I am approached almost weekly by companies claiming they can remove my negative Google reviews. I always decline. First, I question whether they can legitimately remove them. Second, I have contracts with property owners requiring me to protect their investments, treat those properties as if they were my own, and safeguard their return on investment. Sometimes doing that means making decisions that upset people.
No, I do not intentionally go around trying to make residents angry. However, as I have mentioned in other blogs, I am very black-and-white. I do not operate in the gray.
If your lease says that no unauthorized occupant over the age of 18 may live in your unit without first completing the required application and screening process, that is exactly what it means. If your boyfriend or girlfriend has been staying in the unit for two weeks, you refuse to have that person apply, and you receive a notice to correct the violation or vacate, you may become angry. You may post a one-star review—or ask friends and family who have never lived at the property to post reviews too.
I will own the decision, and I will respond with the documented truth. A negative review does not automatically mean a management company did something wrong. Sometimes it means the company enforced the lease exactly as it was written.
Residents should also remember that they may need rental verification long before I will ever need a perfect five-star rating. Any rental verification I provide will remain factual, consistent, and based on documented records—the same standard I use when publicly responding to a review.
Many of my negative reviews have been posted by people who have never lived in a property I manage. Others have confused Turn Key Property Management with a similarly named company located in another state where I do not even operate. Unfortunately, even after the mistake is explained, those reviews are not always removed.
That is why I tell investors not to judge a property management company solely by its star rating. Read the reviews. Read the company’s responses. Look at what actually happened. Was the resident upset because legitimate maintenance concerns were ignored, or because the lease was enforced? Those are two entirely different situations.
Yes, there can be a “good” one-star review. A one-star review may show that the management company enforced occupancy rules, addressed lease violations, protected the safety of other residents, pursued unpaid rent, or refused to make exceptions that would expose the property owner to unnecessary risk.
I did not sign a contract promising to protect every resident’s feelings while ignoring lease terms, rules, safety requirements, or the owner’s investment. I signed a contract to manage the property responsibly and consistently.
I welcome honest feedback, including legitimate criticism. If Turn Key makes a mistake, we need to know about it so we can correct it. But I will not purchase a spotless online reputation by hiding truthful reviews from people who are unhappy simply because the rules applied to them.
The good, the bad, and the ugly reviews all tell a story. Smart investors read beyond the number of stars—and that is where the truth usually becomes clear.