAM red flag idk what else does. I took my money and excellent credit score elsewhere . Not having anyone to answer calls for an entire week is crazy. And forget leaving voice messages . THEY NEVER RETURN YOUR CALLS !!! I didn’t become a tenant but any time a place doesn’t answer the phone or return calls for an entire week says a lot about how they conduct business. Just imagine the tenants with issues. Imagine how long it takes for them to get into contact with “staff “ 🙄🙄🙄 do better .

Robert Bowers 3 years ago

Jonathan represented us as we searched for our current house. He worked hard to find us a home in a manner that showed character and heart. Caught in a bidding war, we received critical input from him on a strategy that won the house. Jonathan advised and coordinated all aspects of the buying process through closing which allowed us to avoid much of the stress. His responsiveness, expertise and guidance were excellent throughout. Although we originally intended to sell our previous house, Jonathan showed us how we could retain and rent it, using the rents as an income stream. We placed the property under Live Oak for management and are now in our third year with the company. Using the house as an investment was not something we would normally do, being concerned that managing the property would become too time consuming. It turns out that Live Oak manages everything from renters to maintenance, making this a big win for us. Our experiences with Jonathan have been the best anyone could hope for in real estate, and we strongly recommend him.