Paul M Zagaris Inc

Upon moving in they did not do a walk through with us, did not clean the home prior to giving us the keys. The home had not been painted. They did respond to requests to fix things that were broken during the time we were in the home. They did not allow us to challenge a charge that was assigned to us after a vendor failed to do the job he was sent out for. Was to fix the AC, just changed the filter and the AC did not work again the next day. My husband had to fix it himself. Liberty Property then put the cost of the repairman on us because he stated it was the filter. They would not rescind it. Upon moving out the home after 3 and a half years, they charged us for touch up paint, charged us for a whole house cleaning, charged us to replace light bulbs and batteries in the garage remote. The lights were not burnt out and the remotes did not come with new batteries when we moved in and we were not using them. We cleaned the whole house prior to moving out. They charged $100 for labor to change light bulbs and replace batteries. So just beware, make them do a walk through with you. Take pictures! Understand they will hide clauses in their contract making you responsible for normal wear and tear that the law says you should not be responsible for. If you rent from them, make sure you get the house with every light and battery working. Don't bother cleaning as they are going to charge you anyway.

AT the office my wife asked to see someone All of our visits to the office began at a window in the wall dividing the public from the employees. The employees we dealt with at reception were polite and new procedures but were not knowledgeable about the properties and made no effort to find answers to our questions. Repeatedly we were instead asked "What does it say in the listing?" We witnessed the same treatment for others who came to the office. Though this service made us nervous about renting from them, we nonetheless gave them a $60 key deposit and went to look at homes. The first home we looked at was very nice, but smelled VERY strongly of cat urine. There were several Renuzits and an open box of baking soda, treating the symptom. We asked if they were planning to replace the carpet pad to get rid of the odor and were told that it was a good price on the house and that the odor would eventually go away. The second home we looked at we really liked and we started to fill out an application. As I was doing so, I noticed a line that said all pets must be outdoors only. As we have a neutered and declawed rescue cat who is mostly an indoor cat, my wife wanted to ask whether this was a hard and fast rule, or whether pets were considered on a pet by pet, or owner by owner basis. (Many landlords of homes we looked at said no pets in their ads, but said it would be ok when we described ourselves and the pet. At the office, my wife asked to see an agent. The woman who she talked to told her that there were no exceptions because it was an issue of fair housing practice. When she asked why there was a $500 deposit for a cat that was not allowed indoors, the response was "Because those are the rules!" My wife said tha we were looking for a company that was willing to work with us and earn our business, she was told "WE are providing YOU with a service, not the other way around!" The clear meaning was that we should be thankful to just follow their rules and give them our rent money, and that asking for any negotiation or consideration was out of line. The agent was told that we would take our business elsewhere, and my wife was told that that was fine with them. Dumbstruck, my wife called PMZ and asked to be put in touch with the proper person to complain about the service she received. She was put through to a voicemail. THe only reason I give this company a D rather than an F is that they have a huge inventory (perhaps 80% of the house rental listings in Modesto), and the homes are clean and ready to rent. Their offices are convenient, but not welcoming, and their web site is very professional. HOWEVER, based on my experience, and from reading of the experience of others, I would not rent from this company. If they are unwilling to treat a prospective customer well, I can't imagine how dismissive they must be of tenants who are already under lease.l

TERRIBLE EXPERIECE THAT WE WILL REMEMBER FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES.

They were very positive on the phone and talked up their services, advertising, etc. I asked them to put a few performance criteria in writing and they asked me to write up an addendum to the contract. I received an email back stating that they could not accommodate my addendum. I asked if there was a particular sticking point that we could negotiate or remove and they told me that they didn't want me as a client because I was "too picky".