Sterling Management Services Ltd - Fort St John, British Columbia

Andres Loomer

Katherine asked me to write a review after she was very helpful in getting us in an apartment super quickly. However I decided to wait till the end of my tenancy to write a proper review. It's like writing a review for a meal you haven't finished yet, and I'm very glad I did.

Basically Sterling is very quick and efficient in getting you IN and paying, but the second you're on lease they just absolutely disappear. I had a stretch of 3 entire weeks where I didn't hear a single thing from the landlord (Katherine) after multiple emails with concerns. It was only after three attempts to call (two of which ended in being put on hold until timeout) directly that I was able to get through. Calling the office was honestly bizarre to me too because the receptionist consistently gave the impression she was barring you from speaking directly to Katherine. It seemed almost like any attempt was made to not have to directly speak to the tenant. I put in two tickets to get some stuff fixed in the end. Never happened. Never mentioned ever again... Anyway all this is to say that I definitely felt abandoned, ignored and kind of in the dark for a while being here. I've been through a lot of rental agencies in Eastern and Western Canada and this has definitely been one of the least attentive and absent for basic stuff.

P.S.
Their hours are STRICTLY from 9am to 4:30pm. That means viewing units, paying rent, doing move-out inspections EVERYTHING happens between those times. So if you work a 9-5 like 90% of this town, you're just outta luck...

Aman Cheema

Poor Service..!!
Yesterday afternoon a notice got put on my door saying smoke detector guys will come for inspection tomorrow and we have to be there to give them access for inspection. Called office this morning. Asked for his name and he wouldn’t give his name but I think it was Matthew or May be not , cause he was like I am the boss here. Well whoever it was, was very unprofessional. Maybe he should learn some professionalism while talking to the customers. When I told him that I’m out of town and there won’t be anyone available at home, he was like it is your problem and not mine. When asked if I can rebook it cause there is nothing I could do, he gave me a great solution by saying that I can pay the inspectors to come back and check it out at a later date. Would have been nice if they would have let us know a few days prior so that I could have arranged someone to be at home. I have had a great experience with Sterling until now. Never expected it to be like that…

Kenzie Muller-Germann

They do not deserve any stars, no NOT rent with Sterling.
As a professional working in the rental industry for over 7 years and as a tenant, I’m disappointed in their lack of professionalism, complete disregard for honoring RTB decisions and unwillingness to communicate. After moving out almost a year ago, I FINALLY received the remainder of my deposits after fighting for the past 11 months.

I moved out and left my unit in VERY clean condition. I did not attend the final move out inspection, as we were long distance moving and needed to leave very early.
When I received my move out paperwork, I was shocked to see they charged me for an entire unit clean (re-cleaning everything I spend hours/days cleaning). I was charged for removing items left by the tenants before me, dumping fees and yard clean up fees, where I had the grass cut just before I moved out. Over $700 in charges was outrageous.
I tried for weeks emailing asking for them to compromise, to refund some charges. I kept getting “we are looking into it”. Then nothing, completed ghosted me. Even including the company's managing broker in my correspondence.

I had 2 RTB hearings, which I won both. The first was for the rest of my deposits. The 2nd hearing, was from Sterling, trying to collect a month of rent AFTER I moved out. Even though I had proof my unit was re-rented immediately. I was still in contact with the new tenant and provided proof of rent payment. They were trying to double dip. They even altered my ledger from the one that was sent in my move out package, to add an extra month of rent owing.
I sent my demand letter and monetary order from RTB, I gave them 4 chances to pay me. They never responded. I had to file with small claims court and serve them. It was only after they were served that they agreed to pay if I cancelled the hearing.

During the RTB hearings, they lied about the state of my unit when I moved out, said I left it in unlivable conditions, said I was unreasonable and unwilling to work with them. They tried to “compromise” and offered that if I dropped my claim, they would drop theirs. To which I refused.

All I can say is when you move out is where the nightmare begins (if it hasn’t already). You better take photos of your unit showing how clean it is, otherwise, they will have their cleaners come in and charge you for it. They clearly do this with the hopes that people will not go through all the trouble of filing with RTB.
I feel like I can finally write this review after almost a year of fighting with them. I feel horrible for all the other people they have ripped of and hope this can warn others to avoid them.

Delta Bravos

Please teach the ladies at the reception some communication skills (you can start by with "how to answer phone call with a pleasant tone"). Also when hiring staffs for customer facing roles make sure they have SOME bare minimum customer care skills (Canadian standards)

Charly Caproff

Katherine has been a pleasure to work with finding and securing rental housing. She was very thorough during the walk-through and went above and beyond to help me out when furniture arrived earlier than expected. Thank you for your professionalism and kindness!

Shania

Rent here if you have money lol. I paid for cleaning from a local company (nitty gritty cleaning services) , only damages I made were curtains and TV mount.

Sterling Management said the cleaning from Nitty Gritty was insufficient and not up to standards. I gave Sterling my invoice and they did not accept it, still got charged for CLEANING. Do not use Nitty gritty if you are indigenous. Do not use Sterling if you repair and clean your unit, they won’t care. Both companies are very happie to take your money though. Just keep AWARE - as an indigenous woman it’s important to keep track and receipts of any interactions in this “Energetic City”

Garrett Gejdos

This is such a terrible company to deal with. They allowed a tenant to take a whole appliance from my property while they were in charge and when I brought this to their attention they told me to replace it, then I would be reimbursed. I replaced the appliance and was never reimbursed. Then on top of that, they sent contractors after me for bills that I already paid them for! For a company that specializes in management one would think that they could manage their own finances better and keep track of their own bills that need to be paid. I would highly recommend that you do not give them your business, as a tenant or as an owner.

Edit: After all of this, the only results that I seem to get are when I post reviews publicly. So far they have found their accounting error with the contractor and apologized, but in regards to getting a refund for the appliance I have only been given an amazon gift card in restitution. It's a nice gesture but it does not account for a whole stolen appliance. They won't refund me still because I didn't have photos of it being in the house, they had photos but can't seem to find them when it became convenient for them to lose those photos. They even noted the appliance was there in their inspections. They charge you to manage your property but they want you to do their job for them. Again, I would recommend that you do not deal with this company.

NicNak Braun

Renting from them for 2 years..the receptionist refuses to send a plumber..said to us I am from Pakistan..what does that even mean? Not spending 2 grand a month to live in this palace or anything