{ "name": "Chuckanut Property Management", "slug": "chuckanut-property-management", "company_type": "Company", "address": "2100 Iron St Bellingham, WA 98225", "review_count": 49, "average_rating": 1.76, "reviews": { "yelp_reviews": [ { "author": "Bailey L.", "rating": 2, "review": "I've rented from here for a couple of years now. Occasionally I have great experience with the staff. Olivia works in their office and is generally helpful, understanding and pleasant. Ann is also nice and very thorough, though she has called me 'kiddo' before which can feel a little condescending. \n\nBe careful when you sign your lease here though. My roommate renewed her lease at our apartment, while I decided to leave. Come time for my lease to end and I am told that by her signing a renewal, I was also obligated to the rent for the following year. I'm still not sure how I can be signed onto a lease without my signature or knowledge. I was pretty frustrated by this, but even more frustrated that no one in the office seemed to be able to get their story straight. Everyone kept telling me different things and when I was trying to explain that to someone in the office she hung up on me without saying anything and had someone else call me back.\n\nThey definitely like to take advantage of perceived naivety in college students and seemed frustrated that I called them out. \n\nEventually all was resolved, but it took a little fighting to get there. Overall not a bad company but that experience really changed my opinion of them.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "NW Investor I.", "rating": 1, "review": "Truly the most unprofessional firm I have ever dealt with.\nI rented one of the most expensive properties this agency has ever managed and I was treated with arrogance, unprofessionalism and disrespect. A clown named Oliver Moreau was the most obnoxious and unprofessional person I have dealt with in years. He lied about sending accounting statements and was an arrogant ass sending rude emails to me, a paying Client, then dared me to report him. I own multiple properties and would NEVER use this agency to manage them. I strongly recommend you look elsewhere if you are considering renting in the Bellingham market.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Mischa J.", "rating": 1, "review": "My nephew and his friends tried to rent an apartment from this company and lost their $150 before finding out it was not a reputable company.\n\nBeware! Read the fine print before signing and think twice before even filling out an application. They take advantage of students and those in need.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Leslie P.", "rating": 1, "review": "When looking to rent a apartment you dont have a choice of property managers which is unfortunate. They are great for move in but in our experience not so great on moveout. No communication and we are still waiting on our security deposit since June. Lots of excuses sadly.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Eric C.", "rating": 1, "review": "Do NOT rent from these slumlords. Absolutely awful company. They will do everything they can to scam you out of your security deposit. Upon moving out they tried to charge us over $300 to remove a microwave, dish rack and clothes hangers that were present in the apartment when we moved in. We had photographic evidence of this and tried to contact Chuckanut Property many times to resolve the issue and were consistently ignored. We had no option but to take them to small claims court and they finally gave us the money back a week before the court date. \n\nIf you absolutely have to rent from these scammers make sure to take detailed photos of every little thing when you move in. If and when they try to withhold portions of your security deposit take them to court and you might get it back. I am adding links to Whatcom County small claims site to aid in this process. \n\nhttp://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/resources/?altMenu=smal&fa=newsinfo_jury.Scc", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Rick A.", "rating": 1, "review": "My wife and I rented from Chuckanut ages ago, long before the existence of Yelp. I looked at their ratings today out of curiosity and it's amazing that this company is still apparently getting away with the same scummy and underhanded things they tried on us. If you're considering doing business with these guys, read the negative reviews below and believe every word of them. Those reviewers are telling the truth. \n\nWe rented an apartment from Chuckanut and were very easy on it. No damage, no excessive dirt or problems, but they tried to charge us for anything and everything on our way out to make sure our deposit wouldn't be returned. In fact, for us, they managed to find about $150 more in charges than our deposit covered so we were being asked to pay. \n\nI researched WA state laws regarding what landlords can or cannot charge you for and sent them a letter challenging some of the charges and--lo and behold--they knocked off just enough of the supposedly legitimate charges to come down to exactly equal to our deposit. Gosh, what are the chances? \n\nI have always resented that they made such an obvious attempt to scam us (and this was a long time ago, when we didn't have any money to begin with) so I thought a review, even this long after the fact, was in order. \n\nDo not do business with these people.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "jennifer S.", "rating": 1, "review": "I have a relative living here while at school, and called management to ask about a fine $1000 fine for a pet bowl. The lease states no pets or pet guests, They have twisted this into not allowed to own pet items or have pet items in the apartment. This means if you are a dog walker and you have a dog toy, that's grounds for a $1000 fine. No reduction, no warning, no 10 day to comply, no compassion for first time offenders. Not only has Megan the on-site Manager been difficult to work with, but I escalated this to Chuckanut Property headquarters and spoke to Jared. My first interaction with Jared was, I left him a voicemail to discuss the fine. He sends me an email with just pictures. To me this shows the true lack of professionalism and I am appalled by this behavior. Not only are they not willing to work with the us they threatened eviction to ruin their rental history forever. I mean who does that?? I'm going to write a letter to the owners of Pomeroy Group to see if this is going to be standard practice going forward. I normally do not give reviews like this but I know many students are on fixed incomes and $1000 is an extreme fine. Not to mention they asked for a payment plan, they said ok but then charged a late fee. So an extra $80 every month they do not pay in full. Absolutely ridiculous and unethical business practices.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Allen R.", "rating": 1, "review": "Classic fear mongering property management company of the past. Need something fixed? 2 weeks. They might just start building on the property you're renting 3 months into your lease. Any phone call with any employee is extremely unpleasant almost as if they are trained this way. If you value your money and sanity stay far far away from these troglodytes!", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Gina H.", "rating": 1, "review": "If I could give this place a zero I would. These people are crooks. They will change you fees that they did not disclose. We just recently moved out of our rental. The landlord was great and thank goodness I knew him. We sent in our 30 day notice and we were send a checkout sheet and and e-mail telling us that we would be charge a CARPET cleaning fee per lease agreement and an admin fee. That was it. Well the landlord decided after we moved out he would replace carpets. So I got an e-mail to confirm that we would not be charged a carpet cleaning fee since new carpet going in. When we got our deposit refund they charged us a professional cleaning service. Even thought I cleaned and had a service come in and clean $200 out of my pocket they \"SAID\" they hired a team to clean as well and changed me $265....WTF!! I went back and forth as to why I wasn't told they would send a service in. Well it's part of your lease. No it's not. You clearly said carpet cleaning and admin fee. Nothing about cleaning service and why would you send me a check out cleaning check list if you were going to send in a cleaning service. I asked the neighbors and they said they saw carpet people but no cleaning service ever showed up at house. I think because they couldn't charge me the carpet fee they decided to \"ADD\" a professional cleaning fee. These people are crooks, they will take your money do not rent from them. If you are a home owner DO NOT use them as you are doing a disservice to your renters.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Greg W.", "rating": 5, "review": "What a breath of fresh air. The new team at CPM took over nearly a year and half ago and I immediately saw the difference. The communication and responsiveness was 10 times better than the previous owner. Repairs were being done quickly and proactive maintenance began to occur for the first time in years. As an owner I want that for my buildings and I expect that for my tenants too. Reviews prior to 2019 should not be considered as that was prior to the current ownership.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Nicole L.", "rating": 1, "review": "Really awful. I've lived in one of their apartments for almost two years now. On several occasions, various people there will call us multiple times to ask the same question because they don't write anything down or communicate with each other. Our washer has actually been broken for a couple weeks now and we keep calling them and nobody is showing up to fix it even though they said they'd come first thing in the morning the day we first called. They really don't care about their tenants.\n\nAlso, one time one of them asked me what a sublet means.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Norma J.", "rating": 1, "review": "WORST experience I've ever had renting. You would not believe the skeevy and underminded things they would pull. Not only did they charge fees for the most ridiculous things left and right, but the entire staff is unbelievably rude. I've never had a pleasant conversation with any of the women that worked there. I cannot go on enough about how much I hated living under Chuckanut Property Management. If you're considering renting under them, I HIGHLY recommend reconsidering!! Please! These horrible people need to go out of business.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Linda H.", "rating": 1, "review": "We have been homeowners therefore not much experience with Property Managements Companies. However, our experience thus far (since Aug 15, 2018) has been less than stellar. \n\nMy husband moved into the property at lease signing and I joined him a month later when our belongings arrived from CA. I had to do a deep clean on the refrigerator, stop top (which was disgustingly dirty), and the oven and microwave. I also had to patch the holes in the wall from picture hanging and cat scratches and paint over them. When I approached the Property Manager (Jaime), he said he had sent someone over to clean because the owner did not have time to do so when they left. Obviously that cleaning did NOT take place.\n\nI've had problems with the dishwasher, the dryer and the washing machine. Both the dishwasher and the dryer have been repaired after a lengthy wait.\n\nThe washing machine is malfunctioning. I identified this back in October and was told I overloaded it. I've been struggling with it since.\n\nThe light in the bedroom, which is my office, is so dim you can't see anything in the evening! This was identified a couple of months ago also.\n\nDO NOT RENT FROM THIS GROUP!\n\nMy only option now is to write to the rental board to have things repaired.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Dan J.", "rating": 5, "review": "Our thermostat died. It was old, and in need of replacement anyway. When they heard that I have a 10 year old child in my home, (which had been cold for two days now) they made it a priority to get it done. Within hours I had a new, and updated thermostat.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Ashleigh D.", "rating": 5, "review": "I've had nothing but great service from them and I've rented from them for over 2 years. I think most people on the internet only leave comments when they experience bad service. I wish more people would leave good comments when they experience good service. No property management company will ever be perfect but I've tried others and I would choose Chuckanut over and over again.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Cassidy W.", "rating": 1, "review": "This company takes advantage of college students. My daughter lived in a home that was barely livable. They had the fire department at the home for a gas leak, CO2 problems, dangerous electrical issues where the electric company warned them of a fire danger and a peeping Tom on top of it. We cleaned the home top to bottom when the girls moved out. The home was 10 times cleaner than when they moved in. Still they were charged $451 for a cleaning fee, and $178 for a new blind to be put in the kitchen window. The company also charged the girls $180 dollars for lawn mowing on a lawn that was mowed the previous day. This is by far the most neglectful and petty property company we have ever dealt with. I am so thankful the girls are out of that home. It was seriously a dangerous living condition on top of everything else!", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Mia L.", "rating": 1, "review": "One star is the lowest rating that I could give but this property management company doesn't even deserve that as a rating. They are unresponsive swindlers who took $365 dollars out of our security deposit for \"professional carpet cleaning\" AND \"professional cleaning\" that was not in our original lease. We originally signed a lease through an equally terrible private landlord and midway through our lease he hired Chuckanut Properties to manage it. Prior to moving out, we emailed them to let them know that we were not under their lease requirements and shouldn't be charged us for professional carpet cleaning as it was not in our original lease. They notified us that we wouldn't be charged for that charge. HOWEVER, we received our security deposit back and we were charged $185 for professional carpet cleaning AND $180 for professional cleaning. We sent several emails, went to their office, and called almost everyday for a week to get this fixed but no one would contact us back until 10 days later when they finally responded with a crap excuse on why we were charged. We were basically told \"actually your lease does say you would be charged for professional carpet cleaning as it's apart of cleaning services\" - WHICH WAS STILL NOT IN OUR ORIGINAL LEASE AND WHY WERE CHARGED TWICE?? We were also told that we left rope, linen, and a plunger which is also why we were charged (But those things were there before we even moved in!!!). We are 3 broke college kids who cannot afford a lawyer, but if we could, we would pursue legal action as this is a complete joke. It's a shame how pretty much every property management company in Bellingham is terribly rated, thus making options low to choose from, but at least try a different company as maybe you won't be treated as poorly if you don't rent from CHuckanut Property's.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "A B.", "rating": 1, "review": "I have been looking for a new place of late & like MOST of the property management companies in B'ham, these folks act like they are doing you a big favour just by talking to you.\n \nThough, when they do talk to you, expect them to talk to you like you are an idiot. Im not sure why it is that folks in this business think they can treat people like crap, and that no-one is going to call them on it, maybe they just assume there is always someone coming through the door. So, heads up, if you are unfortunate enough to have to deal with Chuckanut Property, expect them treat you like crap from the moment you get them on the phone.\n \nIf you are a property owner thinking of listing a property with them...ponder this.....I quickly decided from the few phone calls I have made to their offices enquiring about a listing, that if I see a new property and it is listed with them, I instantly drop it from my list of potential rentals, because life is too short to put up with the rude.\n \nI know I cant be the only one that has had that experience and made that decision, sadly for the property owners, Im pretty much that dream tenant, never late on the rent, no damage, long term renter that will give your property back in better shape than it was in when I started renting it, but you will never have me as your renter, because I wont put up with having to deal with rude and bad mannered property managers.\n \nI am still looking for a new place to call home, though I am hoping to find a rental that has nothing to do with any property management company ( I have yet to have a pleasant experience with any I have called so far, apparently bad manners are the norm for this industry...sad.), you can count on me not renting from these folks.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Bryan B.", "rating": 1, "review": "Words cannot express my displeasure in dealing with these people. I would sooner have someone ram a pitchfork through my buttocks than rent from Chuckanut again. \"Unprofessional\" is the key word here. I'm under the assumption that Chuckanut intentionally hires useless, unintelligent oafs to do their work, because a classroom full of 3rd graders would make better property managers than this lot. \n\nFirstly, they took over our property after our landlord quit. I decided to stay one more year after my roommates moved out. Somehow they could not comprehend this, and even after I told them multiple (as in about 5) times that I intended to stay, our landlord STILL put the house back on the market. \n\nIn addition, it was damn near impossible to communicate with them. Our property manager never once made any effort to meet with us. I have never seen him in person - only the secretaries. And they never returned any of my calls. But they don't hesitate to call you the second a payment is late. \n\nNext, they refused to refund the deposits to my outgoing roommates because it wasn't a \"complete\" move-out. They said it was up to us to work it out with the new tenants. Essentially, they took the deposits and gave them to the new people because we didn't all move out together. In the end, I had to ask the incoming people to pay my outgoing roommates $475 each. All because Chuckanut was too lazy to do it themselves. \n\nWell, after sorting out that hullabaloo I signed a new lease with new roommates. The first month, by accident, I sent a second payment to them. The property manager somehow noticed this; I instructed him to NOT process the check and hold it for the next month. \n\nWell, the next month rolls around and he calls us, all confused, saying a payment is missing. But he can't figure out from who. Apparently the people at Chuckanut don't bother to check who has paid what. He ended up sending ME the ledger so I could determine who had paid. I just want you to think about this for a moment. They asked me, a tenant, to look at their official ledger because they didn't know what payment was missing. Essentially, I had to do their job for them, which took me no more than a minute to work out. I am not joking when I say 3rd graders could do a better job than these people. \n\nAnyway, the extra payment I sent was processed anyway, even after I explicitly told them not to do so. My roommates only had to pay half rent because of this. I ended up paying a portion of the missing rent out of my strapped college student pockets to cover for one of my roommates. Thankfully after this event, we haven't had to speak with them again.\n \nI should also mention that our property manager has still never met with us in person. Through all of these issues, he made no effort to see us, and generally had us speak to the secretaries over the phone because he was \"going out\" or something. Needless to say, I am moving out next fall and shall never rent from Chuckanut again. An inebriated chimpanzee could conduct better customer service. \n\nOh, but they fixed the dryer.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Cory M.", "rating": 5, "review": "I have been with CPM for a decade. Dan has been great for us. He has always been willing to work with me on problems and I get how busy he is so I've appreciated the help when I needed it. I know not everyone has a great experience but for me it's been really easy...just gotta communicate ... Thanks Dan and CPM whoever owns the property as well has been great as well!!!", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Dan F.", "rating": 1, "review": "My daughter was applying with friends on a house that they were told that nobody else was looking at. So they jumped on it. I had to co-sign therefore I had to fill out the forms as well, along with a credit check and a $50 charge for each of us. Come to find out, Chuckanut completely lied to my daughter and there were a lot of people looking at this particular house for rent. So I got charged $50 for my daughter and $50 for me to run a credit check. I called 3 times, each time, telling me that the Owner/Manager was unavailable and would get back to me. NEVER did. I was very upset, I feel they took advantage of the situation only to get more money. I have had no response whatsoever from them and did a dispute through my credit card company to get my money back, because Chuckanut is obviously not going to do anything. And on top of everything else my credit took a hit, my daughter and I will NEVER use this company again. Talk about \"not doing the right thing\"", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Chris A.", "rating": 1, "review": "Sketchy. From the start,me and my wife looked @ a property on chuckanut dr.some issues with black mold,and water damage. Should of researched these goons. Very unprofessional. Rude on the phone Pamala..Some body approved our application. Then a day later doubled our deposit 2/ 1,900 hundred dollars. Because of no rental history in Washington state.never called back with details, and no e-mail 3,000. $ to move in a shack, no driveway, have to park on chuckanut? Walk across and down 30 steps into the black mold infested lumpy dump.thanks for wasting our time,and keeping our application fee. Bottom feeders...nice yelp and Reddit reviews..deplorables", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "B G.", "rating": 1, "review": "Probably the all-time worst firm we have dealt in more than 25 years being landlords. Our property manager there misrepresented to us the status of utility (non)payments by our tenant for approximately eight months, despite receiving notice of his failure to pay, and despite our inquiries. By the time we regained control of the property, it became clear that the tenant had failed to pay gas, water and electric bills for more than 7 months. Water was shut off, gas bill more than $750 in arrears. In every aspect of dealing, Chuckanut was less than forthcoming and had constant excuses as to why requested work had not been done (but in some cases, we were charged for). STAY AWAY IF YOU ARE AN OWNER--we should have heeded the reviews before signing with them.\n\nIf only we could give a 0-star rating.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Gerard H.", "rating": 1, "review": "I have lived at Villa Bonita for nearly two years now.... and I cannot wait to move out. I elected to give the complex another chance after some minor mishaps.\n\nThe complex is loud, unkept, and an absolute nightmare for anyone with a car. \n\nMaintenance is over looked far too often and due warning for any work around the building is practically an unknown concept. \n\nThe manager is friendly, however, rarely accessible as it is clear this is not a priority. \n\nThey recently raised rents and thus have no longer became the \"cheapest\" option near south campus.\n\nI would advise renting elsewhere.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "David C.", "rating": 1, "review": "I was charged $300 for cleaning. I own my own cleaning company and I can swear on the integrity of Clean Me Janitorial Services that I left the place spotless. We slaved for weeks ahead of time to clean it up as nicely as possible. I even pulled out the refrigerator and cleaned out all the shelving. I have experience doing move outs for apartments and for a $300 dollar job that would be 12 hours of work. There was never even a couple hours needed for the cleaning when we left it, and I challenge them to prove they spent that much money on cleaning my place.\n\nMy deposit was 900 and the Deposit Deposition they sent me had Cleaning, Carpet Cleaning, Painting and Blinds plus re hanging closet doors. Prices were 300, 160, 196.50, and 243.50 which conveniently add up to 900. \n\nDO A WALK THROUGH AND MAKE SURE THEY PROVIDE YOU WITH A CHECK IN SHEET FOR DAMAGES THAT ARE ALREADY THERE. THEY WILL PAD YOUR MOVE OUT BILL.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "S M.", "rating": 1, "review": "Avoid!!! Two students were to take possession of an apartment and found it dirty, infested and were told that it had been professionally cleaned two weeks prior. How can it have been cleaned when the carpets were gross, blinds broken, cobwebs and dust all over and bugs visible that shouldn't be seen during the day, let alone at night? Mgr said they would get it cleaned but it should have been done prior to date of possession, also said they would not let the students out of the lease or return deposit. Needless to say, with students research and supportive parents, students are out of the lease, full deposit returned and they found another place to live. If you dare rent from this company, take pictures of everything, document everything and good luck. They are out to take advantage of students!", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Nathan H.", "rating": 1, "review": "I can not believe how greedy and horrible this place is.\nAfter moving out of a house I took great care of for 5 years, they decided to try to charge ME to upgrade knowing I was leaving the state. They didn't bother to do a move out walk through while I was there, instead waiting until I was safely gone for a week to hit me with an INSANE bill for things I am not responsible for like a brand new dishwasher, new ceiling fan, $1075 \"professional cleaning\" plus $150 Carpet cleaning, a bonus $150 \"non refundable pet fee\" even though I paid $500 upon move in as well as $100 a month pet fee, and my lab didn't cause ANY damage, on and on and ON to $4,500!! Are you f***ing kidding me???!\nI will be fighting them to the bitter end with a lawyer.\nSpare yourself!!!", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Cole S.", "rating": 1, "review": "While looking for a house for next year I decided to call chuckanut properties to see their showings. The receptionists were extremely rude every time I called them and very unorganized as each one gave me different information. You guys need to get you S@#t together! If you have the option to go somewhere else, then do it!", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Major H.", "rating": 1, "review": "A crooked operation preying on inexperienced (college student) renters and their out of town parents. Similar to some of the other reviews, we were gouged for additional cleaning charges. My son spent hours getting the place spic and span, yet was billed $345. It's my understanding that the tenant's responsibility is to leave the apt. in a decent and clean condition. Ordinary wear and tear is the landlord's responsibility. Nothing was broken, burned, punctured, or stained. My son even found out that the entire unit was repainted and the floors refinished after they moved out- so obviously the place had to be cleaned all over again. Avoid these crooks!", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Heather W.", "rating": 1, "review": "I have lived in an apartment owned by chuckanut property management for 7 years now. During that time, I have experienced both the good and the bad. at first, they seem nice, but once you show discontent, they turn. if you have a repair, they will always charge more than expected, and find any reason to charge the tenant, even ones that aren't necessarily legal. in the past they have gone weeks, months, or even never repair things unless you stay on top of reminding them, but since Covid hit, they seem to be much faster. I had my car broken into 3 times with police reports before they finally put in parking lot lights I requested. They NEVER trim the trees unless it is over the building, so every year during the wind storms, the dead/weak branches (some very large and could easily kill) fall onto the parking lot, crushing cars (so far, 3 have been totaled) and blocking the entire parking lot at times, which they also don't clean up, the residents pitch in to do this maintenance. In the case of the laundry room, they recently replaced the 2 washing machines, so now the volumes of the washer is bigger than what the dryer can dry in the time allotted, and if you use all 4 machines, it shorts the circuit for the laundry room and attached unit apartment. They have refused to update this 70s wiring. Whenever you file a complaint, they respond by sending out a mass text to all residents saying please stop doing whatever action caused the complaint. they want to make money but refuse to spend more than the minimum required it takes to \"repair\" what they already have. they refuse to re pave a driveway and parking lot that has massive pot holes and when getting advice from the people doing the work, they never listen. the apartments they have still have single pane aluminum windows. I stay because I am the daughter of a successful contractor, and in the past 7 years, I have learned how to repair most anything myself in their absence. they also raise rent as often as they can, sometimes twice in a year, which is illegal, but if they think they can get away with it, they will. those of us who are already in can't afford to get out. don't fall for their faade. stay away. turn around and run. fast. anyplace is better than this.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Katie M.", "rating": 1, "review": "DO NOT RENT THROUGH THESE PEOPLE! They will find EVERY REASON UNDER THE SUN TO CHARGE YOU ONCE YOU LEAVE! $75 for replacing a lightbulb?! Are you kidding me?! Pathetic. They even attempted to pull an animal abuse card somewhere in there. They all seem nice until you turn your back. Scumbags!", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Sarah B.", "rating": 1, "review": "If I could give these guys NO stars then I would. What a terrible, disrespectful and by far the most unprofessional company I've ever come across. My sister and I moved into an apartment that had not been cleaned or even checked to see if anyone had even moved out and several things were broken and we are STILL doing our dishes in the bathroom because even after calling Chuckanut four times and promising to get it \"taken care of\" they have yet to do anything. I'm beyond frustrated and I love our new apartment but boy this company did nothing to even make sure they cleaned it or checked it before new renters came in. And might I add that we drove seven hours to get here and had to move in all of our things on a weekend into a dirty apartment. Not cool. Chuckanut is the WORST.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Crazy L.", "rating": 1, "review": "The receptionist has been very rude both times I have called about rental listings.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Kateland W.", "rating": 1, "review": "They are completely unhelpful. My boyfriend and I are looking to rent a house and found one of their listing online. We called them to set up a time to come in and look at the house. When we got there we were greeted with simply formalities no \"hello, thank you for coming in.\" We felt unwelcome and that we were an inconvenience for them to deal with. And by deal with I mean hand us the keys and copy our ID and send us to look at the house by ourselves. Which mind you was completely run down and the price was too high for what it is. If you're looking to rent in Bellingham I recommend going to Integra!!!", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Scotty F.", "rating": 1, "review": "I never in a million years thought this would be possible to say, but Chuckanut is so awful they actually make Landmark Real Estate Management look competent and professional by comparison. \n\nPrior to moving in I explicitly stated to them that I wanted the locks changed on the house, as this is a legal requirement that most places don't follow unless you ask for it. At first they put up a fight and argued, their reasoning being \"Well it's not like anyone is going to break in!\" I seriously didn't even know how to reply to that...\n\nAnd THEN they then LIED to us and said they put in all new locks and keys, when it was very obviously several years old at least. Upon moving in almost nothing had been cleaned. When I asked the office staff if someone could come finish cleaning, they just chuckled and said they'd put in a maintenance request for it, \"but we're really busy!\". Obviously, nothing ever came of it. The refrigerator was leaking black grease onto the floor. There was mold in the bathroom and bedrooms, growing in the wood and in the carpet. There's water damage all over the walls and floors of the bathroom. At night the living room would collect dew from the single-pane windows, we couldn't store any electronics there. The driveway is made out of concrete cracking everywhere and falling apart, totally riddled with potholes. To be fair, when we asked them to put some gravel in the potholes to fill them up, after a few weeks they did so.\n\nEvery single woman that works in the office (with the exception of one single sweetheart) is rude and condescending. They make it seem like they're doing you a huge favor by merely speaking with you. Any sort of maintenance issue or thing that is broken they'll act like it's your fault and your responsibility until you inform them of the laws in place in the WA State Landlord-Tenant Agreement. Then they act like they've never heard of that before, and it must be something you made up on the spot. \n\nThe property managers themselves are even worse, they are such ridiculous cheapskates that they'll put more effort into NOT doing the right/legal thing than it would take to just resolve an issue. We got straight up accused of lying about our heat being broken, as if we just made it up in order to be an annoyance. Then in order to get out of spending money on fixing it, they offered us a small 6\"x6\" space heater to keep us warm instead. After I declined that, then they had to send out 3 different repair guys to fix it (the first two just looked at it and said \"huh, that's weird, it should be working...\" and then left) and THEN tried to charge us the overtime labor fees for this. I pointed out that this is illegal, and they said they would waive the charges for us, \"as a courtesy\". \n\nIf they refuse to fix an issue with your house that is legally required, and you threaten to pursue legal action, they WILL call your bluff. If you don't go through the formal channels to file a complaint then they won't fix anything. If you're renting from them it's because you're a broke college student with no money or spare time and they know it and they WILL prey upon you. \n\nThey will show up in your house unannounced. I've come home from school on more than one occasion and our landlord was just walking around in our house, no prior notice or any reason given why he was there, just \"I was in the area\". He left as soon as I got there without any explanation. My girlfriend was home alone in the shower one time when a man opened the back door of the house with a key and started to walk in, she called out \"Hello?!\" and the guy slammed the door shut and left without saying a word. The office staff had nothing to say about it besides \"Oh we were probably going to do a showing, sorry we must have forgot to tell you\". \n\nMoving out in 2 months, can't wait. I'm so stoked to see how many bullshit, fabricated charges they take out of the security deposit. Finding housing in Bellingham is tough and if you have to rent from one of the major companies you're pretty much screwed no matter who you choose, but Chuckanut really takes the cake, I think they may be the worst of the worst. Don't go corporate, find a private landlord with a good reputation and you're golden.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Tess N.", "rating": 1, "review": "Do not rent from these people if you can help it. When we went it to sign the lease, they didn't give us a copy, saying that tenants often lost the lease before the move-in date and that they would give us a copy when we got the keys. On move-in day, they could not find our lease at all. They said they would keep looking, but they never found the lease in the year we rented from them. These idiots lost our lease! That means we didn't have any copy of the rules associated with the apartment, and apparently the lease mentioned that you needed to specifically request checks be split between the two parties for the security deposit in a specific way. But we didn't have the lease, so we apparently didn't follow their rules. Then when I asked them to split the lease, they told us they couldn't and said we should have known better because it was in the lease--the lease that they never gave ys. They never did split the check, causing a lot of headaches for me and my roommate (who moved out early due to a family emergency). I emailed them complaining about the poor treatment and never got a response. Plus, when I was renting from Chuckanut, they scheduled a showing of the apartment and then the day of, they called me asking if I had an extra key or would be home at the time to let them in because, get this, THEY LOST THE KEY. These people can't keep track of anything and they treat tenants like dirt. This is the laziest, most inconsiderate rental company I have ever encountered.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Gavin G.", "rating": 5, "review": "Straight forward, professional and to the point. it's a shame only people who are mad has given their reviews for Chuckanut PM on yelp. Out of all the property management companies I have dealt with in my last 8 years in bellingham, CPM is in a tie for 1st place along with 2 others. there are some real bad PM companies in bellingham, but come on, chuckanut is not one of them.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Jan L.", "rating": 1, "review": "Like others writing a review on Chuckanut Property Management, If I could leave zero stars or better yet negative stars, I would. Like others, I will never rent a property managed by this company ever again \n\nMy child has rented an apartment at Pomeroy Court for nearly a year. We recently discovered that all the electricity usage for the on-site office is charged to our electric bill. We were not told this at the time that we rented the apartment, it is not in the lease, we just happened to discover it for ourselves. As I write this, Chuckanut Property Management is tapping into our water and running it into the office for their use. Yes, the water is metered for each apartment and paid for by the tenant. PG&E will do nothing to help you. If you are currently renting in any area of the country, take the steps to verify that you are not paying utilities that do not belong to you. \n\nWhen confronted with this situation the property manager told us the he meant to talk to us about the shared meter but forgot about it. We were offered a compensation of .45 a day for 20 days a month. We sent the property manager an electric bill generated during a billing period when our child was home visiting us the entire billing period. This bill was 2.5 times the amount of compensation that we were offered by this property manager, that's without including the winter heating costs of the baseboard heater located in the office. As of yet, we have had no response to this compromise offer.\n\nThe parking situation at this site is a joke. Not every apartment has an assigned parking space. We do have an assigned parking space but it is constantly taken by people visiting the office, vendors and repair people working at the complex, people visiting friends at the complex and those poor tenants who have no assigned parking space.\n\nMaintenance? Put in a request nearly a year ago to fix a big hole put in a closet door right at the entry way to the apartment - still there.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Chelsea H.", "rating": 2, "review": "My biggest annoyance with Chuckanut is their incompetence and apathy towards their jobs. When signing new people onto my lease they have made the process much more difficult than it has needed to be. I had to get all of my roommates to sign an addendum and each time someone went in, the people working at Chuckanut asked what an addendum is. They don't know what they're doing and don't really care. They also sent a maintenance worker to our house to add smoke detectors but he didn't even knock, he just used a key to get in. Their lackluster attitude and stupidity has been frustrating for long enough.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Kyle M.", "rating": 1, "review": "We moved in to the apartment and the floors clearly weren't vacuumed, 2 of the four bedroom doors had broken handles and couldn't open, and the downstairs toilet wouldn't flush. They said to fix the toilet and doors it would have to come out of our deposit or we would be billed despite the fact this was within the first two days of moving into the apartment. Now the upstairs toilet won't flush, we bought a snake at their recommendation, and it didn't work. They charged us 50 dollars for the repairman to snake it and now, two weeks later it is clogged again. They are claiming that the damage is not regular wear-and-tear (though it clearly is), so we will have to pay to have then come out again. They don't care about being a legitimate company. They just want to take your money. I rented with Apex property management for three years and they have horrid reviews but I've never had anywhere near this level of dishonesty. I hope I never have to deal with chuckanut again. Scumbags. It's a shame you can't give lower review than 1 star.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "J H.", "rating": 1, "review": "Horrible company to rent from. All of these positive reviews appear to be from property owners and not renters. I would really hope that the owners pay less to have Chuckanut \"manage\" their property as Chuckanut does absolutely nothing for their tenants. When there is a serious issue such as a huge hole in your living room, don't expect it to get fixed in the first month or two. Seriously they are really good at one thing, making excuse but nothing else. My advice to anyone looking to rent from them? Check Google reviews for the real deal on this shoddy slum lord company.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Giancarlo G.", "rating": 1, "review": "It is unfortunate to have to write such a review, because throughout the lease, I assumed we had a great relationship with CPM. When we moved into their rental, the owners had just moved out of the house and did not clean anything. We took pictures during the walkthrough and agreed on both sides that the condition of the house in terms of cleanliness was poor. We dealt with it, cleaned it ourselves and made a good home of the rental. We paid our rent on time, took care of the yard, and were overall dream tenants. Upon moving out, we spent an entire weekend detail cleaning the house, leaving it in much better condition than the state in which me moved into it. In all the rentals I have occupied, I have always prided myself on the moveout cleans, always receiving my deposit back. If you would like any references to attest to this, I will gladly give you my rental history. However, Chuckanut decided to withhold $768.23 of our $1700 deposit. Of that $768, we were charged $187 for general cleaning, $120 for carpet cleaning (the entire house has wood floors), $132 for lawncare, and $52 for junk removal (all of which belonged to the owners of the house). The rest of the charges were justified (final water, sewer and garbage bill and non-refundable pet fee). Boo for dishonest people. Boo for companies lacking integrity.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Jaiana L.", "rating": 1, "review": "STAY AWAY from chuckanut properties. \nThey are a scamming, unprofessional, and rude corporation who does not care at all about their properties or the tenants. They stole nearly 600 dollars from our security deposit because of 'missing' items that were never included in the house in the first place. our house had ticks, fleas, was molding, had a rotten foundation, got broken into, the list continues on and on, however whenever we tried to address these issues in a professional manner we were simply ignored. We have been trying to get in contact with our landlord for OVER A YEAR and yet still have heard nothing back. I suggest finding ANY other rental company than this one, as you will regret it. Being college students, losing nearly all of your items is devastating, yet then being robbed of money that should be automatically yours is almost inconceivable. if I could give Chuckanut properties 0/5 stars for customer service, i would do so in a heartbeat. STAY AWAY from these stuck up unprofessional scammers.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "David S.", "rating": 5, "review": "My wife and I own a number of properties in Florida and Bellingham. We have experienced a number of property management companies over the years and there always were disappointments and heartaches both for the tenants, management company and owners -- evictions, damaged property, unpaid rents, drug using/selling renters and disputes from time to time that seemed like they could have been avoided had the initial matching of the tenant, financial status, home care habits and desires of a home been more thoroughly established at the outset. For the 5 years we have been working with Chuckanut we have had a most wonderful experience with happy tenants, no damages, all rents paid, no drug users/sellers and happy move-ins and move-outs by our tenants. We wish we had been with Chuckanut for all of our 25 years of rental management in Bellingham. We wish we had discovered them sooner!", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Skilenn H.", "rating": 4, "review": "Have been doing business with them for almost 10 years. First started with Marc the owner then with Rick. I have to say they have been really helpful and always reply. Communication is the key. I referred my friend to them and she has multiple homes for them to take care of. She is pretty happy with them. I now had two homes in Bellingham for them and so far i haven't had any trouble. That's what I need is the management company to keep my mind free. They always meet my expectation.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Elee D.", "rating": 5, "review": "When I was in college I moved around a lot, and I dealt with a lot of home owners and rental companies. Chuckanut made my life easy and my property manager was sympathetic to my needs and when we put in a work order it was done in a timely manner. When we moved out we got most of our deposit back, and nothing that was taken out was a shock. Their lease is very thorough when it comes to explaining what will and what might come out of your deposit. We lived in a very cute little condo off of Meridian and it was everything we thought it would be. We went and viewed it when the previous tenant was living there and he was very friendly and had only good things to say. The rent was also a very reasonable price. If you pay attention to the lease when they go over it with you, and take care of the place, you will not have a problem with Chuckanut. Only problem tenants do. If you are on a first name basis with your property manager it is not necessarily a good thing, and if you flush chicken bones down the toilet, you can't blame the property management company.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "Kattina K.", "rating": 1, "review": "I have been renting from Chuckanut for years. Maintenance of the apartments always been an issue. First of all, they do not obey state laws because they do not require that tenants put all maintenance requests in writing. Office workers sometime forget about the maintenance orders. It could take couple of weeks before someone comes to your apartment to do the work. However, they are very focused on profits! Make sure you ask other people, who are currently renting from them, about the management.", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "E. S.", "rating": 1, "review": "I rented from Chuckanut for one school year. They gave me 2 keys to the room I rented in a house. One of the keys was for a door that was rarely locked. One night, this particular door was locked and the key did not fit in the lock. I was new to town, and did not know anybody local so I called the emergency number that Chuckanut provided. No one answered and never called me back. I had no choice but to sleep on the stairwell outside of this locked door. I could have been robbed or harmed since I wasn't shielded from potential intruders. The next morning, I caught a bus to the rental office. The lady working there said \"try this key\". I had to ASK for transportation back to my apartment. She agreed to drive me. It seemed to me that it didn't matter that I was kept out of my apartment for an entire night, causing me to miss work the next day. My rent wasn't even prorated. And to top it off, they decided to install a sunlight in our kitchen's ceiling WITHOUT INFORMING US. I arrived home one day to find a man sawing into the ceiling while white dust fell onto appliances, dishes, counters, and the floor. It's like, thanks for all the asbestos, I really appreciate it when I have to clean up my kitchen because YOU failed to do your job correctly! AVOID THIS BUSINESS--THEY DON'T RESPECT YOU!!!!!!", "owner_response": null }, { "author": "R R.", "rating": 5, "review": "In this day an age of computers and websites in order to \"vent\" frustrations, it seems just that, most companies don't get a fair shake and only the folks that are not satisfied with the service write bad reviews. I rented with Chuckanut Property Mgmt. for 3 years and they took good care of me. From the 1st time I went into the office to look at a couple of apartments, to taking care of some repair requests, to the final move out, they were polite and professional. And as for the all important return of the security deposit? They sent me a check less only what they charged me for carpet cleaning and some cleaning of the apartment. It was expected as I'm not that great of a house cleaner! They also charged me for a couple of burned out light bulbs and for replacement of the burner pans on the stove. I knew they were going to charge me because it was clear and in writing on the lease. So if you are looking for a good group of people, a professional company that is honest and polite, take a good look at renting from Chuckanut!", "owner_response": null } ] }, "adjusted_review_count": 49, "adjusted_average_rating": 1.76, "distribution": { "1": 38, "2": 2, "3": 0, "4": 1, "5": 8 }, "summary": { "created_timestamp": 1739205416, "text": "

Good

Despite the overwhelmingly negative sentiment found in many user reviews, a handful of reviewers have noted some positive aspects of Chuckanut Property Management. Some users appreciated specific staff members who provided helpful and pleasant assistance during initial interactions, highlighting an occasionally friendly customer service experience. One reviewer mentioned that a staff member was proactive in addressing their needs promptly, resolving their issues within hours, which indicates that there can be efficient and effective communication with tenants when the company chooses to prioritize it.

Others have stated that over the years, they have enjoyed stable management services and found the current team to be significantly more responsive and efficient compared to previous management. Long-term clients appreciate a conscientious approach to maintaining properties, with quick repairs and proactive maintenance, which is crucial for property owners focused on tenant satisfaction. Such experiences hint that with effective communication and proper management, the company can create a beneficial relationship with both tenants and property owners.

Great

In contrast to the prevailing dissatisfaction, some reviewers have experienced great outcomes with Chuckanut Property Management. One user, who has been with them for over two years, expressed satisfaction with the service, praising their proactive stance on repair works and strong communication. They emphasized that good relationships and communication have been key to maintaining a positive experience, and found their property manager responsive and attentive to their issues.

Additional positive experiences were highlighted by an owner who had dealt with various property management companies over two decades. This reviewer noted that Chuckanut had brought peace of mind by preventing tenant disputes and maintaining a reliable streamline of tenant-occupied properties. They praised the management for ensuring all rents were paid on time and lauded them for maintaining harmonious relations between landlords and tenants, thereby wishing to continue this relationship indefinitely.

Bad

Numerous user reviews detail issues with professionalism and transparency at Chuckanut Property Management. Several tenants reported being blindsided by unexpected fees and charges upon moving out. Reviewers recounted being billed for routine cleaning and maintenance tasks, which they believed should be covered by normal wear and tear, resulting in disputes over security deposits. A tenant who meticulously cleaned their unit before leaving was shocked to find deductions for additional cleaning works that they deemed unnecessary.

Communication lapses also played a significant role in dissatisfaction, with several users noting difficulty contacting the management team. Tenants described having to repeatedly follow up on correspondence, being met with inconsistent messaging, or outright lack of response. One tenant attempted to resolve an issue through email and phone calls, only to be ignored for extended periods, which severely impacted their view of the company's communication and reliability.

Ugly

The ugliest aspects of Chuckanut Property Management revolve around alarming experiences of neglect and purported unethical practices. Some renters expressed recounting horrendous conditions, such as black mold and unsafe living environments ignored by the company. One tenant even detailed their harrowing experience of an unresponsive emergency line during a lock-out, rendering them vulnerable overnight. Others reported in a distraught manner of how the staff failed to communicate effectively, leading to circumstances where tenants felt deceived and cornered due to undisclosed contract terms.

Much of the frustration came from claims of the company exploiting college students and new renters who might be unfamiliar with tenancy laws and practices. These claims included erroneous charges for repairs or missing items, tall tales of overdemanding fines, such as significant penalties for pet items contrary to tenant agreements, and allegedly unethical billing practices. These troublesome accounts suggest a pattern of taking advantage of naive tenants, breeding deep distrust and heightened skepticism, ultimately painting an unflattering portrait of the firm.

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