HENRY FALKENSTEIN & ASSOC

The overall experience was pretty much one screw up after another, mixed with some downright nasty behavior. We absolutely can't recommend these people to any property owner as property managers, and our experience with office personnel was frequently so bad we can't recommend them to anyone for any reason. Henry's office routinely didn't provide proper prior notification for repairs, with people showing up on our roof, enclosed patio area or looking in bedroom windows unexpectedly so often we lost count somewhere after the 17th or 18th time. We also took time off from work and waited in vain for no-show repair vendors many days. It took them more than a year to complete much of the initial list of needed repairs, most of which were "habitability" issues, and although the unit was advertised and shown as having air-conditioning, it turned out not to have it. It took a year and a half to resolve the air conditioning issue (after a year we were told we weren't being patient enough!); some original issues never did get resolved. The office isn't computerized, is disorganized, letters and other paperwork get lost or thrown out after a year, some of the personnel are rude to the point of being sadistic and pushing the boundaries of "encouraging the tenant to move". There is in-fighting and resentment among office personnel about having to cover items on each others' desks, and that was often an excuse for office non-performance on needed repairs. It was also their excuse for sometimes demanding we do their job for them, even though we weren't legally empowered by the owner to do so. The unit we rented was older and marginally maintained with many items (like the 22 year old hot water heater) coming due for replacement or repair, but when we asked for needed repairs it was frequently implied that we somehow caused need to repair- the example that comes first to mind was need to repair a faulty electrical socket that was audibly arcing in the wall accompanied by the smell of burning wiring. We were actually asked "so how did you manage to cause that" when we insisted we had to have same day repair due to the smell of burning wiring- they wanted us to wait three or four days, and failed to understand the potential fire hazard until we spelled it out for them. During the course of our tenancy they never reimbursed us for any costs that accrued to us due to their unit's problems and for which they had verbally told us they'd reimburse us. At one point we were asked "what's the matter, can't you afford it?", as if it was our responsibility to absorb costs for them. Henry was never available to hear complaints and never returned our phone calls; if we managed to actually get to him to voice a complaint about office personnel or a repair, he'd promise the world, then disappear, not be available for appointments, and not return calls. Rent was raised $100 on a regular basis, despite the downward trend in area rental rates. We'd initially planned to stay until we had both reached full retirement due to the cost and aggravation of moving, but when the rent was raised yet again, we found a nicer place in a better location in upgraded condition and for more than $200 a month less, so we moved. We demanded our inspection to point out any deficiencies prior to vacating, but Henry failed to show up as scheduled despite choice of day and time being his. When we moved, the screen door to the patio was still un-repaired (an original pre-tenancy issue) and the phone lines sporadically still didn't work and they had no plans to fix them- both of these are habitability issues. After we moved, Henry called to tell us the owner was "delighted and pleased" with the condition in which we left the unit and to let us know he'd be returning our full security deposit, he clearly didn't seem to understand that under California law he had to return it all no matter what- he'd waived right to claim "deficiencies" by not showing up for the inspection. And his comment during that phone call about the only sporadically working phone lines was that "in this day and age of cell phones" they were unnecessary. I didn't bother to point out to him that L.A. County requires at least one fully working phone line/jack- didn't think he'd care. We will neither lease/rent from him again, or use him as a real estate agent, and that includes avoiding viewing property for sale that he is handling. We simply don't trust him anymore, nor can we recommend his office to anyone for anything.