Freeman Estates - Kingaroy

Honestly, one of the biggest nightmares I have ever experienced with a real estate agency. The most embarrassing part is that this company presents itself as a good family business, but our experience was anything but decent. They sent us a water bill saying we had used 330KL in 11 weeks. That is 330,000L of water. The home had no dishwasher, no pool and nothing that could reasonably explain that usage. We disputed the $480 bill and, miraculously, it was reduced by around $400. They then tried to charge us $900 to fix a tile they claimed was damaged, when we believed it was simply poorly cleaned by the bond cleaners. I disputed the claim and refused to pay that amount for one tile. Again, the amount being claimed was subsequently reduced to less than half of what they originally asked for. Tayla Cullen is one of the most rude, picky and unprofessional property managers I have EVER dealt with. I have lived in Melbourne, South Australia and Queensland and have never experienced someone who made renting so difficult. We lived in the property for only 11 weeks and received 14 entry notices. The owners were constantly arranging things at the property, including quotes to level the yard, replant grass, fill small nail holes, remove bamboo screening that provided privacy to our family and replace a light shade. The same company came back four times with the wrong-sized light shade and eventually it was never fixed. Once we realised the owners appeared to be planning to move back into the property at the end of our lease, and that we weren't going to get the peace and privacy we expected, we decided to break the lease and move back to Brisbane. We requested that the break-lease costs be waived due to the constant disruption. After the property remained advertised for four weeks and we pointed out that other comparable properties had already leased, we were eventually told the owners were moving back in and the break-lease costs were waived. Communication was another nightmare. Tayla would sometimes refuse to respond for days and then reply at 4:40pm on a Friday, 20 minutes before the office closed. We found this incredibly frustrating. There was also an issue with our front door. The entry report showed the door closed and we were later told we had caused damage to the door frame. My sister had photos on her phone showing the damage was already there on the day we moved in. Take photos of EVERYTHING. Open every door, drawer and cupboard. Inspections were also hours long and resulted in massive lists of nitpicking. One inspection occurred only six weeks after we moved in, when no one was home for most of the time. We were asked to address things such as a weed near the tank, two weeds near the main bedroom window, cars parked on the grass and even two baby chicks outside that weren't ours, which apparently required a pet request. Long story short, I would absolutely not rent through this agency again. The entire experience was exhausting and unnecessarily stressful. If you're renting in Queensland, my advice based on our experience: 1. Apply for your bond as soon as you are entitled to. Understand the RTA process and don't simply assume the agent's claims are correct. 2. Contact QSTARS. They provide free tenancy advice to Queensland renters and can help you understand your rights. 3. Take as many photos and videos as possible. Be extremely thorough with your entry report. Document everything. 4. Ask for supporting invoices and evidence for bond claims. Don't just accept a quote or an amount because the agent says you owe it. 5. Check your water bills carefully. Make sure the dates and usage actually relate to your tenancy and ask for supporting documentation if something doesn't look right. Honestly, just don't rent with these people if you can avoid it. It wasn't worth the stress or money for us. We have had much better experiences elsewhere, and based on our experience, Raine & Horne were far nicer and treated us like human beings.

Taleah ThompsonGoogle

Is there a zero or negative star option for this company? Where do I even start? You can’t pay rent with cash or direct deposit. Instead, you’re forced to use a third party app that charges you a fee every single time you pay your own rent. Legal tender isn’t accepted. Most tenants don’t really have a choice or a voice. If you push back, nothing happens. If you don’t agree to their terms upfront, you can forget about getting a rental through them. Inspections are just as frustrating. The way they treat tenants is disrespectful, and things don’t get fixed unless you go through their maintenance portal, which is a mess to deal with. Try calling them as a tenant and you’ll struggle to get through. Pick the option for property owners and suddenly they answer quickly. That says a lot. Overall, it’s a poor experience. A lot of tenants stay quiet because they’re worried about losing their home, and there have been times where leases aren’t renewed if you’re seen as “difficult.” Honestly, it’s surprising this hasn’t attracted more attention from the ombudsman. If your situation is anything like ours, where we were searching for a place in Kingaroy for over four months and felt we had no option but to go with this agency, then good luck, you’ll need it. Document everything the moment you move in. Go through the property carefully and take clear, high-quality photos of every detail. They are quick to treat normal wear and tear as damage. You’ll also be pushed to use DocuSign, and in our case, the move-in date didn’t match what was originally advertised date online which meant we were hit with rent 2 weeks earlier than intended, again with a "take it or leave it, as we have other applicants willing to take the house if you don't" kind harrassment.

A KharidiGoogle

Worst experience. No point of discussing anything with the property manager. Gave me many bills when I left including huge water bill and no active actions from neither or owner's side. They rent extremely bad condition properties on rent and take advantage of people who need houses. Dirty business. They don't even deserve 1 start.

Pallavi SinghGoogle