Sarge Rentals

Negative experience: DNR. When you see this you may think of "Do not Resuscitate " or "The Department of Natural Resources". What I mean is DO NOT RENT! Upon renting a house from Sarge Rentals, I requested a SECOND house tour. For context, my group and I already claimed the house as well as paid the full deposit of over a couple thousand dollars. Two of my roommates still had not visited the house, so I called Sarge Rentals to talk to them about setting up a second appointment to allow my two roommates to visit the house they are rightfully paying for. The lady on the phone, who I believe to be in some form of upper management at the firm, was curt and claimed that my group and I "took way too long" at the previous house inspection. To explain this, one of my other roommates and I went with our parents to tour the house for the first time (again we already placed our deposit on the house), and the property manager had never been to the house before. This means that this property manager had zero idea of what the house looked like and what problems it may have had. With that being said our total tour time was approximately 45 minutes. This is not ridiculous given we had signed the leases for the house, paid the deposit, and were given a clueless property manager (this is not the property manager's fault, though). We spent over half of the 45 minutes pointing out all the problems with the house ranging from mold, a ridiculous amount of open wires, appliance concerns, and so much more. I understand that homes in Bloomington have many issues and are typically fairly old homes, but the problems we pointed out were not out of spite, but out of request for attention. To call back to it, the lady on the phone was very disrespectful regarding the situation, and we had not even moved in to the home yet. In terms of living in the house throughout the year, our AC and heating would start and stop working frequently. In fact, we had maintenance over at one point, and I asked them if they could fix our broken AC. It never got fixed, and when I called the company, they acted as if I was entirely stupid and had no idea what I was talking about. A house that is sitting at a regular 80 degrees during the warm months and 60 degrees during the cold months is NOT OK. We handled everything as respectful as possible, but it became more and more difficult as the year went on. I do not want to keep yapping and complaining as that is not who I am, but one of the biggest problems sparked at the end of the year. My group and I released the house as we did not want to move again. We confirmed with one of the employees at Sarge Rentals but not a week later we received news that the house was leased off to a completely different group. My roommate called the company to ask for answers, and the same clueless guy we spoke to immediately knew of his mistake but could not admit to his wrongs and kept digging himself into a hole. I understand making a mistake but trying to bend the story to not appear as his fault when we know it was on him is insane. Overall my experience living in the house was fine, but the largest issue was Sarge Rentals. They are affordable but not affordable enough for me to deal with their lack of professionalism, organization, and general care of their tenants. To wrap up my story with Sarge Rentals, DNR! DO NOT RENT!!!! *Note: I wish I took pictures of all the problems we had, but I had faith Sarge Rentals would be able to revive their brand in my mind to which they did not. They most definetly did not.

Negative experience: Worst rental company probably to ever exist. Should be put out of buissness. Had them last year was never notified when house tours would occur or when they would show up for anything, they would show up, unannounced in our home and proceed to make up excuses or lie. Horribly rude, unprofessional, disrespectful, cannot answer the simplest questions for the life of them, and are genuinely infuriating. Worst rental company ever. Immidiately needs to be put out of buissness.

Negative experience: They absolutely mangled my bush on the apartment I live in. Cut a whole bunch of limbs and leaves only in one spot, looks horrible.

Negative experience: We rented an apartment through sarge rentals for our son who was a junior at IU. The apartment was an absolute disaster w problems after problems. Leaks, mold, safety etc…they never took care of anything. I finally had to get the city of Bloomington building dept involved. Do not put your child in any apartment that sarge rentals works with. They do not care, they are irresponsible and they WILL put your child/student in danger.

Fantastic experience: Sarge has been incredibly helpful in resolving our maintenance issues throughout this cycle of storms. Specifically Heather has been super kind and helpful in this process, and came in on her off time on a Saturday evening to resolve our flooding issues. The staff and maintenance team are great!

Negative experience: I’ve been with sarge rentals for 6 years, had quite a few different property managers during this time. We most recently got a new property manager, Joani, she is rude, lacks basic customer service skills, and competency. The rest of the staff has been great, and they have a great and polite maintenance team. I’m hoping this new PM doesn’t last much longer. I also asked for their corporate contact and she refused to give it to me.

Negative experience: Horrible management company. They neglect the basic upkeep on the property, yet charge an arm & a leg for the dump you're staying at. I showed up to a short term rental with weeds taller than myself and spiders all over within the house! After discussions with the property owner, they were suppose to show up by the end of the week to take care of the yard work. And what happened? You guessed it, no one showed up. I took care of it myself, utilizing MY OWN yard tools and 3 hours of my time. Even after doing this the first weekend of my stay, they never once came out of my 13 weeks to maintain the yard or do anything else upon the property. Seriously, avoid any property managed by this company.

Negative experience: I wish I would have read reviews prior to entering into a legal contract with Sarge, as many others have had negative experiences as well. From day one of move in, the maintenance requests were vast. We were without AC for over a month, our refrigerator didn’t work properly from day one of move in, continued to decline and eventually went fully out where we were unable to keep meats and dairy for over two months. Mind you, during all of this I was pregnant. The refrigerator and AC issues were two of the largest issues, accompanied by countless smaller issues, including an infestation of wood bees, that management would never even address. I spoke with an attorney to draft a letter for dissolution of lease with a mile long list of reasons as to why the unit was unfit for living, highlighting negligent rental practices. Sarge did agree to dissolve the lease; we only lived there for six months. Fast-forward two months post move out, and they have charged us egregious and immoral deposit fees. Prior to move out, I sent the leasing manager, Joani, photos of the entire unit for purposes of helping her relist the unit. I was trying to take the highroad and be very agreeable during the process. Receiving the photos, she insured me that deposit fees would be minimum as the unit clearly showed very little wear and tear. Keep in mind that “normal” wear and tear applies to a full lease term of 12 months; our lease had a half-life of six months. I have provided the photos of the unit here, for you all to see. Not only are we average renters, but I take so much pride in my home that it is a held to the highest standards. Today, Joani tried to gaslight us into believing that the deposit fees were to balance out the favor that they did us by “letting” us dissolve our lease. We entered into the lease, thinking that this would be the home that that we brought our first child home to. We were forced to move prematurely during my sixth month of pregnancy. The stress of moving mentally and physically contributed to my developing pre-clampsia. I swelled up during the week of move, and I have not been able to reduce swelling since, resulting in high blood pressure. I am currently now on bedrest, taking away my ability to even work. Is a predatory and immoral rental company. I strongly encourage anyone who is considering working with Sarge to do a little research prior to entering into a legal agreement. My spouse and I are pursuing court action against the Sarge.

Negative experience: DO NOT rent from these people. They are terrible about fixing things and when they do it’s a quick cheapest fix ever so it will break again. They do not care about the people who rent from them.

Negative experience: This company is apathetic to the point of harm. I lived in one of their properties, 2297 W Bloomfield Rd, for 3 years. In that time I experienced mold, roaches, mice, silverfish, and a sewage smell that made me sick. The gutters overflowed, I had to shovel the sidewalks in winter, the grass was always over a foot high before they'd cut it, our pipes froze in winter, our drainage was so poor it's take a full day to drain the bathtub, and it took them 3 times to break down and buy a faucet that was not so cheap it'd fall apart in months. They do not respect the 24 hours notice law, which obviously IS ILLEGAL. This property is just a money grab for the owner and Sarge did not advocate for any of the residents. Everything was always our fault. My neighbor (65+) found a LIVE SNAKE on his counter and they made him call and pay for nuisance pest control to come. Worst of all, my neighbor committed suicide and it took them days to get the blood off the floor AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN REPLACE THE FLOOR. I still have nightmares of that scene. All this and they raised rent every year. I wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy. No human deserves to live like I had to there.

Negative experience: I am absolutely outraged by this company, if you’re even remotely considering renting with this company DO NOT. It’s been 3 years and I am still waiting for them to return my security deposit after 100’s of calls, & having been met with excuse after excuse. There is no follow through or clear communication, and as of my most recent interactions with the company, I was told that I should be expecting a check in the mail & it’s almost been 3 months so far & of course, no check. Most of the rental companies in Bloomington are difficult, but Sarge has by far been my worst experience. Save yourself the burden!!!! Like I’ve told all of my friends still in Bloomington, do not rent with this company.

Fantastic experience: very kind understanding employees. Stayed there for three years and it was a lovely experience. Apartment very cute and homey. was in a lovely neighborhood as well.

Positive experience: Used to be better but is quickly going down hill. the maintenence men are doing their best but the managment company isnt easy to get ahold of.

Negative experience: Terrible rental company! Moved in house wasn’t anything special. Had people give them quotes while we lived there for paint. Then they charge us our full amount for the deposit so they can repaint for free. Lucky we can’t meet in person! Bunch of rip off retards!

Positive experience: Very quick maintenance!

Negative experience: I gave a previous updated review on this company's responsiveness but the lack of communication continues. This is a very bad reflection on the company and its tenant service. I have attempted over 10 times to verify my utility transfer with this company to complete steps to take possession of the property with zero response. Awful communication.

Negative experience: Sarge bought the property I was renting from another landlord mid-lease. I found out about the sale because they mishandled utility billing transfer and now we won't have water for a couple days. Welcome to sarge! Water not included.

Negative experience: Sarge is by far the worst place you could ever rent from. My 8 year old daughter and 8 year old step daughter was playing in their room and the window was busted out accidentally. Now we've all been kids before and accidents happen but the window as pictured with the big hole in it has been this was since November of 2021. Today is March 21st 8:30am. Theyve told me on 2 different occasions they would be out to fix it and never showed. I've went all winter through the snow and coldest days of the year with a window that is completely out letting all cold air and anything else in.. Of course it cost me extra on my electric bill because I had to run the heat so high to keep it warm up stairs but ultimately they made 8 year old kids have to suffer through this time! Absolutely uncalled for and inhumane by these people! No child should ever have to suffer in their own home! The other picture is of the furnace filter that hasnt been replaced in who knows when. All this happened 6 months into my lease and here we are at month 10... So almost half of my time here my daughter's havent had a bedroom because of this! NEVER RENT OF THESE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY DONT CARE ABOUT KIDS OR YOUR FAMILY, ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS YOUR MONEY!

Negative experience: A complete lack of understanding how to close deals. Dont put a child in the position of prop mgr and give them authority as closer if they dont have the skillset.

Fantastic experience: After having a nightmare rental situation my sophomore year of college at the Village at Muller Park, it has been such a relief to rent with Sarge. They are responsive to texts and calls and if not, there is reason for it. Dylan is always extremely helpful and understanding no matter the circumstance. Maintenance is great and down to earth too. This is my second year renting from them and I could not recommend them more, especially considering the other property rental companies in town.

Negative experience: my apartment was not properly cleaned when I moved in so there was a cockroach infestation that lasted MONTHS. My room also flooded and mushrooms grew out of the walls because they didn’t properly take care of it. I have included photos of the mushrooms. Do not rent here they are unhelpful and fix problems when it is too late.

Negative experience: Sarge rented my daughter and her roommates a house where each student paid $700 per month to live in a cockroach infestation. No amount of pest control could get them under control. Because the kids didn’t see them when it was warm and 90 days past move in they do not take care of pest control the kids had to pay for all the treatments. Because the walls are full of mature long terms nests the roaches could not be eradicated but you can bet they have it rented already for August. They avoided phone calls and when they showed the house they hid signs that there was a roach issue. Completely disgusting situation they fully cover themselves from any liability of in the lease. Beware!!!!

Negative experience: They refuse to answer phone calls from prospective tenants they either stereotype or just aren't interested in for whatever reason. They had no problem taking our application fee, but intentionally left out their claim that "people are ahead" of us until afterwards. Dylan in particular has avoided our calls, and we weren't able to speak to anyone unless we drove to the office. It's very clear what's going on in this rental office, and it's flat-out discrimination and textbook application fee scamming. They denied us based on credit history, but we had the best guarantor in the city. There's no question there is corruption in this rental office, and I implore anyone in search of housing to look elsewhere if you can. **Response to the owner's response: Isn't it typical of a company to respond to criticism with "we didn't do anything wrong"? It really let's you know that they have zero interest on becoming better as a company. All the negative reviews cannot be wrong. No matter how many people get on to salvage the damage they cause as a company. It's a statistical impossibility that they're clean from all the claims against them. The responder completely avoided the fact that I said they decided not to tell us that there are "several other applicants ahead" of us, until AFTER we paid for the application fee. Other HONEST companies would have let you know what you were getting yourself into beforehand. Trust me. I implore anyone to read into what a guarantor is if you don't know. One of their claims is that my credit was too bad, but the guarantor would make that obsolete. Furthermore, they can't make their mind up on what excuse they want to use for denying us. First they claimed it was because they had other applicants ahead of us (after taking our money for the applications of course) then they say it's because of credit! What's worse is that Dylan was actually in the office the day I went in there in person, which is the same exact time this responder is attempting to claim Dylan was out of the office! The guy looked me square in the eye and asked me if Tiffany is helping me, and I responded "yes." That's when he hooked around to go back there where she was at. I can only imagine what he was saying. It was definitely him, I heard him talking to others and referring to himself as Dylan! You can't make this stuff up! This place will be on the news if they keep these practices up. We're definitely opening a complaint online to prompt an investigation about this incident and their conduct.

Negative experience: This is the nastiest, trashiest most disrespectful, unintelligent, unhelpful, unresponsive “management” team I have ever encountered. Never let your children live in these homes owned by these imbeciles unless you want to their mental and physical health to suffer. And don’t forget you’ll be scammed at the end!

Negative experience: They are slow to respond and not very friendly. The woman finally met with me and sounded like everything would work out. I provided income and explained that one month was lower due to having covid. They said no problem. Ghosted for over a week and then denied my application for a rental home.

Fantastic experience: Made the application process very easy and had great communication.

Fantastic experience: I was in an unusual and unpleasant situation with a piece of property in Bloomington, IN. Thankfully, I found Sarge Rentals and had an amazing experience. Heather was professional, kind and truly understood my circumstances. They very helpfully worked with my set of circumstances as a rental property owner and I would highly suggest Sarge Rentals. Thank you Heather!

Positive experience: Sarge was very responsive when we had issues, and was helpful during the move-out process. It was a great final apartment in Bloomington, I will surely miss it!

Fantastic experience: Sarge Rentals is a great rental company! Every person I have been in contact with is super helpful and very responsive, from the office staff to the maintenance staff. From move-in to move-out, they have been absolutely great...both Heather and Dylan are excellent to work with!!

Fantastic experience: Really nice people at Sarge Rentals. Always friendly and helpful!

Fantastic experience: Sarge is great! I have had no issues what so ever with them, anytime I have a maintenance request they a very quick to come over and fix it right away. Heather has been outstanding and she’s very easy to reach about anything I may need.

Fantastic experience: Everyone in the office is super friendly and helpful! Problems are handled quickly and the online Tennant portal is very easy to use!

Fantastic experience: Best rental company in Bloomington. After months of shopping, we leased a decent property in downtown for an amazing price. They always respond to our needs immediately when it comes to maintenance. I fully trust this company. Heather responds you concerns, even in her off-time and is a great employee. We’re on our second year with Sarge and have zero complaints. They are so reasonable and I appreciate the monthly rent email reminders.

Fantastic experience: Sarge Is the best landlord I've ever had. They are very understanding. Heather an all the crew at Sarge are the best. My mom rents with you all an she is very please with y'all as well. #Yallrock

Negative experience: Edit 6/26/17 Fired for leaving one star with no comments. One very petty company. Highly recommend you avoid them. Telling someone they are going to work in the rain to clean up the nasty messes in the yards and then deciding to send them home rather than clean up trash is hardly conducive to providing good service. It's sheer greed to leave trash everywhere rather than clean it up. No wonder many of the homes look trashy. They even get multiple tickets from the city!! Such an improvement to be away from this company

Fantastic experience: The most efficient property management company I have ever worked with! Any time I have a question, concern, or issue I get a response within 0-8 hours, not 24! I highly recommend renting from Sarge Rentals and ask for Heather(she is awesome!)

Fantastic experience: Good rental company - no issues for the most part!

Fantastic experience: Sarge took over for Hallmark Rentals a few years ago. The change has been great! Probably the biggest improvement was communication between tenants and owners. When I reach out with a question or concern, they respond in an appropriate manner. I realize they are busy so sometimes calls aren’t answers immediately but I believe they take calls in order of importance. The office staff is nice and friendly! I truly believe they have the tenants best interest at heart. I appreciate that they give us our space, at least in our neighborhood, but they are still their to support us when we need something. I have rented from other companies that are either constantly bothering you about something or you can never get ahold of them. Sarge seems to balance it very well and that’s why I have stayed with them. I tell them this every time I speak with them but I really love our home and neighbors!

Fantastic experience: So far my experience has been very pleasant! I reached out and both times have gotten a quick reply and much needed help. I'm definitely hoping things work out and my kids and I will have our own place soon

Fantastic experience: We've lived with Sarge for the past two years. The first year we rented with them, they found us a place to stay 2 days before classes started when the house we rented with another company wasn't safe. They've continued to be great to work with, nice rentals, and super quick maintenance. I whole-heartedly trust them and would definitely recommend!

Positive experience: Rented with them for 3 years. Great homes at a great value!

Negative experience: Kinda rude

Fantastic experience: Love this company, know the owner and have gotten to know a few employees (most importantly knew the dog herself). Very quality reasonable and safe services!

Fantastic experience: Really awesome landlords