Priess Company - tpco.com

[Aaron Robilotto]

Hi Everybody,

           I am looking for advice/feedback regarding a property managment company that I have been working with for about 10 years in Raleigh North Carolina- the Priess Company (They manage a unit of mine). Their fees are excessive (8.5% management, $13.75 for EACH service call and separate hourly and materials fees). I understand that they are a business, are providing a service and therefore profit driven. Looking over my latest statement though, they have done things that I consider to be unethical purely with the goal to inflate their revenue at client expense. For example - the tenant made a request to have 4 repairs made (air filter change, two light bulbs and a reset breaker)- they created a separate work order for each which created 4 separate service call charges and dinged me for .5 hours for EACH call as well. Per their statement, all work was completed on the same day. To make matters more infuriating, the requests from the tenant was one day after the 'turn' which was a signifant expense and should have remedied all of these issues. 

            Does anyone have any feedback about their dealings with the Priess Co?

            Am I being unreasonable in thinking this is excessive? (It's not even the money that's the bother, it's the ethics)

            Can anyone recommend an alternative management company in Raleigh that I should consider?

Thanks.

[Andrew S.]

Have you called them up and told them that this is unacceptable?  I only have limited personal experience with them (they managed one of the properties I bought some years ago and I had to keep them on as a condition of the sale).  Overall not too bad but I agree, their in house maintenance staff makes things very expensive.  I am local and so I simply walked into their office on Hillsborough Street whenever I didn't like something - typically got it resolved.  May be harder for you though if you are remote.  I assume this is a student rental?  If not, you should definitely switch because student rentals is most of what they do (and know).  What you are experiencing is fairly typical with larger PM companies.  For example, Trademark in Raleigh is the same way (sadly, I have direct experience there too...).  Try a smaller outfit - ping @Dawn Brenengen for example