Empire Property Management Group, LLC

Fantastic experience: Yes the process may seem difficult at first but all in all I have yet to see some of the negative things people are saying in the reviews displayed. Great job guys.

Fantastic experience: This was a great experience working with Theo and Charlotte as an owner of multiple units. Quick feedback and always prepared to make things right. I highly recommend

Negative experience: This company has HORRIBLE communication skills and customer service!!! It almost seems like a scam because when you apply for a home they never communicate with you. You have to call them and when you do they have attitudes ! All people are trying to do is find homes for their families and they seem like it’s a bother! They are very unprofessional! If they are your last resort… still don’t apply with them !

Negative experience: This company wouldn’t let us rent over a misdemeanor that’s 15 years old despite having a successful business for all most 10 years and great rental history.

Negative experience: I should have read the reviews before attempting to deal with such an unprofessional company. The lack of reviews should have been the first red flag! Still waiting on call back from so called management. This company is profiting off of application fees not business.

Negative experience: Update!!!!!! I sold my house more than 6 months ago and Empire still hasn't refunded my deposit, a return phone call would be the first step but you should never steal from a client. I've worked with Empire for a couple of years now and I am 100% satisfied with the total experience from; Preparing my viewing, getting an occupant quickly, timely payments and constant relative communication. I'm glad I partnered with them!

Positive experience: Charlotte so nonchalant she should work on her customer service skills ! Mr Tony is the best !

Positive experience: Very nice and helpful staff

Negative experience: This company lacks professionalism. Mrs.Brown was very rude and condescending.

Positive experience: I had to drop off my rent.

Fantastic experience: I have worked with the Brown’s for the past 3 years after having a less than stellar experience with another property management company that left a sour taste in my mouth. The Browns have ensured that only quality applicants are able to live in your homes. It has been a pleasure knowing that I had someone watching over my house like it was their own. Their professionalism is unmatched, and they have a very detailed approach to getting your house ready for listing. I would definitely recommend them to others if property management services were needed.

Fantastic experience: Looking for a home in Columbia is a process , I’ve applied and been approved at 3 homes but communication with the companies have been terrible. This company answered me within an hour and seem to be very reasonable.

Fantastic experience: Very professional atmosphere...Straight forward business practice.

Fantastic experience: This company is currently managing one of my properties. I started working with Mr. Brown 6 month before I knew I was getting stationed overseas. He was honest and upfront. They have been professional, responsive, and my house was rented within weeks. So far, no complaints. Thanks!

Fantastic experience: I can say I m applying for property to rent and this company so far will contact u back i see no problem wit and am hoping to rent a home from this company i wont apply other places since I spoke to a very nice lady on the phone the really do move fast didn't get a home with this company but will refer friends and family I got approved faster wit another company for a bigger house and cheaper rate I m set to move

Negative experience: Of all the property mgrs. I've encountered; this company is the WORST! They come to your home unannounced, try to" low grade" threaten you. I don't recommend this company to ANYONE looking for property management.

Fantastic experience: Excellent service! Tony has mastered the lost art of providing top notch customer service. I’m active duty military who moved out of state therefore I don’t have the luxury of being local. Tony provides reassurance, transparency and predictability. This is invaluable when I’m out of town and especially when I’m out the country. My rental payments are ALWAYS on time without any issues. Tony is VERY meticulous and systematic with record keeping and excellent at keeping lines of communication open due me not being local. You will always be informed and understand down to the penny with his accounting practices. As I continue to expand my portfolio, Empire continues to manage every property I acquire. 10 STARS!!

Positive experience: As much as I’d like to give Empire a lower rating for the extra amount of stress I endured trying to exit the house, I have to be fair. In the two years that I occupied the rental in Lake Carolina I never had a problem with Empire. They were quick to resolve maintenance issues and were professional/cordial in communicating. I enjoyed the rental and it’s location in a quiet cul-de-sac, even though the layout of the house was not ideal and the rent was high. Lease was up in August. I would have renewed for another year but we found out we were relocating to Japan just weeks before the end of the lease. The plan was to be out of the house before the end of the month, but my wife ended up leaving earlier than planned, and just days before she left my brother passed away. Because of those events I wasn’t able to clear the house by the end of the month. I offered to pay another full month’s rent to go past my lease and Empire informed me that the owner reluctantly agreed. It felt like trying to pull teeth getting the owner to work with my situation. I scheduled a walk through with Empire after hiring a professional to come and clean the house. When the rep arrived I had my cleaning person there to fix all of the discrepancies on the spot. The Empire rep commented that “it’s not common practice to have a cleaning person at the walk through.” I also made the mistake of cutting the power prior to the walkthrough, which she pointed out to me ad nauseam. Her tone was unnecessarily condescending throughout the process. I was surprised that I got any of my deposit back considering how shady some property managers can be. Is Empire a shady business? Not at all from my experience. It would have been great if I could have gotten more slack considering I paid for an entire month and was there for less than half of it, and I was dealing with a lot between the relocation and the death of my brother. Property Managers are for the owner, not so much for the tenant. With all of that being said, if you MUST rent, I would STILL recommend Empire. The rest are vultures. Otherwise save your money and OWN your house.

Fantastic experience: Tony and Charlotte have managed my old house for me for the last several years, and I'm so grateful to have found them. They have been communicative and on-point with their recommendations. Their documentation is detailed and accurate, and they were proactive and up front with forms and information. I wish I had found them sooner. As of yesterday, they also successfully sold my house, and the process was very quick, well-handled, and painless even though I'm an entire continent away. I would absolutely recommend them to any friends and family, and I would use them again I hadn't just sold my house. Thank you both for all of your hard work.

Negative experience: My experience with Empire Property Management was horrible. Was fine with paying the $1790 security deposit because we were from out of state. I didn’t do a walk through but listed all the issues when we moved in. Heard horror stories of how apt managers try to find anything wrong with the apt to keep your security deposit, so I had them send me a list of their exit expectations when we chose not to renew our one year lease. The list was 2 pages and I had to hire a professional carpet cleaner, that had a truck mount only, the day before my exit inspection and provide the receipt. We cleaned the house better than we found it and even painted a wall, with the paint left in the garage that matched the color. Their list says this at the bottom: Within 30 days after returning the keys, you will be mailed an itemized list of expenses and the difference between the security deposit and repairs. After the inspection, they put, on their portal, that I was credited with the full amount of the deposit. I kept calling them to find out when would I be sent my refund and they kept telling me that they had 30 days to return it. I went to their office to try to get my deposit back and the manager claimed that they had to check for some wall damage that was listed and that he had to put that amount to close the account out. We had a contractor patch the holes and paint the wall and I mentioned that there couldn’t be any wall damage because we fixed it. The paint was drying and we couldn’t put 2 coats of paint on the wall. He gave me $1000 because I had an emergency and said he would send me the rest when he inspected it. After repeated calls and messages, I finally told the secretary that I was coming to the office to get the rest of my deposit because it had already been past 34 days. Mr. Brown notified me that he had to get the room painted and that his “painter” charged $350 to paint the bedroom, even though painters charge about $100 for a room that size. When I told him that we painted the wall with the leftover paint in the garage, he claimed that it wasn't the right color and he went with whatever his guy charged him. He knew I was very upset and asked if we were good now. I walked out to avoid an incident. Do not ever rent from these people because they are very unprofessional, will do anything to not pay your deposit back and they do not honor their agreements. Hoping to receive the itemized list in the mail, but I’m not holding my breath. I'd rather have my $350 back since I jumped thru all their hoops. Renters beware. H. Newsome

Fantastic experience: I highly recommend Carla Jackson at Empire Property Management Group LLC whether you are a renter or an owner! She is great! She answers questions quickly and with expertise. Although I haven't actually spoken to her, I just know she is kind and caring! Thank you for the seamless transaction!

Fantastic experience: My experience with Mr. Brown has been nothing but superb. My entire time having him as my property manager was top notch. I would recommend this company to anyone who’s looking. Thank you

Fantastic experience: Empire Property Management is highly professional and well run. Before working with them, we had another company managing our properties. Switching to Empire Property Management was like switching from night to day. Before, we would have to call multiple times every month to find out where the rent payments were. After we switched, we never had to worry about it; payments came in like clockwork. When we decided to sell the property, we retained Empire Property Management to handle the sale. This was tricky because we live out of state (and were even working out of the country, at the time). But, our realtor, Charlotte Brown, worked tirelessly to bring in prospective buyers, contact companies to clean and repair the property, and handle the closing, despite our difficult situation. I wholeheartedly endorse this company for anyone with real estate needs.

Fantastic experience: Best management group in Columbia. Their followup for issues is outstanding and reduces ownership headaches. Recommended.

Negative experience: Full of miss information. They use old credit model, which are out dated. Not professional either.

Negative experience: If I can give this company a "0" I would! This is by far the WORST COMPANY I have ever rent from! First of all when I first moved in the house in February of 2018, the water company came out to turn on the water and the yard flooded! They had to turn the water off so I had no water for 3 days with 5 month old baby! A couple days went by and the problem was fixed and the water was finally cut on. I went to wash clothes( which was with their washer, I haven't yet moved my own washer into the home) the house hall and living room flooded! And they tried to blame me for the damages and said I had to pay for it. 1 or two months went by and one day I went to open the cabinet that was under the sink and it was sunken in and MOLDY! My daughter is pregnant, and she has a 1 year old in the home with mold that wasn't treated just covered! I put in a maintenance request and the Browns sent out a maintenance man who cut wood and just covered up the mold and wet wood! Mind you, Mrs.Brown told me I was going to be responsible for paying these maintenance men, which I explained to her I don't own this home, I'm a renter which means I don't have to pay for damages that I haven't made purposely! The house has no air, the entire summer the home was hot! Which caused me to have EXTREMELY HIGH LIGHT BILLS ! Because the unit is "TOO" small for the home. And there is only one unit for this up and downstairs home That is 2,500 sq ft!! I just recently explained to the Browns that the floor in the kitchen is raising and coming up and they explained that it's "Floating Vinyl" and it's not glued down so it's going to come up! So these people think it's absolutely safe for the floor to rise up with a 1 year old child in the home!!!! I've had enough with these people so I put in my 60 day notice and told them I will not be renewing my lease! I've applied for another place whom are still awaiting a Rental Reference about my payment history from the Browns and THEY ARE REFUSING! To give a reference. Let's not forget the place I will be moving to have a waiting list, which I have been pushed back on because Empire Property Management REFUSES TO GIVE A RENTAL REFERENCE!! I have never been late paying my monthly rent and they have NEVER FILED AN EVICTION ON ME! So they are blatantly refusing! They can not make me stay in this home nor can they prevent me from moving so now I'm going to handle them legally! ***Update*** Now that the Browns Know I’m leaving and will not be renewing my lease. Which I gave them a written 60 day notice and will be leaving in February. I’ve recently signed on to the portal this company use, which I was told no to use and to “Disregard the portal” by Mrs.Brown and saw that they are just charging me “FEES” with no description. The fees are up to $781 with no explanation of why they are there. I’ve come to a conclusion that they ( Mr & Mrs Brown) are making up fees so they will not have to give me back my security deposit. I do not owe these people money, I have NEVER been late for rent, there home is in the same condition it was in before I moved in. So these fees are made up and some of them are even repairs that was made and they are trying to make me pay, I am a renter not the home owner so I am not responsible for fees that were not done purposely. This house had problems before I moved in and they ( Mr&Mrs Brown ) are trying to scam me out of money by blaming me for the damages that this house been had. I CAN NOT WAIT TO LEAVE IN FEBRUARY BY FAR THE WORST COMPANY IVE EVER RENTED FROM!!! Then lied about me being late for rent my rent was paid through RENT TRACK AND WASNT NEVER LATE!!! THE HOUSE I RENT IS UP FOR FORECLOSURE THIS IS BY FAR THE WORST COMPANY EVER SAYING I OWE FEES FOR THE HOUSE AFTER I LEFT I HAVE VIDEOS AND PICTURES!! And paper work from a few people that is handling my case!

Fantastic experience: Professional, compassionate, prompt service, trustworthy, honest, courteous, caring - and those are only a few of the many excellent qualities of Tony and Charlotte Brown and their staff. They offered to purchase space heaters for me late on a very cold night when the heater failed. I'm a long term renter. Landlords don't come any better. They are the best. I highly recommend, without reservation.

Fantastic experience: Empire Property Management maintains exceptional professionalism and reliability in their work, deserving of the highest degree of trust. They have consistently impressed over the past nearly 2 years of our working relationship ever since I entrusted them with the oversight of my home and prospective tenants. Exceptional communication, transparency, sincerity, attention to detail, reliability, accessibility, and integrity.

Fantastic experience: Empire and Tony were very helpful and outgoing in our process to lease. He met with us on a Sunday morning early and had answers to all of our questions, and I had many. We came from Michigan and Empire's property was as advertised. We had a very short window to look at properties and we were not disappointed. Very nice to our 4yr old daughter as well! Also Tony helped us view another property at the last minute, no questions asked. We feel Tony and Empire made us feel valued as out of towners and I would recommend their company to anyone.

Fantastic experience: Tony took our poorly performing property oversaw a rehab from a kitchen fire, and found us a tenant within 30 days. He has been a real pleasure to work with. I highly recommend him.

Positive experience: Very great company to work with! I'm military and out of state and I have not had to stress about not renting my home or having it ready for new tenants. Thank you for all you have done for me!

Negative experience: Theonis Brown called Air Waves heating & air to do some repair work for a rental property he manages. He had a lengthy discussion on the phone with my technician about the price of the repair after which he approved the repair. Our technician waited 45 minutes for Mr' Brown to arrive and did not charge extra for waiting or extended phone time. All repairs were completed as agreed at 9:30pm at night. Mr. Brown complained about the price we charged after the fact and told our technician that he was going to blast us on Google then gave us a 2-star review. This is after tying up over an hour and 15 minutes of our time of which we never charged him. I personally think this was very disrespectful of our business and our time. I would not hire or recommend this company to anyone.

Negative experience: No comment

Fantastic experience: We are a military family and moved here from Alaska. I started the process with Tony while we were still in Alaska. The process went very smoothly!! Once we arrived in South Carolina, we went out and looked at the house and there were some minor things that needed to be completed but were taken care of in a timely manner. We have recently moved into a house we had built! The process was seamless again when we moved out! I would recommended Tony with Empire to anyone looking for a rental or looking to rent their home! Friendly and quick to fix whatever needs fixing!!

Negative experience: My husband and I are currently looking for a home to rent and we saw a home at 3 Angus Rd. on last Monday night and thought that it would be a great fit for us, we've had an extremely hard time finding a house to make a home so my husband asked me to call the next morning to find out if the house was still available and to find out what the criteria is to rent with this company so I called the telephone number that was on Zillow and asked to speak with Mr. Tony Brown (the person's name who is on the site) and a lady stated, "this is Mrs. Brown what do you need?" So of course I was a little taken back because I'm under the impression that I'm contacting a realty company concerning renting a home not a unprofessional rude woman upset because a woman is calling for her husband.... so after getting over the initial shock.......I told her that I was calling concerning the house at 3 angus rd......she says ok what about it....i said well can you tell me about the phone .....she states it's 3 bdrm 2 ba.............I said ok.....then I asked what is the criteria to rent with your company............at that time she states if you went to the website you would see the criteria and then she hung up.... so then I called my husband and told him what happened......he hangs up the phone with me and called the same number I called and stated that she was very nice and helpful......... Let me just say that it's hard enough to find a nice home in Columbia but for me to utilize the contact information on the Zillow site and be disrespected is uncalled for. If I could post this without giving this company a star I would. Empire Property Management....Always keep it PROFESSIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fantastic experience: My experience with Empire Property Management has been excellent! Mr Brown walked me through the entire process from start to finish. I would definitely recommend their services!

Fantastic experience: Empire Property Management Company has been a tremendous help to me for several years. Their professionalism, communication, and desire to locate a home for all individuals has been astounding, and I would recommend their services to anyone relocating to the area. In addition, they are also knowledgeable, equip, and committed to managing all properties. I would also recommend Empire Property Management Company services to anyone departing the area. Very professional group of individuals and organize organization.

Negative experience: We are active duty military and were NOT pleased with the customer service of this management company. The house was listed BUT NOT in good condition to be shown. The property managers were not very friendly and gave us a "take it or leave it attitude". On top of a NON-REFUNDABLE, $60 per tenant application fee, the rental application process was excessive. They weren't forthcoming with a lot of information; felt like we were bothering them with our questions. It also seemed like we had to pry to get the info we needed. We give them 2 stars because we were able to enter the property at our convenience. That was a first for us and we liked that aspect. I'm sure Mr. And Ms. Brown may be nice people, but our experience was less than ideal. If you are military, think twice about using this company.

Negative experience: After reading the reviews and viewing a lovely property at 216 Oak Cove Dr., I was excited about renting from Mr. Brown at Empire Property Management. It is a small business owned by Mr. Brown and his wife, and I liked the idea of renting from a local property management group. Upon viewing the property, we asked if our small dog would be accepted. Mr. Brown told us yes (the ad on their website said no pets). I spoke with Mr. Brown approximately 2 weeks later to find out if the property was still available, and to confirm that a small dog wouldn't be a problem with the owner. Mr. Brown again told me that the dog was fine and the property was available. After paying $120 ($60 per person) to apply for the property, I thought it was odd that we did not hear back from Mr. Brown. I was able to contact him a few days later, and found out we were accepted. In a phone conversation, Mr. Brown shared that he had forgotten to ask the owner about our dog. We waited about a week-and after contacting Mr. Brown again he said the dog was fine. We told him we wanted the property. A few days later, Mr. Brown shared there had been damage to the house in a recent storm (tree down, privacy fence damaged, siding damaged) but he asked me to pick in a move in date and assured me the work would be done by then. I asked to view the property again before signing the lease, as when we viewed the property it was still occupied. I was told we couldn't view the property again unless we paid a $75 fee. A few days later in a phone conversation Mr. Brown told me the work at the house had been done. We waited, and after emailing him again he sent us the lease and deposit information. Luckily, before signing the lease and paying the deposit (plus additional $200 administration fee and $300 pet fee) we drove by the property to see that the work had not been completed-tree still down, privacy fence damaged, and siding missing from the house. At this point, after being lied to twice by Mr. Brown, we decided we could not rent from him. We are both hard working people with full time jobs and a baby on the way. Why Mr. Brown chose to mislead us twice I am unsure. I truly hope he treats his current tenants better than he treated us. We almost paid Empire Property Management $3,000 in rent/deposit/fees and signed a lease for a house with damage that we were told was fixed. Thank goodness we did not! If you are a prospective tenant, I would think long & hard before renting from this company!! As a side note, we have had rain since the damage to siding at 216 Oak Cove Dr. occurred. If you are interested in this property, I'd be careful of possible water damage inside the house. At the very least, expect a roach/bug problem from water that undoubtedly has been coming in the house over the last week.

Fantastic experience: Tony's expertise and professionalism make it easy to work with him. His market research ensures maximum profit on each property. He has a real passion for the business and I would recommend Empire Property Management to anyone looking for a property management company.

Fantastic experience: My wife and I recently signed up with Empire Property Management and so far the service has been outstanding. Tony is responsive, responsible and communicates often and with the right level of detail. He is proactive and motivated, and he demonstrated very quickly that he is looking out for our interests. We trust his judgment, and we look forward to a long relationship with Tony and Empire Property Management.

Fantastic experience: Absolute professionals! Very thoro and helpful. Had 2 emergency situations during Christmas, manager not only sent services to assist but came to the house as well. Would use Empire Property Management Group again in the future over any other.

Fantastic experience: I am a new renter and the process to move in was easy and fast. I have to admit I was a little challenged accessing and responding via the internet, but Mr. Brown was most helpful and very patient. From the time that I viewed the property to the date I signed the lease and moved in took a lot less time than I expected. Mr Brown carefully explained the rental process and was quick to respond to my questions, which made the entire process a stress-free, pleasurable experience. Mr. Tony Brown and Empire Property Management Group are 5-Stars in my book!

Fantastic experience: My experience with Empire Property Management has been wonderful. I've have been with them since 2008. They manage two of my rental properties. I have no worries, I am stress free, and well informed when something happens regarding my properties on leases, issues, and tenants. They are make my life at ease. They are proactive, proficient, and professionals. Empire Property Management are great at what they do. I recommend them to my friends, colleagues,and anyone that needs a home for rent or wants to rent their home.