Bob Schmitz Properties

Bob Schmitz is a horrible establishment which has figured out that although most people assume they will be getting their security deposit back, once they've moved away it becomes very difficult for them to argue any of it back. Genius right? I'm sure Susan Cole has prided herself on the strategy. Or maybe its her little secret.. Bob seemed like a nice guy actually... just out of touch. \r \r Anyways. Bob Schmitz charged me for all kinds of things I would never have expected... dusting blinds, changing lightbulbs, removing trash that mysteriously appeared after I left.\r \r Since they don't tell you what you owe, and wont do an inspection while you are still there, very few are still in durham 30 days later when they mail your check. And if you call the office afterwards they eventually stop picking up the phone. Bob Schmitz and Susan cole a match made in hell. more

I have had an incredible experience so far with Bob Schmitz properties. I was living in Massachusetts and I needed to find a place to live without being able to come down to North Carolina before I started graduate school at Duke. I wrote an email to Bob Schmitz properties inquiring about a few of the apartments I had seen on line. Not only did Laura Grey reply right away telling me more about the places, she even offered another option I had not even seen based on my needs in a new place! She told me about a 1-bedroom place that was only a couple blocks from where I would be taking all of my classes, was first-floor as I wanted, and had an incredible living room. The place looked great, was a great price, and she was spot-on with my needs so I took it! Since arriving it has been the most incredible place I have ever lived in. It is comfortable, spacious, and I bike to class everyday. In addition, I just got a new dog (Rocky) and he was welcomed by them and now he has a beautiful (and LARGE!) fenced in yard to play in with another dog who lives in one of the other apartments of the house. It has a brand new gated door that is so great to come in and out of. The area around the place is also great and I walk Rocky all around and even walk to rent a movie or anything! Other students in my class commute further and stay in big apartment complexes for more money and no where near the charm and are always sorry they did not find a place like mine! I plan on staying here the entire time I am a student here and I am so happy I found Bob Schmitz properties to make my Duke experience that much better! more

Try living next to one of his properties--he will rent to anyone and doesn't care how irresponsible or loud they are. I called to complain about his tenants (loud parties, garbage on their lawn, parties that spill over onto my lawn) and the property manager told me to get over it. Bob Schmitz doesn't seem to care about other people who have to live near his rentals, as long as he makes his money. more

I've had a very positive experience with Bob Schmitz Properties, particularly Laura Gray. I met Laura in the midst of a small crisis - I was adopting my first dog from the Durham shelter and at the last minute my landlord denied the adoption because he is a pit bull (Mr. Wiggles). I immediately began looking for a short-term place to stay that would allow me to adopt him. Also, it had to be cheap, because I was forced to pay two rents for several months until my original lease ran out. To further compound the scenario, I needed to secure a future, larger place to live in that would also accommodate my sister, who was moving up to Durham with me at some point. And finally, I would be out of country during the transition period, and wouldn't be able to move until the second week of the month. I am sure I sounded pretty desperate, but Laura took this all in stride. B.S.P. are well known for being pet friendly and she immediately welcomed me and my animals. She helped me identify a cheap apartment that I could transition through as needed. She also helped me find a really great house - only it was out of the budget and was available about a month earlier than I could move in. Not a problem. Laura knocked a considerable amount of money off the rent, and pushed the move-in date back a month at no cost to me. They also let me stay in the apartment over a week past my move-out date at no cost, and seamlessly transitioned the deposit to the new house.This is all to say that in my case, B.S.P showed a lot of heart and were very willing to work with me, despite cost to them. Yes, on move out, I got dinged for the stove pans, even though I scrubbed the dickens out of them, and I forgot to dust the ceiling fans. But these fees were minor, and in light of the extensive, straightforward list of move-out expectations and costs, I can't complain. In general I find their policies fair, extremely transparent, and you can expect a clean house when you move in. Of note, my fridge died in the small apartment soon after I moved in, and at my earliest convenience, the maintenance guy came out to check on it. He immediately determined that it would require replacing, called, got the okay, and was back with a new fridge within an hour. In this case, they did what needed to be done, and with expediency. After truly suffering under my past landlords, and the final injustice with my dog, B.S.P. was a very refreshing and positive change. So far they've delivered as promised, as expected, and beyond that. more

I moved from Austin, TX to Durham, NC earlier this summer and had to find a place to live sight unseen. Laura was super helpful through the entire process and took into account my unique needs, given that I was moving from out of state and have a 4 year old little boy. When I found a place that I really liked, I told them it was a little more than I was looking to pay and they helped me get into the place by dropping the rent a little bit (it wasn't much, but it was every little bit helps!). When I moved in, there were a few things that were less than perfect about the house but I made note of them on my move-in checklist. When they saw the things on my move-in checklist, they sent the maintenance guys over the very next morning! Instead of doing a shoddy job ""fixing"" the things, they completely replaced them! One thing was the front screen door which was slightly warped at the top corner, and the other thing was that the refrigerator door didn't seal properly. I got a brand new storm door on the front door and a brand new refrigerator! The maintenance men were very nice and personable and even locked up my house when they were finished with the installations. They also included lawn service which was great - I never had a problem with the lawn guys knocking over plants or making a mess on my porch or disturbing any of my stuff that was outside. After a few months, my boyfriend and I decided we wanted to get a place together. He also rented from Bob Schmitz sight unseen (he also moved from Austin, TX). We asked Bob Schmitz Properties if we could transfer our leases in order to get into a bigger house together. Not only did they approve it, they also agreed to install ceiling fans in every bedroom, and slightly lower our rent on our new place too! Laura, again, was super helpful and showed us places she thought would best suit our needs. The transfer has been quick and painless. We are very happy with our Bob Schmitz experience. Additionally, I had several friends who also moved from Austin to Durham this summer. We all rented from Bob Schmitz with the exception of one. We are all very happy with our choice - we love our houses, we love our neighborhoods, and we love the staff at Bob Schmitz. The people who did not rent from Bob Schmitz have a lot more problems with their apartment including A/C issues and old fixtures that were not updated by the property owners. Bob Schmitz homes that I've seen so far have great energy saving upgrades, even in the old historic homes. Laura is great... she pretty much held my hand through the whole process. :) more

We have been extremely pleased with our experience with Bob Schmitz properties in the several months that we have dealt with them. we moved in 8/3/11 in the middle of the worst heat spell in NC in years. We really appreciated how well maintained our duplex was, the air conditioner never seemed to struggle in 100 + degress and the ceiling fans kept the cool air moving around. Everyone in their office as been kind and professional to us in all our dealings. Laura and Susan were so helpful in getting the right type of place for our needs. We are older with some serious mobility issues and they were very understanding in trying to accomodate us as able. We eventually may have to move to a larger place to accomodate wheelchair issues and we hope to stay with them as well.. Their homes are clean, bright and cheerful.... Best looking places we saw in our long hunt to move back into town. more

I lived with Bob Schmitz for 3 years and wish I could go back! I moved out of state when I finished my grad degree and am renting from a property manager that is proving just how awesome Bob Schmitz was! I chose my apartment because of its proximity to Ninth St. and East Campus and could not have been happier with the apartment or the service. The apartment was in great condition when I moved in and anytime I had an issue it was taken care of same day. I once locked myself out of the apartment at 5PM, I called the office with my fingers crossed hoping they were still there and alas they answered and the leasing agent came over right away and let me in even though the office was closing. Every time I went in to pay my rent they greeted me by name and thanked me for bringing in my check and if I paid before the first of the month they gave me a coupon for a free pizza, who doesn't want a free pizza?! My rent only went up $5 every year which I was thankful for given my grad student budget. All deductions made from my security deposit were justified as I honestly didn't feel like scrubbing down the bathroom after a day of moving. All in all my experience was very positive and now that I'm renting from a company that takes forever to respond to my issues, I realize just how awesome Bob Schmitz was! more

First of all, the reviews like mine are from real tenants that lived in Bob Schmitz Properties... hence the same issue with being ripped off with the deposit. My story goes like this: I lived in one of Bob Schmitz townhouses for 2 years and never paid late. The maintenance crew are fast and waste no time in getting things done, but the service stops there. I moved because I found a better deal and it was 1 month before my lease was up. I called the office and inquired about if this would affect my deposit and Susan told me if I found someone to move in, no. But, if they had to find someone meaning if I just left I would have to pay $200 on top of not getting my deposit. So I brought them one of my professors at the University I attended that just moved here from Chicago... (Note, he was approved for a brand new car and house that he decided not buy, but shop around a little). Susan took his deposit, had him sign a lease, and gave him a move in date pending his credit approval. Then Susan called my other neighbor and asked him did he still want my apartment and of course he accepted. Called my professor back in 3 days and told him that his credit was bad. I happened to run into some issues with the new apartment complex and had to move the move out date back 1 week. I called Susan and asked could that be done and she agreed, but she made it seem as if the new tenant was going to move in on the first date. So, I just happened to run into my neighbor and he asked me if I was moving and that's when he told me Susan called and asked him about the apartment and told him she should put me out on the original date even though he was not scheduled to move in until 3 weeks later. He (my neighbor) told Susan that he would not take the apartment if she did something so f#$% up like that when they both knew I was in Cali for a week. My neighbor asked if he could have my bamboo blinds and other stuff that I was getting rid of and we asked Susan if I could leave them there and she agreed. I was charged for those items being left there and a $150 cleaning bill, plus them replacing the drip pans on the stove they never replaced. After 2 weeks of arguing about not getting this back from my deposit Susan memory all of a sudden came back and I got a $175 check for the items but not the cleaning bill. Even maintenance said the house was fine. I witnessed my neighbor's apartment being robbed and called the police. The next day I asked Susan (property mgr) if there was a number that the police could call to enter and search when the tenant couldn't be reached and I was abruptly cut off with a sharp ""NO"" and sent out. The bad thing about this is that when there was a disturbance where the police was called and their For Rent signs were burned, the next day, the office was calling to see if anyone knew anything. Never gave a crap about tenants safety. If you look at their site, you'd see that these ""Great"" reviews are the same thing you see here. Do yourself a favor and keep shopping around. There are honest property mgrs in Durham. more

they are a huge rip-off. After they assure you everything is fine, they then steal your security deposit and will not respond when asked why. Bob also tried to charge me twice for the same thing, I call them to inspect the house before I move out because I pay a company to do the cleaning, I was told they will send my deposit whitin 30 days and when I call them 3 months later they sent me a bill for 1200, BEWARE!!!! more

I read the negative reviews and felt like I had to defend Bob Schmitz Properties! I lived in a Bob Schmitz home for two years and only moved out because I got relocated. I found the staff extremely helpful, any problems I had with the house were resolved either that day or the next! I had no problem with moving out, I simply followed their move-out instructions and my security deposit was returned to me. If you break something in a house you RENT, of course they will charge you to fix it! more

I have been so pleased with my rental home! I have referred several of my co-workers and they all have had a similar experience. They have lots of great options--I looked at a house, a townhome, and a duplex--all with great hardwood floors and central heat and air. My deck, the fenced yard, and the ceiling fans in each room really make the house I chose feel like home. I have called the office or a few small things and the office sent someone out the same day! Pretty funny some of the reviews I have read. Not my experience or my friends' at all. Must be someone that trashed the house when they left is the only thing that I can figure...Definitely recommend! more

Bob Schmitz does have nice homes in ideal locations, if that is the most critical issue then they are great although there are other companies with more upstanding policies. Our issues started when they decided to keep our entire deposit for arbitrary and in my opinion false reasons. We did an exceptional job cleaning the house and maintaining everything. I don't personally feel as though there was anything we could have done to get the deposit returned. If you rent from them don't count on getting your deposit back and you may choose to act and clean accordingly. I personally would not recommend them to anyone unless there was one house which you simply had to live in. I also think some of the positive reviews written in here may have been written by people associated with the company as people I have directly spoken with have had similar issues as we have. Pros: Older homes Cons: Service, Deposit policies more

My relationship with Bob Schmitz properties has been very easy. The staff communicates extremely well and are friendly. As landlords, they want to maintain and give attention to their properties and that includes landscaping! We have been living in our apartment for 2 years now and it's perfect. It is beautiful as a historic presence and functions with charm. Having moved from Michigan, we couldn't be happier renting from such a devoted property company. more

We have enjoyed our Bob Schmitz home from day one. Their staff is friendly, caring and attentive. When something needs fixing, they are here in a matter of hours and the job is done. We enjoy renting so much that I doubt if we will ever buy a house again. We had no idea renting a home could be so pleasant and we are blessed to have found Bob Schmitz Properties when we moved here 2 years ago. more

You can't beat their prices and the staff was very kind and helpful. Cool historic houses, and the condition the properties were in amazed me! The houses were extremly spacious and affordable. The fixtures are up to date and fully functional,and the staff was understanding and, again,very very hepful! I will recomend this company to anyone and everyone! Kudos to Bob,Susan,Kendall,and Marilyn. Pros: Everything Cons: Nothing I can think of more

I love my apartment! It has great character with modern convenience. Bob Schmitz Properyies staff are welcoming, helpful. They made me feel secure in our moving choice even though we were moving across the country and rented the place sight-unseen. I was not disappointed! It is small but spacious, with a gorgeous and large kitchen! Maintenance requests are handled immediately and with attention to detail. The rent is the cheapest I have found in the area, and no one would no how little we pay, it is so lovely. I will be so sad to move one day, and highly recommend these property managers. The staff is amazing and i am very pleased. Pros: spacious, cheap rent, friendly staff and quick maintenance, gorgeous kitchen Cons: not very much storage space more

I have had a stellar experience with Bob Schmitz Properties. This is my second year with them and I have nothing but complements. I can call in or email work requests and they are often fixed within the same business day! The staff are quite courteous and always greet me with a smile. Although you cannot pay rent using credit card, rent is quite affordable. If you are looking for an apartment with a little charm in Durham - then this where your search should end. more

Bob Schmitz has really fun apartments - always interesting, but comfortable too. They obviously spend a lot of time remodeling these old homes into nice spacious apartments with hardwood floors. I would definitely recommend checking out their website for some pictures. Also, the apartments are reasonably priced, and their response to work orders are pretty quick.\r \r If you're looking for a bland apartment complex where every unit looks the same with the same gray carpeting in every room, then maybe Bob Schmitz isn't for you, but if you want character and charm at an afordable price, then give them a look. more

Bob Schmitz offers different options from apartments to homes at different prices suitable for many types of budgets. Maintenance service is always on time. The staff is always happy to answer your questions. They reward their clients, when you pay the rent early you get a coupon for a free pizza!!. My house is well equipped with central air conditioner and heat, plus security features. more

When I moved to the area and started house-hunting, I was surprised at the number of options. Bob Schmitz Properties had a range of properties in my price range that were well-maintainted, spacious and had lots of character. The ones I looked at had off-street parking, fenced yards and even decks! I chose a spacious duplex and I have not been disappointed. The few times I have needed to call in a work order, maintenance guys were there the same day. They didn't even give me a hard time when I asked for more insulation in the attic and weatherstripping around the doors. Pretty cool about the free pizza coupon they give you if you pay the rent before the first of the month. Would definitely recommend... Pros: Lots of options, great service, fair prices Cons: Don't know of any more