Backus Properties

Please take many photos when you move into one of their properties. Left house very clean and did not give me back any part of my deposit.

I have dealt with several property management companies since moving on the Peninsula and they are all about the same. I know it’s not an easy business and I cut them some slack. Most of the reviews say they are rude and I did not find that the case. The staff was nice and pleasant when I dealt with them. So that is why I ignored the 1 star ratings and went ahead and rented a property with them.
Here is what the reviews should have said they are out of control with their fee’s. Every single thing you can think of they say in BIG BOLD PRINT that it will be anywhere from a $ 50-​$ 500 fee. They want to come to house you change the appointment $ 50, ohhh and if you have 60 year plumbing and it does what 60 year plumbing does but the plumber puts hair found in the drain… guess what you are paying for that plumbing visit. Do not think of putting up a satellite dish that comes with a $ 500 fee plus ‘damages’ to the house. There are so many other fee’s I could go on for pages and pages (because the lease literally has pages and pages of spelled out fees) on the plus side you can’t say you didn’t know. But come on people are trying to live. You do credit checks and rent these places but you renting to people that you can’t trust?!
It doesn’t make sense. Ohh and paying rent they force you to do direct withdraw from your bank account. I in 20+ years have never missed a bill and do not like giving companies access to my bank. But if you do not elect for direct withdraw the only other way to pay is a money order and delivering it in person.
As a former homeowner I tried to think how I would like this PM company from that point of view and I think ok great they would make sure I get my money each month. But then I think of my situation we are a family making well over 6 figures and paying rent is not a problem. We had intentions to lease this house for several years before looking into buying again. We were stable former homeowners that care for a home as our own. Making small improvements but also realizing life happens. BUT because of the smothering fines and many visits we just couldn’t anymore and looked for another place.
SO HOMEOWNERS you will get your money but you won’t get long time renters because this company makes it impossible to want to live in your property. If your ok with new renters every time the lease is up go for it.
RENTERS just avoid anything listed by this company, it’s not worth the headache. They are nice but the amount of trees they kill with their paperwork and fees you soon be looking for a new place to live. Really let’s not reward this type of renting régime.

Arrogant, rude, condescending, unprofessional, unethical, manipulative. I would not recommend renting through them.

I would NOT recommend Backus Properties as a property manager. Our experience was they were very difficult to work with. They lacked professionalism. Communication was poor, follow through was poor. Their marketing material did not match they way they practiced business.

Called Backus property manager to view a rental. I work and only have weekends off (NOTE I WORK which means can afford to rent a house) They would not work around my WORK schedule to view the home. They insisted I take time off my work schedule to view home (IN OTHER WORDS LOSE MONEY) If they are so unwilling to work around a working persons schedule, how and who are they renting to? What type of homeowners are using this service now makes me wonder also.

0 STARS if I could! These people act like they’re doing you a favor by renting property to you. They have unbelievably horrible customer service… whenever I call to inquire about anything the secretary always acts like I’m wasting her time. They are very slow with maintenance requests, don’t follow up and I have to hunt them down on the phone to get anything done. I cannot wait to end our lease… Stay away! They do not care about their tenants!

These people do not care. That’s it. Homeowners — use a different property management company. Future tenants — stay away from them. They don’t even introduce themselves when meeting you, don’t even greet your husband or wife, and don’t even return your phone calls. Enjoy wasting your time and money if you decide to work with them.

Run away! They may kiss the bottoms of those who pay them to manage their property, but they are the most ARROGANT, CONDESCENDING, IMPATIENT people to tenants! They are the worst people I’ve ever worked with. I’ve been a renter for many years, and I can’t wait til my contract is up with this company so that I can rent somewhere else. I only wish there was a way to let the landlord know how terribly we are treated as tenants.

I give this company NO STARS (it wouldnt let me post until I chose at least one) and would actually like to take stars away from them. First off, the people in the office are some of the rudest people Ive ever had to deal with in my life! Their lease paperwork is so long and extensive that its ridiculous. Almost like they want to put so much in there so you dont read it on purpose and then they can gouge you for money! They do not have a drop box at their office and do not accept personal checks, JUST MONEY ORDERS or ACH from your bank account. One month, the 5^th fell on a Sunday and even though i know I shouldve taken the rent on Friday, I forgot. So I waited in the parking lot for the office to open and handed in my rent the second the office opened on Monday the 6^th. I got a bill for $ 175 late fee 3 days later! AND they charges me $ 75 to NOTIFY me that i was late! $ 75 to mail me a notice!!! I tried to talk to them about it and asked since it was my first time ever being late (6 months into my lease,) if they would waive the fee one time, they said NO WAY. After this I had them automatically withdrawl my rent from my checking account and when they take it out, its not even til the 9^th or 10^th so I dont see why 12 hrs late was such a fuss. Sally Backus has sent me a fine for having a garage sale without a permit (which i didnt know you had to have) even thought the city didnt fine me, they just sent a notice. Shes fined me for dry grass (cuz she drives by my house EVERY WEEK) in August even though my neighbors that rent from her have dirt in their front yard,. She sent weed and feed guys to do the lawn and they broke my window (double paned, $ 400!!) and she said theyre not responsible. She’s even talked to my neighbors about me and ask how I live. She asked them about a couple bags of garbage on the side of my house that were there for like a week and they said that i had taken them to the dump but she sent me a fine for violation of my lease for having debris around the premesis. A short time after I moved in the kitchen sink backed up into the bathtub so i called them, they sent a plumber. The plumber pulled a HUGE mass of BLACK hair out of the drain and then Backus sent me THE ENTIRE BILL saying I was responsible for it. I HAVE BLONDE HAIR!!! It was a $ 200 bill! Ive also received notices about the gophers in my yard that were there when I moved in. Because I wouldnt pay her ridiculous fees, she tried to end my lease 3 months early. When I told her no way, she tried to end it a month early and I told her Id be out at the end of my lease, or when I found a new place. I will not be cleaning the house when I move out because it was filthy when I moved in. Im sure they will be keeping my deposit anyway cuz of all these «miscellaneous» charges I wont pay. They charge you $ 75 just to send you a notification of ‘whatever’. Just to MAIL YOU SOMETHING!!! When I moved in I had to call them like 3 times to get the cleaners to come wipe down walls, clean cat pooh out of the garage and dog pooh out of the backyard and deep clean the moldy, soap filmed bathroom and toilet. When I did the walk thru to initially view the unit they assured me it would be cleaned when I moved in. There was even Cheez Its in the rails to the closet doors and under the sink it looked like mice had been living there. The neighbors said some tweekers came one night for like 3 hours and cleaned and then left. Ive known the neighbors MY ENTIRE LIFE. They are very sad to see me go and tell me that nobody has lived in that house longer than a year for the 10 years they have owned the house next door. The people that rent from her on the other side of me are on Section 8 and never complain to her cuz she wont fix anything for them without raising their rent and they cant risk losing their section 8. Its sad. I dont know how anyone ever hires these slum lords to manage their properties, but yet I see their signs all over town and on Craigslist. THIS OFFICE IS A NIGHTMARE TO DEAL WITH AND I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THEM!

This company has the worst customer service for their tenants. They do not respond to emails and they are rude and annoyed when you call. What kind of place charges you for communicating with them by phone? Are they trying to provide service or not? It really seems like they don’t want any business the way they treat their tenants like second-​class citizens. I would not go through them again. I urge all landlords who are considering hiring a property management company in salinas not to use them because they provide terrible service to your tenants and treats people without any respect.

How dare to give yourself five stars! And you have the wrong person in mind, your assistant called me about two weeks after I posted my original complaint here and I declined to see the place.