Opitz Management Inc - Madison, Wisconsin

Rachel Bauer

STAY AWAY from this management company! I had hopes that despite their terrible reviews on Google that they were not all that bad. I applied for a short-term sublet in person and was told by the office person taking the application that because I am self-employed I could submit proof of income with bank statements, which I did. I immediately got an email stating that I could not use bank statement and had to submit the two most current years of tax returns. I called them to get some clarity on what I could do to show proof of income. She immediately started off in an escalated fashion that she couldn't use what I submitted and I didn't have the income. I tried to get clarity on why she was making that accusation when the statement show clearly over 10x the monthly income required for the rental. When I pointed out this fact, she than very irritability pivoted and said, "Well that is joint account - I can't use that." After several attempts to ask her to help me, I gave up. I withdrew my application immediately and I would never consider renting from this company. I understand that the vacancy rate in Madison is very low and they are not desperate for people to rent. There is just no reason for a company to ever treat someone like this. Opitz Management has been around a long time and perhaps they just feel they can treat anyone however they wish. That is a tragedy.

Anna Albert

If you’re considering renting from Opitz Management, I urge you to reconsider. This is an extremely unprofessional company. They deduct money from your security deposit and seem to vanish off the face of the earth when you request an explanation for the money you owe on “late rent fees”. The office manager, Jackie, plays the clueless victim role and is quick to rush you off the phone or won’t reply to simple emails. Konrad Opitz is also conveniently out of the office and nowhere to be found when you need to get in touch with him. They are still in the 1980s with their book keeping system and refuse to provide you with bills/paperwork stating why you’re being charged what you’re being charged. There’s absolutely no communication between the staff and no one ever seems to know what’s going on. I’ve never dealt with a more disorganized, unprofessional company in my entire life. They also refuse to fix serious problems that are ongoing such as: the heat going out in the winter, not providing adequate lighting outside for safety reasons at night, refusing to put locks on the outside building door until something dangerous happened, ignoring basic building code issues, etc.If I could give them a 0 out of 5 stars, I would. Sadly, this review alone won’t provide justice to the many tenants who have been screwed over by Opitz Management, including myself. If you’re reading this, or any of the other dozen reviews about Opitz Management, take it as a sign to rent from someone else.

Sincerely,

An unhappy tenant

Connor Brooks

Overall, the worst company we’ve ever dealt with. Where to start? The bedbug infestation that they ignored and let spread for at least 6 months before begrudgingly agreeing to treat the building-wide problem, consistently “losing checks in the mail” (happened at least 3 times to us, do you think they offered to pay us a late fee after withholding our security deposit for 4 months without cause?). Jacky woodruff must be absolutely incompetent at her most basic job. They also won’t inform you of a late fee until check-out so it’s just your word against there’s because they only accept paper check payments. Other reviews have mentioned malice tactics of charging everyone for cleaning regardless of the state of the apartment. We also had over $400 in charges for things that did not need to be repaired in the first place but would have taken a handyman 20 minutes anyways. They know they have all the power and the tenants have none and they will absolutely exploit that. As for the apartment itself, 509 State is also a dump. The ceiling is caving in, the floorboards are so uneven you could lose a toe, weak spots all over the floors from years of negligence, rusty sinks and bathtub, no laundry or storage. honestly a pretty terrible experience all around.

Cameron Carlson

Of all the terrible property management companies in Madison, this one takes the cake.

Refuses to cooperate when confronted about their exorbitant cleaning fee they took out of the security deposit. They will blatantly gaslight you, ignore you, and be rude when confronted with the truth. They hire cleaning services to do deep cleans of the apartments, regardless of the state of the apartment, and then give the tenants the bill. I've provided proof that they are breaking the law in this regard, and they still don't respond.

Casey Opitz deliberately evades calls, lies about when he will be in the office, and is very disagreeable whenever confronted about it. There is no communication between office staff, and they pawn you off to each other since apparently nobody has answers to basic questions, or because they don't want to deal with you.

Noah Brown

Reasons to never live at Gargano Properties / 509 State St / rent with Opitz Management:
1. The building had a severe BED BUG INFESTATION. It had been there for 2.5+ years, and management knew and actively hid the fact from tenants. Given Opitz’s track record of sweeping problems under the rug, it’s likely that the problem still isn’t completely gone. The owners gaslit each apartment in the building into thinking that it was each tenant’s fault, intimidated them from speaking with one another, and refused to take responsibility and hire Orkin until litigation was threatened.
2. Old, terrible apartments: moldy crowning and baseboards; carpets come pre-stained with cat urine; shower pressure worse than a water fountain; hissing and knocking radiators that never made it a winter without breaking for a full week; thin walls and floors—not only will you hear your neighbor’s music, you’ll know when they run their microwave or take a shower or call their parents, god help you if they play the drums.
3. No laundry. Have fun dragging your laundry to the only laundromat downtown on Basset St. Some of your clothes will be stolen but that’s the price you pay for living at 509 State St.
4. Terrible management (except for maintenance)—Unresponsive, unhelpful, still requires rent payments by check even though it’s the 21st century.
5. Liars about safety deposit. They tried to charge our neighbors for damage from an AC unit which they never owned--the damage was actually from a leaky radiator which Opitz had to come fix. Keep documentation of all repairs b/c it seems like they won't hesitate to take advantage you.

So why did I rent with Gargano?
• Rent was $585 with ALL utilities included (minus internet). If they ask any more than that you’re getting ripped off.

Kathy Utley

My partner and I love living in an Opitz managed apartment building. We live in a clean, quiet and affordable apartment. We have a heated pool that is clean and we love it. The grounds are kept beautiful throughout all seasons and the management team are wonderful to work with. Whenever we have had an issue, it has been addressed immediately. We are very happy with Opitz and would recommend them to anyone looking for an apartment or someone to manage their apartments.

Richard Roe

This is the third time I’ve written a review about this company. It keeps getting deleted. But...god help you if you’re renting one of their properties and need to speak with them about anything at their collection of horrible properties. You’ll be threatened, victim-blamed, and most likely discriminated against if you’re a woman or a minority. Their policy is to spend as little money as possible on their properties and their properties include several places that have been reported on in the Madison press for being unsafe or against code. Questions and complaints are either ignored or aggressively (and wrongly) reminded of lease terms. If you do actually get to speak with anyone, woe be unto you if you have to speak with Jackie the dragon lady. She’s a real treat. Seriously, if you’re looking to rent a place in Madison and see that it’s managed by Opitz, run away. If you’re renting here and have a problem you may as well just contact the Tenant Resource Center and/or a lawyer because that’s the only way you’ll ever have any sort of positive outcome in your favor. See my review of the “509 Apartments” for a taste of what their properties are like.

Matthew Viney

I planned on living at Chapel Hill Apartments; however, the apartment was filled shortly after I paid the $100 earnest money via money order. (There is no online portal - this management company is stuck in the 20th century). Never received my earnest money payment and the representative ghosted me. Terrible service and sketchy at best management company