Lighthouse Real Estate Services

Negative experience: Like the other concerns listed here by former tenants, our maintenance requests went unanswered for months. Communication from Sheila was sent by text at unusual and inappropriate hours including at night while they ignored emails and maintenance requests. The unit had black mold, peeling laminate floors, a broken dishwasher, and was in poor condition when we moved in. The deposit disposition notice we received was in violation of Utah’s rental laws and it included charges for normal wear and tear such as screen replacement. We are filing in small claims court as they not only held our $5,000 deposit but requested an additional payment of $1,700 after we moved out. This included a $700 fee for “lawn maintenance”. The lawn in question is rocks with some goat head weeds. We did pay out of pocket for cleaning and a lawn service before moving out and they are still attempting to charge us. Unprofessional, predatory, scammers. Make sure you document all your interactions with this company. *** update **** the landlord was NOT ABLE to provide receipts showing the exorbitant fees they were trying to charge us and decided in the end they actually did owe us a refund. Presumably since they wouldn’t have been able to prove in court that the deposit disposition they first sent was fabricated and intended to make them as much money as possible. Suddenly we didn’t owe $2,000 more dollars and they issued us a refund. Their email was rude and they sent it at 10 pm. Don’t trust Sheila or Daniel. This landlord doesn’t follow Utah law regarding what can be taken out on a deposit disposition. Document everything in case you have to take them to court or better yet, just don’t work with them.

Negative experience: AVOID this property management company if you value professionalism, honesty, and good customer service. Our experience was frustrating from start to finish. Communication was consistently poor. Emails would go unanswered for extended periods, but then we’d receive responses to emails or text messages late at night, which felt unprofessional and made it difficult to have productive conversations. When they did respond, they often failed to explain things clearly, leaving us with more questions than answers. We were responsible tenants who paid our rent on time every single month, yet we were still treated like an inconvenience rather than valued customers. The move-out process was the final straw. We paid $300 for professional carpet cleaning and still received an additional $150 cleaning charge, despite doing everything we were asked to do. At the same time, when we moved into the property, the oven and stove were dirty, and there was chipped paint throughout the home that we repaired ourselves instead of requesting maintenance. We also purchased and installed additional blinds at their request and left them behind for the next tenant. It feels like this company looks for every opportunity to collect additional money instead of treating tenants fairly. The lack of professionalism, poor communication, confusing explanations, and questionable move-out charges made this one of the worst rental experiences we’ve had. If you decide to rent from this company, document absolutely everything with photos, videos, emails, and receipts from the day you move in until the day you move out. Based on our experience, you’ll likely need it. We did our part as tenants. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for this property management company. It never felt like we were living in a home; it felt like we were dealing with a business that saw us as a transaction rather than people.

Negative experience: This company seems like they don’t want to work with strong applicants on rental applications. They will have listings available but claim that they are not accepting tours and give no other options or recommendations on other possible rental properties that could be a good fit. They are also extremely hard to get a hold of. I would not recommend working with them as an owner or tenant because it doesn’t seem like they truly want to help their rentals get filled and would not provide the support and communication needed for a seamless rental experience.

Negative experience: I had 2 properties for rent with Lighthouse. I share my experience to improve every consumer's odds of finding the best fit for themselves. I have 2 main complaints based on my experience: (1) Excessive fees without consent or discussion or transparency or partnership. When I signed their contract, that apparently gave them power to charge me $50 an hour for "staff time" at their discretion and without advising me beforehand. I have the bill to prove it. Sheila told me she would talk to me about all the larger, non-emergency expenditures beforehand. She did not do so. She charged me $950.00 for 19 hours of her own time, "staff time" in one month. About half of that $950 was her fee for "checking on the progress of the property four times", while it was vacant. I was at the property several times a week working. She didn't need to charge me to come look at it four times in one month. I regularly updated her on the progress myself. That's unacceptable behavior for a business partner. I paid her bill in full, even though I disagree with half of her charges. I paid because they wouldn't release me from further obligation until I paid in full. I paid in full just to be done with Sheila and Lighthouse asap. (2) Sheila wanted to do staging in property #1. I did not want to and told her so. She went ahead and staged property #1 anyway WITHOUT TELLING ME. Worse, she staged it with (I'm sorry to say it, but it's true) cheap, unattractive decor that I NEVER would have agreed to put inside my property. I have pictures as proof. One example, she hung 2 Pepto Bismol pink plastic baskets with cheap plastic flowers on my deck. NOT the look I wanted for my property! Then, when I gave written notice to terminate the contract for property #1, she took that same staging "decor" from property #1 to property #2. Again, SHE DID NOT talk to me about it. She just did it. Zero transparency! Unacceptable behavior for a business partner. Excessive fees without consent or discussion or transparency or partnership are reason enough to separate with LHRE. So, I gave a written notice of termination of the contract for property #2, as well. Do you want to guess whether I will get another big "staff time" bill for property #2? I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile.... BE AWARE & BE WISE CONSUMERS!

Negative experience: I Was a good paying tenant never late. I had a deposit of $1500 for move in. When we moved out I was only refunded $69.47 for patch work and paint. I feel I was falsely charged. Company failed to notify there’s a sex offender that lives in the back in midvale home and horrible issue with mold in one of the bedrooms. I’m glad I ended up moving out this company’s a joke & don’t recommend them.

Fantastic experience: Very professional. I've had multiple business dealings with lighthouse. All of them extremely good. If any variable arose. On my side or their side, I was treated with the utmost respect and prompt communication. I highly recommend this company. We will definitely be doing business in the future.

Negative experience: I’m not paying $5 to look the house/apartment for free by myself. No wonder why many of the places they are showing are still available. So not only did I save $5 for not taking the walk through, I saved a total of $12,005+ for not being able to talk to a human. Thanks, saved me a major headache if I did rent from here.

Fantastic experience: Lighthouse was a great landlord, they were always very responsive and were much easier to work with than most landlords I’ve had. All the charges when moving out were totally reasonable which I think shows real integrity. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: I was very nervous about getting my first lease by myself and wasn't clear on what to do. Sheila and Ray took their time explaining things to me and worked things out with me. I'm not nervous anymore about living in one of their properties. Thank you!

Negative experience: Sheila will make promises in the beginning before you move in, but won’t follow through until you have left the unit. Horrible management.

Negative experience: I should have read the bad reviews before trusting this company, we had a 0/10 experience

Fantastic experience: Lighthouse definitely mirrors it's name. If your looking for a stress free experience from beginning to Completion, I suggest you leave your housing needs in the Capable hands of Lighthouse!

Fantastic experience: Thank you Lighthouse for your assistance with our property. And being so patient in explaining situations I truly didn't understand. Also, for your quick response in returning phone calls. In this day an age that seems to be a luxury item. Much appreciation.

Positive experience: I had a very positive experience With lighthouse. I recommend it to anyone in need of quality help.

Fantastic experience: Sheila and her team managed my property for 3 years and helped me sell it also after managing it. So needless to say, she knows my house probably better than I do! I highly, highly recommend Sheila and Lighthouse Real Estate to owners and tenants. She treated my tenants with fairness and professional care. She responded immediately to tenants' needs and maintenance requests with a network of handymen and contractors as needed. This is a genuine review, please know your business is safe with Sheila. She is very responsive to me even working remotely. Any other negative reviews are just likely bad tenants with an axe to grind.

Fantastic experience: Lighthouse is awesome and Sheila is a rockstar. I have been with Lighthouse for many years now and they make my life so easy. They keep my house constantly rented with excellent tenants. They stay on top of repairs and keep me updated on future needs. I feel they do the job probably better than I would do myself. Sheila thank you for all you do and looking forward to many more years with you.

Fantastic experience: Sheila was amazing to work with. The property we purchased had some unique circumstances and she was able to navigate all of them.

Fantastic experience: White House is very knowledgeable in the real estate and Property Management business. Took the time to research a complicated property purchase and took the time to educate me and my wife about what we were getting into and covered all the bases and was very patient with the seller.

Fantastic experience: I have had Sheila manage my business rentals for many many years. Sheila is honest and a dedicated extreme hard worker. I have never lost money with her company It is very easy to complain when things go wrong and a lot of times we don't compliment people for doing right and Sheila has been doing alright for many years I know that she works late into the night early in the morning and I have never had any issues that she could not have helped me resolve.

Negative experience: Sheila is extraordinarily difficult to work with. She does not respond to emails in a timely manner (at one point I received no response for 2 months) and when she does respond, it’s sending text messages between the hours of 11pm and 4am. When questioned about the amount that was being asked for utilities, she refused to send an itemized list of what was owed. We refused to pay for the utilities until she would send us an actual list of what was owed because we felt like she was overcharging us- and after seeing the actual bills it turns out that she was. My father owns the property that we were living in and she was supposed to be the middle ground between us so that we did not have to deal with money with one another, but I had to speak with him more often than not because she was either unresponsive or incredibly condescending when we could get in touch with her. Then she accused me of running to “daddy” to solve the issue. Even though she was unwilling to respond to emails about urgent matters. I am so relieved I no longer have to work with Sheila. Save yourself some sanity and choose to work with another company.

Fantastic experience: Sheila is amazing. She has helped me buy, sell and even rent my property for over 15 years. Great communication, amazing work ethic and awesome person to work with. Even with the time difference, she is always there when I need her.

Fantastic experience: I highly recommend lighthouse Real estate. I am very impressed with Sheila and her team. I have bought two houses with them and they rent 3 properties for me. I have nothing but good things to say about them. Also I rented a property through lighthouse real estate. Sheila protects both owners and tenants and fight fiercely for their rights and obligations.

Fantastic experience: Sheila is awesome, knows her stuff and is easy to work with. I'm so glad I hired these guys with my rental property, blown away at how responsive they are and how quickly they got good qualified tenets. Looking forward to working with them for the long haul!

Positive experience: Rented a four bedroom from them in Millcreek. They are a little bit disorganized amongst each other it seems, but otherwise, they didn't shaft us in returning our deposit or anything. Things they charged us for were reasonable. They communicated, didn't bug us often, and I generally feel like we were treated fairly as tenants, which is saying something in Utah. We worked with Ray and Sheila mostly.

Fantastic experience: Sheila and her team truly care about their clients! She goes above and beyond to help care for both tenants and property owners

Negative experience: Edit to respond to the companys response. Timing is everything lol that's why your agents should be a little but more prepared and not reach out to tenants then refuse to help them in a timely manner. He told to pay the deposit to hold on our spot then didn't send us the info to pay the deposit. That has nothing to do with emotions, that's plain old not doing his job. But I definitely found a much better home for better price and much better leasing company :) We reached out to lighthouse because we were very excited to apply for a home we had viewed. We were speaking with Ray and we were advised that because our move in date was over a month away the home could not be held for us. We understood and moved on. A few days later, on memorial day, Ray reached out to me asking if we were still interested. He said that because it was closer they would now be willing to work with us on the move in date if we applied. We immediately filled out the application and texted him back asking how we could pay the hold deposit, and we were ready to do so on the spot. He informed me he would get the email to us when he could but it was a holiday so might not be until next day. I understood but the next day he never responded until I reached out to him. At which time he let me know someone else had already paid the deposit and knocked us out of first place. I understand first come first serve with these things, however, he should not have waited to send me the deposit information because it was a holiday, when he was the one that reached out to me in the first place on said holiday. He got my family's hopes up for this home and we are really upset that we lost out on it because he didn't send us the info we needed.

Negative experience: They provided a contract and although we stuck to our end of the contract and gave up a lot of money, they did not stick to their end of the contract and they ran away with a lot of money. Don't give ANY of your money to these people! They are a SCAM!

Negative experience: SCAM - DO NOT GET INVOLVED with these people!!! Extremely unprofessional. My husband and I were looking for a place to rent. They asked for $80 application fee + $150 processing fee + $500 to be added to deposit in case we choose to move in the apartment. $150 is non refundable ONLY if they give you a conditional approval. They also said within 24 hours of applying, we would receive a response. Well, we applied, more than 48 hours passed and they still didn’t know if we could get a conditional approval even though everything looked good. We asked for a refund of the $500 and $150 (since we never got a conditional approval) and then they said that they didn’t give us an approval but we’re a great fit so they will get us approved right away AND because of it they’d only refund us the $500. We worked with Ray. He was really nice to my husband but when talking to me he would interrupt me all the time. SO DISRESPECTFUL. SUCH A SCAM. We lost $230 just for applying.

Negative experience: Working with Sheila and Lighthouse was actually very pleasant, until you leave them/break your contract. They fix issues quickly and promptly, and are always quick to get back to you regarding any issues that may arise. Unfortunately, this all gets overshadowed by the their exit process. I have not been more disappointed in a real estate rental company. We cleaned the place extremely well, was even complimented on it from the inspector, and patched most of the belmishes we created. This did not stop them from charging over $800 in cleaning and repairs on a 1200 sqft townhouse. Absolutely absurd of this company to steal your deposit like this. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about except tell other to stay away.

Negative experience: Edit, (this was originally blank) in reply to the response from the owner - so it's the previous owner's fault that it took Lighthouse 3-4 attempts to get all 3 residents of my apartment a lease? It's the previous owner's fault that that lease was over 2 weeks late? It's the previous owner's fault that the rent amount on the lease wasn't listed the way Lighthouse intended? It's the previous owner's fault that Lighthouse retaliated with threats of fees already paid that they "were waiting to notify (us) about" after they realized that we are abiding by that lease? It's the previous owner's fault that none of the basic improvements we requested (like clean gutters and properly sealed doors and windows, fully functioning appliances) have been made? I'm sorry, but it just isn't right to shirk your responsibilities and blame someone who can't defend himself. Update: leave it to Lighthouse to sneak in extra fees at lease renewal. We are now responsible for water and trash, yippee! *As if paying rent during a pandemic isn't challenging enough as it is.* On top of that, we are still waiting for things to be properly fixed/maintained since we informed them at the last two inspections. Often they don't reply to our texts unless they think we owe them money. These people are heartless and incompetent.

Negative experience: Our agent Sonia is unprofessional, straight up disrespectful and a two-face. She is very friendly and responsive at first when you’re looking for a place to rent, the moment you move in all that changes. She doesn’t answer calls or return them and when you finally get a hold of her she has this tone as if you’re annoying her. Our inspection date was the first and she decided to come a day before and since we were still in the process of moving tell us we were being charged for detail cleaning $90! She would yell over you and cut you off in the middle of speaking, she mentioned I didn’t know how to clean and my “mommy” needed to help me. Completely unacceptable behavior. I’m still waiting for the pictures proving how messy the apartment was. As of today still haven’t received anything.

Fantastic experience: Very, very quick to respond and flexible to specific accommodations needed! Great to work with.

Fantastic experience: I swapped from a previous PM company, and couldn’t be happier to have made the change. My experience thus far has been nothing short of amazing. Sheila has taken the time for my calls, questions, and always provides good information and feedback on my property. She was also able to get my place rented in a slow rental market! Thank you for going above and beyond to make this an enjoyable experience!

Negative experience: Advice for potential and current clients: management is terribly difficult to get a hold of, you must be persistent if you plan on having anyone solving a problem, for example, heating not working (spent most of the winter without heat), AC going out in the summer, other fixtures being broken/ not working properly. During move out, make sure you receive a checklist weeks before moving out, as you will be nickel and dimed even for “dust” that is found in the house. We received roughly 68% of our deposit back, this is including a charge for a door that we had broken which we took full responsibility for (40% if you include the charge for the door), although it took management 12 months to fix. Overall, the house was great - management on the other hand, as you can tell by other reviews, needs to work on transparency with tenants, responsiveness, and responsibility. Be careful. *Edit to the owners response: The response is a perfect example as to how management operates - it is impossible for anything to have been their fault, it’s the tenants that are the problem...this would explain their 3.7 star rating. Unwilling to take blame, unwilling to work towards an agreement, and obviously unwilling to be fair and truthful.

Negative experience: Has the oddest application process I've ever heard of. Obviously the rent to the worst of the worst tenants. As long as you're not a murder and have income you'll probably get the place. Dont forget to drop off a security deposit before getting accepted to a house and possibly have to pay an extra 150$ just in case you get rejected. All I can say to people is it's a new company for a reason.

Fantastic experience: I have worked with Sheila and Lighthouse Real Estate for several years and I am continually impressed with their professionalism and their ability to get things done.

Fantastic experience: Lighthouse Real Estate manages a property that I am a resident of and I have had great experiences so far! I have found the team to be knowledgeable, patient and truly interested in providing great customer service! About 6 months into our first lease, we had a major plumbing issue which caused a significant remodel to a couple of areas within the home. The project was handled efficiently and with minimal intrusion. We were confident in signing our second lease with Lighthouse Real Estate this year and it has been a success! I highly recommend working with this team if you are a prospective renter or property owner!

Fantastic experience: I have never been happier. Lighthouse Real Estate is VERY PROFESSIONAL. I have been using them for the past 7 years. I wouldn't even think of using anyone else. Sheila & her team. AWESOME! Helps me sleep at night. Knowing my house is in good hands. If there is ever a problem. They deal with you first & foremost. Total Professionals. Dont waste your time going anywhere else.

Fantastic experience: I have used Lighthouse for a few years now, and I have nothing but good things to say. I've had one tenant with them, and I have one property with them. My check shows up every month and I only hear from them when they need me to authorize a repair. They are quick to respond when I have questions. Sheila Watkins and her team are great.

Fantastic experience: Sheila has been my property manager and realtor for 11 years and I highly reccomend her and Lighthouse. She is very meticulous, and nobody will work harder for you than Sheila.

Fantastic experience: I am very happy with their service. I receive text communications and occasional phone calls. My rentals have gone from a financial drag to a profitable venture. I sleep well without the burden of property management.

Fantastic experience: Lighthouse has managed my rentals for several years, and they do an excellent job. They are proactive about preventing problems, focused on tenant safety, and communicate very well with both me and all tenants. They handle everything professionally and thoroughly, and they have my complete trust in managing my properties. Can't recommend them enough.

Fantastic experience: I have been a real estate owner/investor for 50+ years. My business has included buying and selling properties, all aspects of rental property management, remodeling and maintenance of my multiple properties owned in several different states. About 4 years ago, for my rental properties in the Salt Lake Valley, I decided to offload tenant searches, leasing and all associated paperwork to Sheila at Lighthouse Real Estate Services. Sheila had been recommended to me by a contractor doing work on one of my rental properties. Since that time, Sheila and her staff at Lighthouse RE, have handled all my tenant searches, background checks, leasing and increasingly, more of the maintenance requirements through their stable of qualified and tested specialty contractors. Sheila has also acted as my agent for the listing and sales of one of my properties. Throughout this relationship, Sheila has been nothing but professional, honest and trustworthy, not just with me but the tenants she has placed in my properties. To date, the tenants she has placed in my rentals could not have been better. Sheila’s business ethic has aligned perfectly with my own philosophy, which is, treat people the way you wish and expect to be treated, that is; with respect, dignity and fairness. As I have recently moved into the retirement phase of my life, I have chosen to turn over the entire property management responsibilities of my rental properties to Sheila and Lighthouse RE. I didn’t even consider another real estate/property management firm. Using Sheila and Lighthouse was just a no brainer. I highly recommend her and Lighthouse RE to both owners and prospective tenants.

Fantastic experience: Working with Sheila has made my life so much less stressful! I love how thorough she is with renting out my property. I was a bit overwhelmed managing it myself, but having Sheila has made my life a lot happier! I have recommended her to my friends and family.

Fantastic experience: Sheila and her team are top notch. They are professional and really know what they are doing. Sheila is on the ball and cares about her clients. Thanks Sheila!

Positive experience: Working with Lighthouse has been as close to a set it and forget it experience. As with every busy company communication isn’t always immediate but each response is professional and thoughtfully crafted. I would recommend Lighthouse for both property owners looking to rent and potential renters. I’ll continue to work and grow with Lighthouse.

Negative experience: I don’t recommend this company to ever do your management for you. We had 2 homes in contact with this agency and had to let go of one due to letting family move in, months later, one of the tenants were months behind in utilities and this agency took it out of my pay!! (What’s the point of their deposit then?!!?) with my second rental and it’s tenants, they moved out without notice and this agency doesn’t absolutely NOTHING to help recover any rent/ late fees/ or repair anything before giving my home back to me. Sheila is very rude and will not settle anything with the tenant that left. They never inspect your houses and they will let your tenants destroy your homes. She tried keeping us in contact by raising the rent amount I would receive but it’s not worth the money with this company. I have switched companies now and I’m 100% happier to LEAVE this agency. Terrible terrible terrible. They are not fair. Sheila still owes me $600 and has the nerve to tell me to stay in her agency. Yeah, right.

Fantastic experience: Amazing Service ! We are looking to buy our first home. Sheila was very honest and upfront about everything. I really don't review much, but I must say I highly recommend her.

Negative experience: Slum lords. They charged us 1st last and deposit, but when I gave my 30 day they charged me rent again for my last month which could be any where from $1250 my normal rent to over $1625. And gave us a 3 day notice to pay $1400, we have 5 kids we don't get any assistance for. 3 months after we moved in we started seeing bed bugs. When we reported the bed bugs they charged me over 2k to remove them. That was in 2015 we still have bedbugs 2018. We had a water leek for over a yr. I would NEVER rent from them again.