As the season for finding housing and renewing leases approaches, many students will begin researching the different property management companies that serve the Davis area.
Ally Property Management is one group in particular that has come into recent controversy. A look at its Yelp page shows an average rating of one and a half stars out of five from a total of 50 different reviews. Several of the reviews are harshly worded, and only seven of the 50 reviews have three or more stars.
Similarly, the Davis Wiki page refers to Ally as “notoriously the worst property management company in Davis.” It also notes Ally’s name change from Acadian Properties to Ally Properties in 2010, which individuals in Yelp reviews have speculated was due to poor reviews — nonetheless, it appears that criticism has followed the group.
Fifty Yelp reviews have left the company with a one-and-a-half stars out of five star rating. A common thread in the complaints left by reviewers regard allegations of poor customer service from management, who is described on the page as “rude,” “unprofessional” and “inconsiderate.”
A Yelp review left in December of 2017 from someone who identifies themself as a renter of an Ally Properties property stated the condition of the house upon moving in was “disgusting,” with “trash everywhere, dirt all over the floor, moths in every cabinet.”
“We called them and demanded they send a cleaning service, and they said they would but never did,” the review states. “Our whole plumbing system went out, dryer broke, circuits always broken, the list is endless. Whenever we called and asked for help or for them to even just do their jobs all their employees were so inconsiderate and not helpful. This company takes advantage of UC Davis students.”
But what do the experiences of Davis students renting from Ally Property Management look like in reality?
Bennett Pollack, a UC Davis alumnus and a former Ally tenant of two years, voiced frustration about his experiences with the company.
“Quite frankly, Ally knows they have all the power,” Pollack said. “They know our vacancy rates and take advantage of students by not providing basic repairs in a timely manner, as well as simply not caring about the well-being of their tenants. This type of greed is what leads students to be displaced and homeless.”
A current Ally tenant, who contacted The California Aggie via email and wished to remain anonymous, voiced their concern over the property management group, saying that after their “horrible experience” with Ally, they researched the group and found they weren’t alone from the looks of the Yelp page.
“As a current resident in one of their properties, I don’t believe it is in my best interest to be named,” they said. “It appears that this company is hurting UC Davis students. There should be media coverage on this to warn students (and their parents) to not sign leases with them.”
The California Aggie reached out to Ally Property Management, but the group declined to comment on this issue.
Not everyone, however, has had poor encounters with Ally. Justin Moreno, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at UC Davis, hadn’t heard of any negative reviews against the property management company nor had any issues to report.
“The staff has been well prepared and very friendly every step of the way,” Moreno said. “You can tell they’ve been doing this for a long time […] I felt it [the house] was in great condition and all fees were duly warned and reasonable.”
Another student who had a fairly neutral experience with Ally was Orlando Razo, a former communication major at UC Davis, who recounted his experience renting from the property management group.
“I’d say they were professional but inefficient,” Razo said. “We would just have to call them a couple times in order to get them to fix something.”
Written by: Claire Dodd — city@theaggie.org
