Reviews

As California homeowners, we are appalled by the extravagant fees that this property manager charges for sharing digital documents for the sale of homes within the association. We were charged over $1,000 to have basic HOA digital documents transferred to the escrow company. These services take very little time to process and the fees charged are excessive for the work performed. Our political leaders must review oversight of these types of services as they are very unfair to the consumer and unrepresentative of reasonable business fees.

Should you have any questions about the order placed on your behalf, please contact ***************. Civil Code 4530 allows the association or its managing agent to charge a transfer fee. FirstService Residential charges $508.00 for performing this service on behalf of our client association.The transfer fee of $508.00 encompasses various tasks performed by both our Association Document Disclosure and ******************************* which include (but are not limited to):Disclosing the current assessment rate to the potential new owner.Providing the escrow company with association insurance information.Reviewing the sellers association assessment account and preparing a demand statement for the escrow holder that sets forth the status of the sellers account; Purging the Sellers account records and setting up the Buyers assessment records in our client associations homeowner files once the escrow has closed; Verifying the Grant **** (or other instrument used to effect the change of ownership) if necessary; Receiving, reviewing, depositing, and posting any association money that may have been collected by the escrow holder to either the Sellers or ****************** assessment account. Disclosure to escrow of any outstanding architectural and/or violation issues which will run with the property.Distribution of welcome packages to new owner(s) after the close of escrow.Throughout the course of an escrow, there is typically a high level of contact between our ***************** and the various agents involved in the transaction (listing agent, selling agent, escrow or title agent, appraiser and lender) therefore, a certain amount of staff is needed to field such inquiries as well as perform the various clerical tasks within both Departments. Since time is often short in real estate transactions, we are expected to (and do) respond quickly to all requests. We have provided adequate staffing to be able to do so. Conversely, when escrows drag out over many weeks, we provide updated demands at no extra charge. In addition to those tasks indicated above, please do not overlook the normal overhead business costs that are factored into our daily activities, which include costs of space, supervision and extensive computer equipment and software.Additionally, sellers are required to make many disclosures to potential buyers (refer to Civil Code 4525). We ensure that we maintain complete and current association documents in order to assist sellers in these duties. Typically, escrow companies order the documents, which are required for proper disclosure to potential buyers. We offer associations documents on an al a carte basis, so that the seller and their escrow company can determine which documents are needed for disclosure purposes. Further, when special-case seller disclosures are required, such as those regarding litigation, our efforts to ensure that appropriate and current litigation letters are included in the escrow help protect sellers from liability.Neither the association nor management has control over which principal in the escrow will be responsible for paying the association transfer and disclosure fees. Responsibility for the association transfer fee, along with many other disclosure fees associated with most any resale escrow, is decided at the time the principals execute the sales contract.There is no requirement to order association documents via WelcomeLink. The service is offered to assist sellers with their CA Civil Code disclosure obligations to potential buyers. If the documents can be obtained via other means the seller is free to do so. It would be the seller and escrow companies responsibility to confer prior to an order being placed with WelcomeLink. When an order is placed via *********** on behalf of the seller, the escrow company affirms that they represent the seller and that the fees for the documents and products ordered via *********** will be paid at closing.Thank you.

First Service Residential took over my ********************** from another company in January of 2024. The previous company did not have any online presence. I was paying my dues to them by mail automatically from my bank. Every year in January the dues increased a few dollars. Every year I would get the notice either a day before or after the due date of the January payment, and consequently my payment was considered late because it was the old amount. Every year I would call and talk to the person in charge, **** ******. **** would remove the late fee from my account, which she probably also did for hundreds of other people. Right before the transition, the same thing happened. Now, since 2012 (12 years) I have had this bill on autopay through my bank, always set to arrive a few days earlier than the due date. I have always set it up for the correct amount the very second I receive their new bill and booklet of stubs (old fashioned, I toss them) every January. Unfortunately I was not able to predict the exact increase each year, so I couldn't automate the change. Anyway, this time, the new company, First Service Residential, has continued to bill me not only one late fee from last January, but now they're adding a few cents of interest onto it every month. It is October.Every month I call them and remind them that the same person, ****, who now works for them, promised to waive this late fee with her apologies. But now ***** ***** has decided that they are not able to remove the late fee, which is about seventeen dollars. instead, they can only remove one of the interest charges, which is about 14 cents. The amount of money is negligible. They are pretending to be unable to conduct normal business. I have spoken to three people from their company and none of them seems to be able to use their own software. Either they can't use their own software or they want to torment this customer. I now find I have an extreme case of rage against this company.

The late fee that was carried over from the previous management, along with the resulting interest, has been credited. The total amount removed is $17.56. Our accounts receivable representative informed the owner via email that the issue has been resolved and the homeowner will not encounter this situation again in the future.

Complaint *** I am resident of **************. I had fines and waiving discrepency, I contacted *** manager as she was the only point of contact. First time waived 50%, but few of my neighbors got 90% waiver. when asked about this had not answers circled back the procedure that i have not followed. here the point was why was there inequality from resident to resident. Also i followed other resident procedure who got the architectural plan approved without fine. When questioned coming back with same explanation with no proof how fining method is followed or waiving method is followed. when visited the office manager was frustrated and closed the window on face and was not ready to talk. I was not sure if i was questioning the *** or the manager. reported the incident to director of first service. director replied back by email stating what manager did was right as i had sent too many email she was frustrated and that's how they act. As manger was senior as a resident i had to obey what first service manager and director said. But according to california state law i think all the resident should be treated equally for violation fines and waiver.Manager did not respectfully speak. Also director joins the same. if resident has questions whom should we contact

Dear Customer:We received your complaint submitted to the BBB regarding the waiver of fines on your account within the ***************************** and alleged variation of management by staff on this matter.Please note, FirstService Residential (FirstService) is a third-party management company that provides contract management services to ****************************** at the direction of the ****************** of Directors. The Board of Directors are elected officials, who have the decision-making authority to respond to all requests from Members of the Association.Non-submittal of Plans Violation Fine:To address your concerns regarding the $1,000 fine that you were assessed on June 19, 2024, due to non-submittal of plans, please be advised that the current guidelines of the Association require all residents to submit plans for any exterior improvement to their home. This information was provided to all residents through the new home welcome packet as well as email notices, newsletters, etc. These guidelines are in place for all residents to ensure that the architectural beauty of the Bedford community is upheld. I have attached a copy of those guidelines along with the enforcement and fine policy for any infractions to these guidelines.Part of these guidelines is a requirement that all residents install their rear yard on or before 6 months from the close of escrow and that these plans are submitted to the Association for review and approval prior to installation. This is how your situation came to the attention of the Bedford staff. You closed escrow on November 2023 and our system automatically generates violation letters to all residents who have not submitted plans for installation. You were notified in June 2024 of this violation and invited to a hearing of the Board for this violation and fined the stated amount of $1,000 for this violation. We received your correspondence requesting a waiver of this fine in July 2024, which was presented to the Board for their consideration and review. At their August 2024 meeting they formally approved to waive of the violation fee for all residents who submitted plans after installation of their rear yard, which included your property.Our team has tried to explain this process to you and that the decision to waive fines or change policy lies with your board, not management. As mentioned, we have placed this matter on the upcoming October 16, 2024, meeting for further consideration.

This complaint is in regards to the **************** Property. I've asked them to fix broken sprinklers in front of my patio. They said they would take care of it. Two weeks later I went on to their website and they said that the job was completed. They didn't do anything. I waited until the sprinklers came on and took pictures. I resubmitted it referring to the original work order. I got an email saying they will submit it to their irrigation team. It's been a month and nothing has happened. Also this place has way to many trees that are out of control. My patio is consistently filled with leaves. I asked them to prune, trim, manicure my trees and all of the trees and they refuse. The storm drain by me has never been cleaned out from all of the leaves and debris. This could cause serious problems with flooding. This company has a budget. The less money they spend the more money they receive on their bonus checks at the end of the year. Meanwhile the residents of this community know that their *************** are not being used to fix repairs or for the upkeep of the property it's being used to pay all the Elites salaries.

Community Management communicated with the owner regarding tree trimming bids. Initially, the homeowner requested tree removal, but it was explained that the Association covers annual tree trimming as trees naturally shed leaves. Concerning irrigation, we consistently sent work orders to the vendor, who confirmed completion each time. Your community manager will resend the request for photos to ensure the issue is resolved. The gutters are cleared weekly by landscapers, so we will investigate the storm drain concern during the next inspection. The board is seeking new service providers due to ongoing problems. It's important to note that the *** funds, not Management's, are utilized, with no impact on Management's finances. Vendor reliance is necessary for specific tasks, with bids obtained for board approval.

Im in agreement with the mere fact they have all these complaints . We were told in our community we had to pay a one time fee of so much dollars and three months of an overinflated boa dues because of this and that bs ! I call it bs because they somehow now are saying that over inflated three months of how dues that were inflated will now be the norm !!!!!!! They barely return calls and it took almost 3 months for them to finally do the landscaping issue we had the right way . The most unprofessional company I have ever dealt with for sure . All they do is have excuses with their replies over and over and over ! The mere fact that they not only took our community over a year or so , the hoa fees have never gone up so fast so quick ! NEVER . CANT WAIT TO HEAR THE ** RESPONSE ON THIS ONE .PATHETIC ,SAD COMPANY FOR SURE, GREED IS THE ONLY THING THAT DRIVES THIS COMPANY . That they have a high rating must mean only one thing You figure it out

FirstService Residential is a third-party management company (Management), hired by the associations ***** of ********** to enforce, on their behalf, the associations rules and regulations (CC&Rs). Homeowner expressed concerns when the association increased dues by 20% in 2023 and 2024 to support reserves and finance a major asphalt project. Additionally, there was a one-time special assessment of 5% amounting to $99.11 in 2024.Management has informed all homeowners about assessment increases, but there has been no direct communication with *************. We will make an effort to reach out and connect with Mr. ***** The landscaping problem involved trees and bushes. Management and the landscaping vendor visited the property twice to ensure they understood the homeowner's requests. Unfortunately, the landscaping vendor miscommunicated the timeline for the work completion. We conveyed this to the homeowner, and as of Friday, 4/26/24, all landscaping work has now been finished.

I wish there was a way to give a negative star. FSR has had such a high turnover rate with their PM team that our community had an option to have ****************** at our previous benefits before all the hikes for an additional 2 years, but the deadline to renew expired because we were without a manager. FSR is in bed with a law firm that has ill advised our community to the point of near bankruptcy. Our operating capital is depleted with the mismanagement of our funds. Our homes are in need of repairs, water damage and roof leaks that are the HOAs responsible to repair (condo) are being delayed. The vendors hired by FSR are doing shoddy work and causing even more damage to property owners. Whats even worse, its near impossible to hold them financially responsible for their mismanagement.

Regarding the insurance policy renewal, homeowner expressed her belief that the carrier did not renew it due to FSR's oversight. However, I want to clarify that the policy was canceled solely due to the community's location and high wildfire score. This decision was made by the insurance carrier and was beyond the control of FSR or the Board.The policy was set to renew on November 1, 2022, management was notified about the non-renewal on September 15, 2022, and we immediately communicated this information to the Board. Since then, we have been committed to keeping all homeowners well-informed about the insurance situation through numerous townhalls and meetings on the topic. Additionally, we have sent out several communications to the membership to provide regular updates throughout this process.I want to acknowledge that obtaining adequate coverage for the *** has been a challenging and costly task. As a result, we had to utilize reserve funds to cover the cost of the insurance. We have and are continuously exploring viable insurance options to find the best possible solution for our community.Regarding homeowner's concerns about the vendors we use, this is the first time we have received a complaint about a vendors' performance from her. It would be valuable for us to have more specific details from homeowner regarding her concerns, so we can address them appropriately.Lastly, with respect to deferred maintenance, our most recent reserve study indicates that there is none. If homeowner has further questions or wishes to discuss these matters, we are always available to address her concerns directly.Please let me know if you have any questions or if you require any further information. Thank you

Very very bad property management....cruel and scam us lots of money taking from **...did not do anything to help us??

As the Regional Director affiliated with his community, I attempted to reach out and learn about his concerns via phone and email but have been unable to connect with him to determine why he posted such a comment.

FirstService Residential should remove service, from its name, because FirstService provides no service whatsoever!!!

As the Regional Director, I have been in touch with the homeowner, who agreed to forward some information directly to me, in writing, so that we can share with the Board.Thank you.