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May 2022 by Coran B.
I had the great misfortune to come across an apartment for rent advertised by the Laurel Company. After corresponding with Laura via email, I arrived at the open house where I met with my parents as well as approximately six to seven additional "prospective tenants." We (everyone, presumably) all liked the unit very much, and as we were informed the applications would be reviewed on a "first come, first served" basis, my parents followed me to the rental office where we hastily (but thoroughly!) completed the paperwork in the parking lot and went in to submit it. The office staff were extremely polite and friendly, but expressed surprise to receive an application so quickly as the agent (Laura) had not yet returned herself. My mother and I went into a conference room with Nancy, the accountant, where she ensured I had filled everything out. (I apologize for the length and slow pace of this review - my reason for being so thorough will become evident.) As I regrettably became disabled in 2007 I now have a Section 8 voucher in order to continue living close to my familly, in Santa Barbara. I explained this to Nancy and she asked me a number of questions about the program as the Laurel Company does not have any tenants - past or present - in possession of this assistance. As soon as I paid the $40 credit check/application fee I raced down to the SB Housing Authority in order to find out how quickly they would be able to do the inspection that is necessary prior to moving in to an apartment. They are closed on alternating Fridays - which just so happened to be this week - so I called a friend and asked him to go into my apartment and search through my hundreds of business cards until he found the one I knew I had belonging to a HUD inspector. He found it. I called, and in spite of the gentleman's voicemail stating he was on vacation and therefore "do NOT leave a message," I did so anyway as it is a holiday weekend and I had been informed the owner wanted the unit filled ASAP. I had only been working (volunteering) for approximately 45 minutes when I received a call from Laura with the news that - in spite of the three people in her office saying otherwise - someone else had turned their application in ahead of me. Evidently I present as having some manner of mental disability, as this appallingly blatant lie is an insult to my admittedly unimpressive - but adequate- intelligence. Having a Section 8 voucher....SUCKS. It is humiliating and demeaning to have a disability. Exponentially more so when one is looking for a new apartment, as the stigma (ignorance) that comes attached to the wretched HUD voucher is almost intolerable. In 2020 California passed a law prohibiting owners, property management companies, etc. from continuing to discriminate against individuals receiving federal aid for their rent. Personally I think the law is absurd as it merely means I waste countless hours and hundreds of dollars looking at and applying for apartments even though my applications are automatically and immediately passed over. As apartment rental companies do not want to be too overt in their discriminatory policies they are unwilling to save me the expense, time, and energy by simply stating there's no way in hell they will rent to me. Regardless, it IS illegal to be acting thusly, and while I am not judging anyone working for this company - as likely they are just acting on the owners' orders - they are still making the choice to break the law, discriminate against the disabled, and treat me as though I am an imbecile with a single digit I.Q. I did not confront anyone at the Laurel Company with the obvious absurdity of their claims as they have already wasted too much of my time. I have been incapable of looking for an apartment the past three days - and counting - as though it was not the first time I've experienced prejudice the past month it hadn't been to this degree. My rating of the Laurel Company can be summed up neatly in one word: base. (Please see below for definition if
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February 2022 by Katie Kardok
Laura has been a pleasure to work with. She is always quick to answer inquiries, and made our moving experience seamless! 10/10 would recommend to anyone looking to rent a place. Thank you Laura!
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February 2020 by margie aragon
Nice properties to choose from
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February 2020 by Judy Eisenhauer
The Laurel Company has been managing our rental (single family home in Santa Barbara) for more than 20 years. During that time they have provided complete full-service property management, including advertising vacancies, interviewing prospective tenants, and completing leases. They have recommended appropriate rent increases, being responsive both to the rental market and to our desire to retain good tenants. They have contracted for lawn service and other maintenance and repairs, recommending replacement of appliances, inspecting the property as needed. And, in the one case where tenants were violating the terms of the lease, they acted to terminate the tenancy after tenants did not comply.We have been extremely pleased with their professional attitude, good communication and responsiveness to our requests. It is hard to imagine how we could have kept this rental house without the management services provided by The Laurel Company. We would not hesitate to recommend them to others.
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June 2019 by Robert C.
I thought the Laurel Company was the terrible. I had a simple dispute over payment for plumbing services, but rather than explain the charge to me they immediately wanted to take me to small claims court. Co-Director Darren Peterson envisions himself as being a lawyer, but he is anything but. For peace of mind, stay clear of this company.
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June 2018 by Wayne M.
Was very pleased to work with Laura on trying to rent a house in Santa Barbara. Although we were unable to come to an agreement to rent the house, the experience with Laura, her complete professional manner and ace customer service is enough in itself to want to work with this company again.
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February 2018 by Oscar Resendiz
Nice, professional and dedicate people....
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February 2015 by Matthew Fossati
Horrible. Will screw you at the end.
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February 2014 by Randy Lioz
My experience as a Laurel tenant had its ups and downs, but they mostly left me with a bad taste in my mouth. They were generally slow to address maintenance issues, and when I had a technical glitch with my bank that created a missed payment situation, they were pretty inflexible. I know they can't go around waiving fees left and right, but they approached it with a distinct lack of humanity.Finally, they nickel and dimed us on the deposit at move-out: They charged $170 for the combination of removing a toaster (which by the way was there at move-in) replacing a smoke detector battery and removing sticker residue from a mirror. Yes, $170 for that. Apparently doing it took 3.25 hours, at $50/hr. I guess "Preferred Maintenance" should also share in this crappy review, since that's who charged them for this. I'd fight it, but I really don't wanna deal with these people anymore.
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March 2013 by Colette C.
I rented an apartment through The Laurel Company in downtown Santa Barbara and it was by far the best property management I have seen. They were always courteous and professional and the apartment was a wonderful place to live. Unfortunately, due to relocation for work, I was unable to stay longer, but I would definitely rent from this company again and highly recommend them.
