Lightner Property Group

Admittedly it feels a little weird to be rating a property manager 5 stars, but these guys are actually the best. I’ve lived in one of their units for about a year and half, and have had a few experiences that make them really stand out to me. First off, the apartment itself had clearly been recently renovated. The appliances all seem new, the floors had been well cared for, and the overall appearance is that of a clean, well lit, living space.
Beyond the apartment itself, the service that I received from this company has been wonderful. First off, when I was initially viewing the property the only time I had available was 6:30am. The agent agreed to meet me without hesitation, and was knowledgeable and forthright with the details of the building. Roughly 6 months into my new place, and the refrigerator began to die. I emailed the manager of my building (Art), and after sending a few details they ordered a new fridge for me that day. It arrived and was installed two days later.
The refrigerator was the most significant reason for me to call on them, but the smaller nuances have made an impression just as large. When I called to talk to accounting and mentioned which apartment I was from, the woman knew my name instantly and was able to talk me through my question intelligently. Another example, I just recently locked myself out of the apartment, and 20 minutes after the office opened, Art was there with a key to let me in.
For a company that manages so many different properties, I am continually (pleasantly) surprised with the professionalism and personal feel with which I am treated. As a landlord you really only interact with your tenant when there is an issue, so it can be difficult to make a positive impression. In my eyes, they have and I would recommend them to anybody.

I lived in a Lightner Managed Building for 3 years. 1635 Gough St. I was completely satisfied with everything about the building. Beyond that, all of my requests with regard to maintenance were always handled in a timely fashion. Art, the building manager always took good care of us and our apartment. Upon move out, he respected the way in which we maintained our unit and the cleaning we put into it and were rewarded by getting our full deposit back (first time i can say that from any building i have rented in SF).

I am new to San Francisco and have only lived in a Lightner Group building for six months. That said, I consider finding my apartment and my dealings with Art Swanson to be the best things that happened to me in this competitive, cutthroat rental market. I was previously screwed by another unscrupulous landlord in my search and consider myself so lucky to have found Lightner.
Art is the consummate professional. True, the lease is long and detailed and LPG follows it and their tenant requirements to the letter, but that makes for an easily understandable and fair and equitable agreement in the end. They don’t try to screw you out of fees or let other renters outbid you. They don’t give you any runaround, period.
Art reassured me throughout the leasing process and delivered as promised at every stage. He’s the COO of the company and he personally supervised my walkthrough and lease signing. He also displayed a genuine concern for everything being to my satisfaction. He and his team are the greatest.
The apartment and the building are clean and well kept. It’s expensive, but having looked around quite a bit, my apartment is a comparative good value for the neighborhood. I attribute that to Lightner’s professional ways of doing business.
Highly recommended. They are the rare trustworthy property management group in what can be a market full of scams and pitfalls.

If you are considering renting at 1635 Gough st., run, run away now!!! it’s not worth it, not only is the building molded (yes it’s true many units have had mold, they blame it on you because you don’t keep your windows open long enough… disgusting lies) but that’s not the worst thing.
The manager of this particular building is so unprofessional. Not when you meet him first or when he is showing you and «selecting you»…it starts right after you move in.
He is moody, unresponsive and just the worst. We’ve never experienced anything like this. We are great tenants, been in the city for over 11 years and never paid a dime of our deposit. This place ripped us off, never serviced us properly and it’s just unreal! You can tell by their 60 page lease crap!
I know it’s a tough situation with apartment availability but I’m telling you after 2 years of living here we are so happy to be paying more for a clean, safe unit with a great manager that fixes things within a couple of days. Art (the name of the manager at 1635 Gough) will take 2 weeks if you are lucky to return your call… then maybe your sink with a hole in it might get fixed in a month…).

I just moved back to San Francisco and the only person I called for apartment availability was Art Swanson at Lightner Property Group. I’ve lived in three different apartment buildings all maintained beautifully by Lightner. The apartments are always unbelievably clean and any maintenance requests are handled quickly. Art is a true professional. Lightner is lucky to have him!

My experience with the Lightner Group was disappointing to say the least.
They’re the only management company I’ve encountered that asks for a 25% deposit (25% of 1 month’s rent) up-​front for an application (in addition to exorbitant application fees — $ 40 per applicant). The 25% is non-​refundable btw.
They front high-​way robbery very nicely.

Found a place on craigslist, they got back to me right away to show it, saw it and loved it, got it same day. they even waited for me while i ran back to my old place to get some paperwork together. Been super nice and responsive so far. Much better than other apt managers/​landlords I’ve dealt with, plus the building is super nice.

I have been living in an LPG building for about 2 years now and yes, although the credit check and contract were extensive, I felt that it was a good thing because they take their business seriously, and you know that you are working with professionals. Anyone who has ever rented from someone who you have to fight with to get anything done should understand the importance of this. Additionally, once they start to vet someone for a property, they don’t take any other applications during that time, so you are not fighting with anyone over the property — it’s first come first serve which I think is very fair.
Art Swanson and his son Jason have always been extremely helpful, polite, very honest and quick to respond to any needs we have had with regard to the property. They are fair and flexible and I have never had a better experience with a rental property in my many many years of renting. More property groups should be run this way with this caliber of people. They have been great!

I’ve lived in a Lightner Building for over 5 years. During that time, I’ve moved to three different units – my needs have varied in terms of space over the years, and I wanted to stay in Lightner primarily because of Art Swanson, the COO and on site manager for my building.
Of course there have been challenges – stuck windows, drains that clog, outlets that go on the fritz – such is the nature with any place you live. Every time I’ve had an issue, though, Art or his son Jason are immediately responsive and polite. They schedule maintenance around *my* schedule – not the other way around. And if I can’t be here for it, Art or Jason let the repair person in and tell me well in advance. There are no surprises, and that’s exaclty how it should be if your management is effective.
I know Art has to balance treating tenants equitably in addition to meeting their needs – I’m sure this is a tough tightrope to walk. Regardless, my experience has been he’s always able to walk the line effectively and with dignity for his own position and company, and for me. I can’t recommend him more highly.

I had an apartment at 530 Stockton which is managed by Lightner Property Group. Although I only lived there for a short time, I found that the resident manager, Jason, was very honest and helpful to my situation. The building was maintained in good condition. I never had a problem with the apartment or the building. With my inexperience, the application process and the lease were hard to understand. With Jason’s help, I was able to perform the duties of the tenant. Although I recognize that Jason is very busy, I never thought that he was rude like Julie commented. Jason helped me tremendously with advice that I had even forgotten after a year had passed.

Renters — take your rent money elsewhere! As lovely as the buildings may be, it is NOT worth dealing with the UPTIGHT Art Swanson or this shady business.
My experience with Lighnter Property Group was completely unsatisfactory. I think their $ 40 credit check fee is exorbitant. They justify it by explaining they need to pay someone to actually run the credit check. Ridiculous because that employee is already working for Lightner Property Group. Double-​dipping anyone???
Also, Art Swanson the COO, was very RUDE and DISMISSIVE. Word on the street is, a lot of tenants don’t care for him or Lightner’s 78 page lease agreement (18 page lease + 60 page addendum). I also think it’s ridiculous that you have to put a 25% deposit down (of the total rent) in order to apply for the apartment before seeing the actual lease. The deposit is also non-​refundable if you decide to change your mind. Sounds to me like a company that is trying to make easy money on its applicants SHADY!
As a co-​owner of property myself, I would NEVER want someone like Lightener Property Group managing my unit. The property owners might want to seriously RE-​THINK who they’re doing business with.
Art Swanson will NEVER be as cool as Ron Swanson!!!

Who gives their landlord 5 stars?! Does anyone love paying rent that much? Well honestly, these guys only lose a star because on top of my normal monthly rent they charge $ 20 for my cat. I mean, how do they expect my cat to come up with that kind money each month?
Jason Quashnofsky is my building manager and he is the real reason this review would be otherwise 5 stars. Saw the posting on craigslist, saw the place, liked it, filled out the application, got a credit check, moved in within 3 days! I mean this guy is on it! Leaky faucet? Fixed within a day of mentioning it to him! He may very well be the only property manager I have met who understands its actually much easier to just take care of the problem instead of ignore it. He makes life as a renter kinda worth it.

I’m now in my second Lightner building, and have nothing but wonderful things to say about the company. Both property managers I’ve had experience with (Jason & Carolyn), as well as all Lightner staff, have been extremely responsive and helpful. Each building I’ve lived in has been professionaly maintained, feels safe, and repairs are taken care of immediately. Would recommend them to anyone!

I have lived in my building for over two years. When I moved in it was managed by another company. About a year ago Lightner took over as the management company and I cannot say enough great things about the level of service they have provided. Whenever something needs to be fixed, they are there as soon as possible. My building is very well maintained and our building’s manager is a great guy. I highly recommend Lightner Property Group.

i haven’t rented from this group, but they didn’t inspire confidence while i was exploring that possibility. the on-​site property manager, jason, was very dry and unfriendly. (gave him the benefit of the doubt.) when i called him back to ask another question, he cut me off and said that i should call the main office. (still more or less giving him the benefit of the doubt.) i called the main office and spoke with another jason, who was also very curt and unfriendly and questioned why i was calling the main office and not the resident manager. (it was almost like he was offended that i asked if it was the same jason, or irritated with jason #1 for telling me to call and taking it out on me; now rudeness is beginning to seem like the corporate culture.) when i told him that i was told to call, he told me to hold and then suddenly someone else picked up the phone. of course, jason had not told me that i was being transferred, nor had he told the new person, art, anything about why i was calling. art was nice but quite honestly seemed almost too nice, like he was talking down to a child or something. (not sure what to make of that, or what that might say about the culture.) after that, i called the property manager back twice to follow up, and instead of returning my call — basic common courtesy in my book — to say, «sorry, not going to work», he simply ignored my messages and i continued to see the apartment advertised afterwards. very poor public relations skills overall, and despite the few excellent reviews here, it makes you wonder about how they treat the majority of their renters. it’s one thing to be efficient, and another to be … well, not quite sure what all that was about.

I lived in a Lightner building for 2.5 years. They had a live-​in apartment manager as well (What’s up Ed?!), and everything was just fine. Closing was easy and all deposits were returned promptly. I’d have to agree with Audrey B. on all that she said.