Gallagher and Lindsey Rentals

RENTERS BEWARE! - Before you rent from Gallagher and Lindsey be sure to ask for the rental agreement AND for the itemized list of what they check when you move out. They will try to extract as much money out of your deposit as they possibly can. - Take photos of EVERYTHING when you move in. Be sure to time stamp the photos so you have proof of the state of the unit at move in because they will try and charge you.

We lived in an apartment managed by G&L for a year. Over the time we rented from them, they were very unresponsive to repair requests made. When we moved out, they charged us for items that we had requested repairs for during our tenancy and for extra cleaning fees they cannot account for. We are currently in the process of having to argue/fight to get back our deposit money.

Gallagher and Lindsey is a horrible, predatory company that takes advantage of the competitive rental market so they can squeeze as much money from renters as possible with doing the least amount of work.

I don’t particularly like to give bad ratings but I felt that I needed to do everyone a favor by giving a WARNING. If you decide to sign any type of contract or do any type of business with them, be ready for a lot of inconsistency and terrible customer service. They will not respond to your calls or your emails, you will have to personally walk-​in and chances are whoever you’re trying to see won’t be there. The worst part? The woman who’s always there to «greet» you. Had to quote that because of her snobbish attitude every time I’ve made a visit. She speaks with such a condescending demeanor that you’d think a McDonald’s employees would’ve given you better customer service. Their whole company lacks professionalism in every aspect.
Now you could say I’m almost clueless about how property management works (which is why we hired them to manage our properties), but what I do know is that the money is coming in short every month. Now I’m not making any accusations, I’m just saying money is short and we’ve tried to get answers but they are not very responsive once you sign the contact.
As our contract with Gallagher and Lindsay was coming to end, we decided to terminate the contract instead of renewing it. So then we went and turned in our termination letter and switched over to a much better company. I went in to retrieve our documentations and keys and asked to speak with Joe Snell to ensure that there were no other procedures we’d have to take to finalize our termination. The women (two of them) responded «well, if you turned in a termination letter and he’s left this packet here that’s all there is.» Well I sure wished it was. Have you ever heard of termination with a company but they wouldn’t release your funds/​accounts unless you gave them a releasement letter? Best part was, they NEVER mention about a releasement letter when I turned in the termination letter. What were you planning to do with our money if we never turned in the releasement letter? So anyways, I personally typed up the releasement letter, had my parents signed it, and brought it in. Our new management tried to get in contact with their accountant Connie, no response. Tried calling Joe a few times, no response either. Dropped them a visit today and luckily I caught Connie at a good time and she told me she saw the the releasement letter (that was handed to her last week) and said that she needs to run it by her manager Lisa before releasing the funds. I’m not a lawyer but but I’m sure if I signed and dated the contract it should’ve taken effect on that day (nearly a week ago). This has dragged on for about a month now and we still don’t have our money. I had to personally come into this office more than a dozen times now. My new management has advised us to hire an attorney to write a demand letter for these funds – lets hope we don’t resort to that.
Gallagher and Lindsay, I am baffled. I question your company’s vision and integrity. But thank you for reassuring us that it was the right thing to do to terminate our contract with you. Your company lacks dependability, efficiency, and professionalism. Maybe you should check your Unilocal reviews and make some better decisions on how to improve. Good day.

Let me briefly tell you how to get your deposit back.
In the process of taking this company to small claim courts, I learn that beside the 21 days they must return your deposit after you move out, they also can not automatically charge your deposit with all the extensive fees they charge.
We got back our entire deposit back minus no fees in small claim court.
G&L paid out cleaning expenses.
The reason is these people are counting on you not to sue them ever.
I highly recommend not to accept this rip offs free of charge.

Customer service over the phone is non existent especially if a man by the name of Matt answers. He gives you very short responses and no pleasantries in his address. Just rude overall, but the kicker is that the agent I worked with took forever to return my emails and isn’t even full time so I’d be in limbo until I got a response. Also the «rental fee» is another way to abuse people just trying to find a place to live in this crazy market and exploit their desperation. Just a side note: I learned what a pet resume was from here which is the only reason this place gets a star at all because I learned something. I mean whomever heard of such a stupid thing! Waste of my limited free time. This places’ existence is unnecessary, a computer could fill its role and it’d be free.

Utilized this rental agency before back in 2008 when I moved from Florida to California. Staff was great then.
Attempted to use them again in February and March 2016, and although there were no listings that met my criteria, I felt that the staff could have been more friendlier and more courteous. They may be pushy to complete a rental application, so that you may pay their fee. But don’t feel the pressure to do this folks, until you physically view a place that meets your criteria.
You do have a couple of options on Alameda, if you choose to search through a rental agency. Do your homework.

Tried to rent and no one returned calls or email… I even walked in and the guy was rushing out… one lady did answer my questions but didn’t look terribly happy to be bothered (OK?)…now that I look at the reviews I see everyone hates this company. Too bad because we were willing so sign a lease same day… as well as looking to buy in a year in this area and would have been happy to use G&L …really unprofessional and very disappointed… I thought this company was better.

Heads up for all interested in renting with these fools. If rent is cheap, you get what you pay for obviously. There is no great deal. When we moved into our 4 bedroom spot in Alameda it came with rodents and roaches. We had no idea that all came with the rental agreement! And I’m pretty sure the heating systems and pipes are gross and very old. It has been over 7 years that we have been renting here and there are major repairs that have been long overdue to be repaired and fixed. We dont have a dishwasher but our neighbor has one which doesnt make sense.
As tenants we feel the discrimination, and we felt it today on our visit to the office.
The ridiculously rude staff on webster street are terrible. They looked at us like idiots when we came by to speak with the repair person — Jeanine.
Jeanine has been helpful since I met her in person when she inspected how miserable the place we live in is inhabitable. One repair is yet to be completed but its something over nothing.
We just cant believe GALLAGHER & LINDSEY & STAFF have been avoiding our calls and not providing us with basic needs in an appropriate and legally timely manner.
Matters are becoming worse, and I understand they are busy with other calls but I cant believe how little attention we get when needed help with repairs and upgrading our stove.
We paid out of pocket for our stove. We paid out of pocket for our shower heads and paid out of pocket for our door locks for privacy and main door lock because it was old.
Roaches are gone because we figured that part out. Rodents are still crawling in the roof all through out the day and night.
Dont even ask us about the heater. We dont know nor have we tried to turn it on. Its disgusting.
The opening in our kitchen and laundry closet room hasn’t been completely repaired and thats what only has been worked on thus far since I met with Jeanine 2 months ago. It is covered with wood but still not complete. It only prevents the rodents from coming through that opening.
She is better than the person who was in her seat before.
We are outraged and have been documenting every piece and story we have shared with these people. Not much progress and effort to make their tenants happy and satisfied.
And to be honest I dont enjoy speaking negativley about my landlord. This is just the honest truth.
There’s more but dont rent from then if you want a reliable/​dependable and accountable landlord.
This company will get into some major trouble because they dont follow-​upas they should. So just document everything everyone!

Property management company collects money but fixes nothing and lies about it. We had a leaking pipe for 9 years, and «gardeners» who mowed our tulips and left cigarette butts everywhere. They give out no-​cause 60-​day eviction notices in the middle of the school year to families with children like ours, so they can jack up the rent by $ 600-​$ 1000 per unit. Best avoided at all costs. Heartless, unmitigated greed perpetrated on long-​term quality tenants regularly.

These reviews do not lie. My experience was shockingly similar to most of these other potential renter’s reviews, and most of the 5 star reviews on here are planted, paid for, or fake.
I spoke with Barbara over the phone, who was actually very professional and polite, it’s a shame I didn’t just continue to work with her.
The woman at the front desk, is probably the rudest person I’ve ever met. From the get go, she was condescending, discriminatory, and outright mean. I’m a US Air Force Veteran, I currently work for PG&E and I have never had a problem renting from any other agency. However, since I’m a married lesbian this woman at the front desk had a HUGE problem with that. I told her that my wife and I were married and her response was, «look even if you were ACTUALLY married…» at that point I decided to walk out. It’s going to be hard for Gallagher and Lindsey to explain that one. I’ll spare the other annoying details of how she acted towards us, because it won’t serve any purpose to vent about them here.
I HIGHLY encourage LGBT families to stay away from this rental agency. There are plenty of other agencies out there who will provide an equal opportunity environment for renters. It’s 2015, and I refuse to give my business to companies who still operate like it’s 1960.

Looking for an apartment, and I am a professional with good references. They don’t return most phone calls or emails, even if I asked them specific questions.

I used all three rental agencies in Alameda, and I was the least impressed by Gallagher & Linsey. They don’t even let you look at their apartment listings until they «hard hit» your credit report (as if you are buying a house). Then when you apply for an apartment they never get back to you.
I found Harbor Bay Rentals much more personable & attentive. They kept me updated on all of the apartments I applied for, and treated me with respect.

I thought it was just me. That they are rude and unprofessional because I’m Asian. Ditto to all the zero ratings given by Unilocalers.

I’ve been renting from G&L for about a year and a half now, and overall it’s been a perfectly pleasant experience. I appreciated their approach to viewing apartments – give them collateral and they give you keys to the apartments you want to see then you can go and view them at your leisure. No realtor hovering over you, no awkward conversations, and no other prospective tenants elbowing you around like at an open house (which, in this market, is becoming increasingly common). You just see the place and decide whether you like it. Maybe some people prefer more attention, but I liked having the flexibility and freedom.
As far as response goes, I haven’t needed them for much. Our garbage chute has gotten clogged a few times and every time I’ve called they have come and fixed it immediately. Once I came home to find the water had been turned off without notice (they are usually VERY good about giving maintenance notice) and called to check if there had been some kind of mistake. They called me back immediately, apologized, and told me there was an emergency plumbing issues in another unit.
I only gave them 4 stars because I wouldn’t consider them *outstanding* but I’ve been happy, and would be willing to rent with them again.

My husband and I worked with Matt this past April to find a rental. He was great! He was easy to keep in touch with, friendly, and helpful. When we thought we lost out on a place, he was very supportive and encouraging. We did end up getting an apartment and are pretty happy this far! If it was only for Matt, I would give Gallagher and Lindsey 4 stars.
The reason I’m giving 3 is because the receptionist at the office was rude to my and my husband. We had questions and concerns about the apartment we were about to rent. As we were going over the lease and asking questions, she often interrupted us, not allowing us to finish our questions and appeared annoyed with us in tone. I felt at times that she was talking down to us and I felt upset. Perhaps she was having a bad day. Either way, customer service is important to me and I hope this review is read by G&L and the customer service can be improved — especially by the person who first greets you and answers the phone!
Thanks so much!

I recently needed to relocate from Oakland to Bay Farm Island and I needed to do so quickly! After initially working with Harbor Bay Rentals, I came across a couple of suitable properties on Bay Farm through GL and within 5 days I had a new place (keep in mind that I’d previously been working through HBR for the prior 7 weeks with little movement). Everything was absolutely top notch with GL and my leasing agent Barbara was exceptionally helpful throughout the entire process. I HIGHLY recommend working with GL in the event you are looking to lease or purchase a property in Alameda.

Never again please. Despite a couple of very nice people working (specifically our leasing agent and the maintenance guy) at G&L, I do not recommend them to anyone if you can avoid it. Now, they have a decent supply of rentals in Alameda so if you are looking for a rental on the island, you may not be able to avoid them. Let’s get this out first: the woman at the front desk has been rude with me and/​or my wife on every occasion but one. Unbelievable. If you can go beyond the attitude, you will experience their lack of organization: messages not transferred, appointment missed, delays, etc. Frankly, not a good experience overall but I don’t think they care about it. The grand finale was when we moved out. We relocated to Santa Cruz and had made an appointment to return the keys and go though the house after it was all cleaned up to make sure it was all cleaned up. OK it is not the end of the world but it’s still a 1.5 hour drive each way and they did not show up! My wife called them and well, the «guy» wasn’t available so she could just leave the keys inside and they would check the house without her. WHAT?! I was shocked by their lack of respect. After a couple of phone calls, they sent someone to pick up the keys in person but the individual wasn’t qualified to go through the house with my wife. Btw, their office is 0.5 mile from where our house was. Bottom line is that they have a good sales team but once you are signed, you are on your own.

While searching for a home for my family, I contacted this agency. The woman who initially answered my call explained their pre-​application process (filing an application and either paying $ 20 for credit check or providing a recent report) and connected me with their agent Matthew.
Matthew followed up promptly & politely. Unfortunately, when I told him that I would email my info to him to have waiting on Thursday morning — he failed to mention that he’d be off on Thursday & Friday?!? After hearing nothing back on Thursday, I called Friday morning to try and schedule appointments for viewing that weekend.
Again, the woman who answered was super helpful and explained that Matthew was out of office. I was rather confused & disappointed that he’d TOTALLY left me hanging with no viewings scheduled.
I did get connected with their agent Barbara via email shortly thereafter. Within a few hours she called & emailed to try and schedule weekend viewings ASAP. Thankfully, we found a place right before she called! However, I was grateful to hear back from her.
As a potential renter, from my experience, I’d say this place is hit or miss depending upon who you work with… It did seem like they were having some trouble actually showing some of their advertised properties? Why even have the listing on your site if no one can view it or apply yet? Also, none of their online listings had actual interior pictures.

waste of time and money!
applied last week and they said im qualified for any apartments and will call me for viewing but never did. i was trying to call them and all i end up every damn day was a voicemail. never got any phone call from them since. realtors are scam!! they make money for those application fee only. and pretend that somebody got the apartment or whatever excuse they have.

Blatant discrimination based on family size. I filed a complaint today with HUD since no one at Gallagher and Lindsey returned my call. My agent was Debbie Pham. My income clearly was sufficient on the application and Ms. Pham told me my application was denied based on my income! She told me that via text, just after she had asked me how many people would occupy unit. I responded honestly myself and my children, and that I was a single mother. Two seconds later she denied my application. So much for honesty, huh?! Hope they get what they deserve.

I have to say that after reading all the 1 star reviews I have to agree with all of them. I rented from them for 1.5 years. Luckily the apartment I rented didn’t have significant maintenance issues but my neighbors’ roof leaked and it ruined a lot of their stuff which was not reimbursed. G&L waited soooo long to stop the leak then clean it up that there was significant mold growing on and in the walls. all in all it took them months to correct it with no apologies.
My experience when I moved out of a 500 square foot apartment (which is tiny in case you don’t know) is that they have made up their own rules about what to charge for move out fees. BEWARE: If you live in their apt for less than 3 years, they charge you a «prorated» fee to repaint the entire apartment. The guys that they have working for the them are primarily stoners that sit on the porch all day getting high then tell the boss that it took several days for more than one person to paint a 500sq ft place. they tried to charge me $ 600 (1.5 years/​3 years x 1200 fee to paint 500 sq ft) when I moved out. the one good experience I had with them is that when I pushed back Joe said «oh, yea, that seems a bit much». I still ended up paying $ 150 for re-​paint alone and no damage whatsoever.
these guys are crooks and the office staff are about as helpful and friendly as, oh I don’t know, goats.

I am completely unimpressed with this company. I was looking for a place as I was planning to move to CA from another state. I could go on forever on the lack of response to emails, miscommunication etc but I will spare you. I will say that the agents are really bad at returning calls/​emails, they claim to never know what inventory is current because things «move so fast» and when I spoke to my landlord after moving, I discovered that most of the things that they were supposed to share with him were never conveyed. When I got to my new house, the things they were supposed to have taken care of were not done and I had to handle a lot of issues to get it in living condition.
This company essentially has the monopoly on property management in this area so that gives them license to not treat customers well. The communication stinks, they are rude, and quite frankly, all they care about is getting paid. My agent actually told me to be sure to send the check (which I already had) because that’s how she would get paid.
Finally, they are not tech savvy at all… They don’t take debit cards for the $ 20 fee which you have to pay before you can even see a place, there are rarely photos of the places on the website and they can’t/won’t do virtual tours.