Jsm Properties

JSM is the worst rental company in Madison. I wouldn’t rent from them ever again if they paid me! Our apartment had a constant problem with mold. They did nothing to fix the problem except come and clean it off the walls and windows every time we complained. After that, our apartment smelled like bleach for days. I don’t know what made me feel more sick, the mold or the cleaner they used to get rid of it. Not that it ever did any good because the mold always came back. The people who manage this company are completely incompetent and the maintenance people were constantly in and out of our apartment. We felt like we had no privacy at all. You would be a fool to rent from this company especially since there are so many brand new apartment buildings in Madison right now. Living at JSM should be your last resort. The one five star review that JSM recieved is a joke and contains promotional materials yet Unilocal has decided not to remove it.

Words cannot describe my hatred of JSM and the other big rental companies in madison. They take advantage of students and poorly manage dirty old rentals mostly in desperate need of an update. The turnover time of their apartments is so quick you always inherent the previous tenants mess. Most of the time they are impossible to get ahold of on the phone and they rarely solve the problem at hand.

I haven’t even rented from them, but what little contact I have had with them has had several red flags. I was interested in working with this management company because they claim they are pet-​friendly, and are even listed on the Dane County Humane Society website as being pet-​friendly. When I called to inquire about their pet policy, they told me they only allow fish, and cats are only allowed at the discretion of the management company. Apparently they would rather have a cat claw up every inch of carpeting and moulding in the apartment than allow litter-​trained rabbits in a pen with over a dozen precautions to eliminate the possibility of any property damage.
However, I am only mildly upset that they refused to consider my pets. What is really troublesome is the attitude they had toward me. Instead of wanting to work with me, the marketing manager seemed to only want to demonstrate her authority. She was extremely rude and condescending. Even after I informed her I was in my late 20’s, she still continued to talk to me as if I were an irresponsible child. If this is the attitude they have while trying to make a good first impression, then I don’t even want to find out how they would treat me as a tenant.
If you are a tenant, here is my advice to you. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING and keep it in a safe place. ALWAYS get a copy of your lease, and also document and get signatures from the landlord when moving in and out of the property. Be present with a property representative for all inspections, especially ones regarding your security deposit. I once had a landlord that falsified a lease for an extra YEAR; luckily I had a copy of my lease, or things could have been really bad for me.

I love renting from JSM. The staff is very friendly and accommodating, prices are reasonable for madison rates (which are terrible), and they are always quick to deal with any service requests I have. I live at the Firehouse and our ceilings are crazy high so when a light bulb is out or we need to get the cobwebs cleaned I always have to call, they always send a person in 24 hours (yesterday they sent someone the same day).
As well as great customer service, they always have events going on at their offices for their renters. some of the event include free food or items, others are things like a march madness bracket competition or taking surveys for a chance at free rent or groceries.
All in all as a college student property management they are stellar!

JSM caters mostly to college students, but for the companies available to college students, they weren’t that bad. They were fair on our security deposit, replaced things as we needed them, and the place was much more livable that other places that my friends were in.