J R Owens Corp

DO NOT RENT FROM J.R. OWENS! \r Please take the time to read this – I wish I had listened to the people who told me not to rent from this company but I didn't and now I regret it!\r This company is the worst! They will file suit against you for eviction if you are only 2 days late on your rent – and in my case I spoke to them twice beforehand (about the bugs/rats, see below) and they didn't have the common decency to let me know that I was late on rent and they were planning to sue me! They bicker and scream at each other in the presence of their tenants and are generally not friendly or helpful, acting as though they have better things to do than their job.\r Not only are they unprofessional and inconsiderate, but the condition of the premises are intolerable. The common areas have trash, cigarette butts, bugs and rats, and the 2 washers and 2 dryers (for the entire city-block of apartments) take your money and don’t work. \r Inside my apartment the bugs are taking over and I've called multiple times requesting pest control to no avail. Even after I called and added rats to the list for my apartment (I can hear them scratching and squeaking on the other sides of my walls, trying to get in) they haven’t sent anyone! Last month when I finally got someone to come to my apartment they just left a giant jug of poison pesticide inside my apartment next to my front door and didn't even spray!\r DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY OR YOU WILL REGRET IT! more

How many times i heard ""work order is in"" and it was never completed!!! Staff is either never there and does not pick up the phone or promises to repair something and never does. Do not move in here--buildings are old and something ALWAYS breakdown, unless you are willing to do the repairs yourself!! Pros: Good location, but that's about it Cons: Staff unresponsive to tenant's needs, nickel and dimes you more

this company has a lot to learn about how to deal with real people and real situations. Make you feel like a deadbeat at the slightest problem and then will nickle and dime you. forget about timely repairs. Never expect them to honor verbal agreements and the only written communication will be of a threatening nature. Gotta go. I have noticed many for rent signs in the neighborhood - seems like they are just not ""getting it"". the economy will favor the renter now and they may not get the same rent they are getting now. no matter - i am sure I can get a better deal in a nicer space for less money and better service. Pros: nice location Cons: poor communication more

i was a tenant with j.r. owens corporation for a few years and rented a beautiful space in mt vernon, very classical style, with high ceilings, bay windows, perfect location. i was super happy with their service, including maintenance and repair issues. overall a great experience and would highly recommend checking out their properties. more

A buddy of mine recommended them to me as he had already rented a studio from them and was happy with the space and service. I was looking for a place in the Mt. Vernon area and I wanted to avoid some of the less than accomodating management companies in B'more.\r \r They showed me a few places in my price range and I have to say I was very pleased with their service and professionalism. I met the previous tenant when I was shown the apartment I eventually rented and she was sad to leave such a great space. \r \r When I moved in the place was clean and freshly painted. There was one small problem with the bedroom door. I requested that it be fixed - and it was done so with in two days. No rodent problems, no noisy neighbors, and no broken appliances.\r \r As with any area in B'more there are ""issues"". But you have to be very careful and do your research. This area rivals Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights in many ways. So far - so good.\r Pros: Great spaces - nice staff more

I rented from this company, I just didn't know what I was getting into. The location was great but the apartment and building were NOT properly maintained despite my rent being raised at every possible opportunity. Appliances were over 25 years old and didn't work properly. When I asked for replacements it was always a temporary fix. The buildings are very poorly maintained and the hallways and vestibules are always dirty. I found myself clearing junk from the hall/vestibule that had been there for weeks. Most of the turnover of their apartments are done quickly and cheaply, they just paint over everything with flat white paint and don't bother to repair things or do things right. The hardwood floors are poorly cared for and simply varnished over rather than proper repairs being made. This makes them very brittle and they will begin to splinter once they're walked on. The building I was in had a rodent problem which they refused to address. The CAC/heating system was incredibly old and noisy. It would wake you up and make it difficult to talk on the phone or watch TV. They also refused to fix it, citing an ""old building"" as the problem. The staff is less than honest and rarely responsive to tenant concerns, often giving you the run around. It took a very long time to get my security deposit returned as they take the maximum amount of time allowable by law. When it finally was returned, they deducted quite a bit of money for existing issues that were present when I moved in and ""carpet cleaning"" although the carpet wasn't stained or damaged beyond normal wear. I thought steam cleaning a carpet was something a reputable landlord is supposed to do when changing tenants... I guess for J.R. Owens that's not standard. I would advise anyone considering renting from this company NOT to do so, unless you're willing to be treated badly and possibly get ripped off. They use ""historic buildings"" as an excuse not to update or fix anything. Pros: Good location Cons: Several. Just bad. more

The buildings owned by JR Owens Corp are really quite nice aesthetically, and the locations in Mount Vernon are really spectacular. The biggest downside is that the staff take such poor care of the facilities - we have had multiple problems with major appliances not working, air conditioning not functioning (we have had to sit through weeks of 90 degree heat in the apartment during the summer), etc. and have had little success in having those issues attended to. The apartments are old, and the owner seems disinclined to renovate or offer upgrades for the 70s-era amenities in most of the buildings. It would be a great rental company if they would simply hold up their end and actually fix things when they stop working, but the office staff are apathetic and inattentive. Good luck getting any positive results with repairs or work orders - we sure never did. more

My experiences of this company made me think the management was not to be trusted, nor would they be of any help beyond small ""fix-it"" problems. Stay away. more