Strano & Associates

If only I could give zero stars. Or maybe negative stars! RENTERS BEWARE.
Let’s start off by saying that I rented a property from Strano for about two years. I always had my rent paid on time. It was auto deducted from my account (even after my lease expired!). While I lived there, the house had some issues. Some were taken care of while others were ignored each time I brought them up. The shed leaked, the fence was falling over, the roof was falling apart, etc but no one did anything about it while I lived there. For the last 3 months of my lease they did prospective tenant walkthroughs, so imagine your living space being invaded almost daily for three solid months. I was constantly cleaning because people were tracking dirt inside. I was constantly in that headspace that everyone was bringing germs in. And the reality was even worse. One of the families that came to view the house dropped and broke a glass bottle in the driveway and said nothing. Made for a good time later. When we did finally move out, I was given a sheet that had all their «move out requirements». It said to hire professional cleaners in order to get my deposit back. So I did. it cost $ 505 and I still didn’t get my deposit back. I was actually BILLED $ 990 for «landscaping» like someone else here on Unilocal.The funny thing is, I trimmed and mowed everything the day our lease ended. The landscaper’s bill was almost three weeks later. So they waited 3 weeks and decided it was my obligation to pay these landscapers. They auto deducted rent from my account and refunded me the difference as if I was getting my deposit back. Be very wary of Strano. They’re basically the devil in disguise. I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone. Stay far, far away.

Are you a same sex couple that wants to rent in the Belleville area? Don’t bother with this company. First they denied us because they said I had a felony conviction from 11 years ago… Which I don’t. A call to Renee revealed that they ran someone with a sort of similar name to mine but rather than apologize she accused me of changing my name and of Lying about never having lived in that area… she managed to come up with more untrue things that we weren’t given a chance to refute with documentation. so that leaves one reason why they won’t allow us to have a home, other than that they are asses.

Strano is very difficult to work with and suffers from internal miscommunication. We were charged $ 350 from our deposit for «landscaping.» All landscaping was performed, according to the lease, prior to our departure from the property. A Strano representative verbally informed us during our walk through that the yard looked fine and nothing further needed to be done. Considering that we moved out towards the end of the summer, and the inspection took place nearly a week after we moved out, it is natural that some of the plants became overgrown and needed to be trimmed. The yard is tiny and the charge is nothing short of excessive. My next step is to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I encourage anyone else with difficulties to do the same.

We have so many issues with this company. Their communication and follow up is so terrible. I am so disappointed in their services we will never rent from them again. In the past 5 appointments they have made with us they have been at least half hour late each time. I have been asking for maintenance repairs for over a month now. I finally got an appointment after 1 email and 5 different phone calls. In the lease it states within 48 hours you will have an appointment. Over a month is very extreme. They had our bank account information so they automatically withdrew our rent without our consent. This made our account overdrawn. Before we moved in to our home there were several repairs that needed done but they left them unrepaired. They even ackowledged that they knew they needed repaired. I have brought my issues to light with them only to continue to have issues. I hope this hopes someone else in the future. Im sure I Wil have many more issues in my future considering my 2 year lease. I hope not though.

For over five years, I have been using Strano to manage a rental home that I own with a former spouse, at any given time he or I live 12 hours or more away from the rental, making repairs and routine maintenance virtually impossible. With Strano we get timely notification of necessary repairs and do our best to make quick decisions to make for quick repairs in order to prevent headaches for our tenants. There have been a lot of ups and downs in owning a rental property, especially with an ex and being several states away from the property but in my experience Strano does their best to communicate with us both to give our tenants the best possible renting experience. I feel as though some of these reviews are written by disgruntled people, as a homeowner, there is no way I would allow maintenance problems to continue for three years as one person suggested happend to him. Please consider, Strano is not the only chef in the kitchen, they are truly a middle man between tenants and homeowners, some homeowners make the entire process more difficult than it has to be.

I’ve been renting my entire adult life, and I have to sway I have NEVER had an experience as awful as I have had with Strano. I don’t know where to begin with this story, so I will sum it up into a list of events.
A few weeks after move in our toilet stopped working, they came and fixed it. Two days later, it still wasn’t working and the house smelt like sewage (I was pregnant at the time and it was making me very sick). Apparently the plumbing was improperly done and sewage was seeping under the house. After 4 months of trial and error with their plumbers, the problem was finally solved. Oh did I mention I had to repeatedly call them to get them to come out? Oh and the sewage backed up into the bath tub, all over the bathroom floor and WE had to clean it. (Again, while I was pregnant. Nothing like a good olé biohazard to get into my system).
Second issue, after all the plumbing was fixed they had destroyed the cover for the crawl space under the house. meaning all sorts of animals were able to get under it and well it just looked awful. we repeatedly called and had maintenance requests made. you know when they finally decided to fix it? 2 weeks before move out because people were viewing the house.
Third, they have been sending large groups of people to come view the house that stay between 30 minutes and an hour… saying they will be there at 9 and showing up 45 minutes early. I have a newborn, schedules are important, each time they came way earlier then expected and I would have to wrangle him calm and then answer all of the future tenants questions, as if it was MY job to show these people the house.
Fourth, my sons bedroom was 95 degrees, so I called and asked them to come look at the AC…5 days later they send someone out and he replaces the brand new filter and charges them $ 800 to do so. then they send me a portion of the bill saying it was our job to replace the filter… even though we had replaced it and the AC repair man said the one we had in there was «too good» of as filter. When I explained that I was told they’d look into it and haven’t heard back.
and fifth, today. Now this one is partially my fault because I didn’t go through my lease with a fine tooth comb. but apparently in the lease it states that when you move out you have to pay for a professional carpet cleaner and send them the receipt of purchase… again my fault for not picking out that ridiculous sentence. So I asked if I could use a steamer and do it myself. When they called me back and said it wasn’t typically handled that way I let the poor woman who called have a piece of mind. it was specifically her fault that we have had such an awful experience, but I was just done. How could a company treat people so awfully, let them live in a biohazardous health code violation of a house for months, ignore their calls, and send them nonsense bills just o pull every dime out of them.
Well they’ve decided that they are keeping our deposit since we wont be paying the hundreds of dollars to get a professionally to clean the carpets, and we wont be paying for a bill for the AC that isn’t our responsibility.
Please don’t rent through these rude, horrible people… if you ever have an issue they will just hang up on you or ignore your requests and take every penny they can.

We are two of Strano’s most loyal and happy tenants. We «talk you guys up» every chance we get.
More than anything, we both agree that Strano is the best «landlord» we have ever had. We moved in and found a new garage door opener installed, had a home inspection done by Angie and almost immediately had repairs that were found, (large holes covered in the living room wall) and immediately taken care of. The wall in the guest bedroom has been repainted, the closets’ doors now function, the bathtub was resurfaced and the plumber repaired the tub valve, the hole in the siding repaired, a storm door was installed, the ceiling fan in Jenelle’s studio works in all positions, and we were told that the master shower was going to have a new glass door installed. Thanks for the great responses.

I just wanted to add my positive review. We rented from Strano for over 2 years, we never had any issues when things needed to be done, and the office was always helpful. Everything that happened was consistent with what we agreed upon when we signed our lease. I heard HORROR stories about move out and deposit returns. Yes they were very thorough on the inspection (if you were renting out your home you would want them to be thorough too). We received our entire security deposit and pet deposit after move out, why because we took care of our rental property. There were of course minor things and those were considered general wear and tear by the company. In our experience they were not unfair or unreasonable. If the military ever brings us back to the area I would rent from them again.

Absolutely terrible. This company has let consistent maintenance problems run on for three years at the property that I rent. The people that they have called to fix these issues in the past have done nothing close to that. This year specifically, they decided to increase my rent due to «repairs, maintenance, and cost of living» increases. When we refused to sign the lease with the price increase, they charged it to our accounts anyways! These people are frauds and deserve to be shut down. My wife and I have personally been dealing with Renee, who has absolutely no idea how to speak to a would-​be otherwise loyal customer. We will be looking for a new home to purchase ourselves immediately. It was already the plan, but we are ready to buy now just to get away from these awful people. STAY AWAY!

This is the first review I have ever written. I would give Strano less than a star if that was possible. They have been terrible! Linda and Renee are simply awful people who only care about taking your money. Honestly I don’t know how they sleep at night. I trusted them to look after my property and what I got was a group who wouldn’t check in on my tenants when they were well aware they were violating the lease. There is zero communication from them unless they are trying to get more money out of you. As a result of their negligence, my home was returned to me with almost 50k in damage. Strano contracts with companies who take your money and possibly give them a kickback. My garage door was damaged and they sent one of the companies that likely pays them a portion of what they collect to do an estimate. This company quoted me almost 2k for a new door. I called Overhead Door and they replaced the door for $ 1150. How can the same door cost so much more at one place? Bottom line, STAY AWAY!!! You would be better using another management company or even letting your house sit vacant then trust Strano to manage your property!

Beware! I cant believe how unethical Linda and the Strano team are. I have rented in the Ofallon IL area since 2008, two Strano rentals and both were a bad experience.
I had the unique experience of being in contact with the homeowner while living in the first rental. I was able to see how dissatisfied the homeowner was with repairs done to the home from storm damage and I was aware of the outrageous charges for the work. Strano would hire two unskilled laborers that could barely use a tape measure and charge the homeowner as if they hired a reputable establish home repair company. I eventually did repairs for the homeowner and he paid me directly instead of using Strano. I was charged $ 300 upon move out for «yard work». I actually had the landscaping looking better than when I moved in. I disputed the charge and requested an itemized receipt. I receive a generic receipt that stated «yard work, mulch», I spent $ 60 on mulch 1 week before move out.
The second house was just as bad, days of waiting for response to a severe water heater leak. I was charged for repairing a piece of aluminum fascia that fell off in a storm! The refrigerator stopped working, it took three days to get a new one and it was half the size, i mean like an apartment size fridge for a 4 bedroom home. The house was filthy when I moved in, overflowing garbage cans out back that racoons got into. Dirty cabinets, broken cabinet drawers, spider webs, dirty windows. I requested another cleaning and they basically came back and emptied the garbage cans and sprayed air freshener. There were many more problems.
Just be warned, document everything! video the property inside and out before move in and after move out, they will charge for problems that existed before you moved in. The people in the office that manage the properties are useless and rude. I would NOT recommend STRANO to anyone! There are much better options in the OFallon area. In the 5 years I have been in OFallon, I have not found one person that had a good experience with STRANO.

STAY AWAY!!! If you are looking to give away your money then go ahead and rent from Linda Lindner @ Strano! This is the biggest RIP off company anyone could buy or rent from!!! Make sure if you do go through them to hire a lawyer from the start and make sure to Keep track of everything then you will have all your ducks in a row when you go to court. They are out to get everyone’s money!!! BEWARE:)

STAY AWAY. If you are looking for a property manager who will do whatever it takes to take your money, call Linda and the Strano team. Just be aware, if you have to rent through Strano, hire a good lawyer from the start and a private investigator who can completely document your new house.
Here is the short of it… Strano will not fix anything unless you call them, and then they will make every attempt to make you pay for the repairs. You will get surprise visits from them to do a walk-​thru and promise you everything under the sun… but alas, nothing will be done.
When it comes time to move out, give yourself plenty of time. Strano will forget they scheduled a move out. Oh yeah, the cleaning bill will be close to $ 500 and if you use anyone other than the recommended cleaner, you will be on the hook for a re-​clean, which you will probably be pressured into. We used the «recommended» cleaner and still had pressure to fix broken items that the cleaning crew broke. During the move out walk thru, you will be told everything looks good and you’re good to go. After they hold your deposit for the next month, expect to get a bill for your deposit if not for double the amount.
Take aways from above: Hire a good lawyer when you start the process. Get a PI or someone else who can extensively inventory the entire house. Every scratch, nick, etc. NO JOKE, IT IS THAT BAD. Then fully expect to lose your deposit.
There are other companies that rent homes, go find them and avoid Strano.

Back in 2010, I moved to the Scott AFB, IL area. I originally was going to purchase a house with a realtor from Strano, but found out that they have a «Property Management» section managed by Linda Linder. I was not sure if I wanted to purchase a home yet until I knew the area, and called for a few rental property viewings. I will give them credit; they did tell me to drive by the houses before calling to see it in the daytime and at night. I found a house near the base, called them, looked at it, and went to sign the lease. I did negotiate a better price for a 3-​year lease; big mistake.
I was kind of suspicious about this lease; there were things I’ve never seen… I have rented apartments in Germany and Charleston, SC prior to this. They want you to pay for any damage $ 50 or less; no matter what. They also provided me with a damage inspection report to fill out; a tip is to make sure both parties sign this. They do not have a part to sign on acknowledging receipt; months later, the base legal office told me I should have had them acknowledge receipt. They want you to return the residence in near untouched conditions when received dirty. I will go over all the issues I had to battle with Strano with many registered letters, many phone calls, and e-​mails sent to make them do their job.
–When I moved in, I wrote up the dripping faucet in the second bathroom. I called Strano, and they sent someone in a van out to the house. The faucet was fixed, and the dripping stopped. A few weeks later to my surprise, they sent me a had written bill in the mail for $ 49. That is very suspicious & it was previous damage prior to moving in. There were many unnecessary bills.
–I reported the back sliding door because they obviously did not look at the damage report upon me moving in. I wrote up on the damage form that I could barely open the rear sliding door; this is the only backyard exit. The guy looked at it and WD-40’d it. For a while it worked. I received a bill for about $ 35. I was very disturbed that they never look at the damage reports prior to mailing bills out expecting the customers to repair stuff that should have been done before they moved in… all this was obvious damage upon move-​in. The house was built around 1991. I spoke to Linda, and I told her the office needs to do their job and read those reports or when their customers inform them about the write up before mailing bills out.
–This next one took place around Thanksgiving in 2010, & was the 1^st yr in the house. The water heater eventually aged and boiled over during winter. In the storage room in the garage, there was rust spots coming up from the water heater, and it looked like the water heater just started to break down due to age. I called the emergency number immediately, & Linda answered the phone on Saturday. She assured me someone would be sent the next day to help me turn the water off to the water heater. No one came. I called back and left a message on the voicemail. I told her there is only one valve, and argued with me that it was there while on the phone. I told her the walls were turning orange from the rust, and asked me to wipe them up with my own towels. I asked her if I would be reimbursed for my towels, and she said no. I told her, she needs to send someone out now, and I have been without hot water for almost 3 days now. She told me to boil water if I wanted to bathe. I replied and said that would take forever to get enough hot water to bathe in, and that it would be cold by the time I do get enough. She told said to me, «You can take a shower at your neighbor’s house or at the gym.» I said, «First, I don’t know my neighbor doesn’t try to talk to me (had financial issues, and kicked out of his house), and are you going to buy me a gym membership? You need to give me a hotel room if I can’t have warm or hot water in the winter; it’s your responsibility as a management company.» She replied, «We are not responsible for you not having hot water.» I could not believe she said that to a customer, but theses are all accurate quotes. After about 5 days, they finally sent someone to install a hot water heater. I had to take ice cold showers for that long. I almost tried contacting the actual owner because of Strano’s neglect of the tenant and house after many attempts of telling them.
–Over the first year, I argued about the smoke detectors not working. Strano told me to «Call the fire department to have them inspected» a couple of times until I sent letter with the addendum reporting mine & their responsibilities; they’re replaced now.
If you want to avoid a 1 – 3 year nightmare like many others and I have experienced, do not use Strano Property Management. I’m not sure if Ms. Linder is overwhelmed, but she needs to take a better look at her Property Management section. Ultimately she’s responsible for all the tenant’s basic living conditions, and she needs to take the job seriously or find a new one.

Our experience with Strano Property Management was terrible and I would not recommend renting a house from them. The house we rented was dirty when we moved in and infested with brown recluse spiders. This is just a FEW of the problems we experienced.
If you are new to the area and looking to rent instead of buy a house because you will not be living here for more than a few years, I highly recommend you are extremely careful about your decision. If you are military, definitely get a house on base. If that’s not an option, definitely shop around.
If you do decide to rent a house through Strano, here is my advice:
1. Ask a lot of questions before renting and check the house out very thoroughly. Don’t expect pictures online to be an accurate representation of the house.
2. Be very thorough when you first move in and inspect the entire house carefully. Write down every single detail that is wrong or dirty in any area of the house. Take pictures and save your own copy in a file. (The house we rented was dirty when we moved in and practically received white glove inspection when we moved out.)
3. Send an email as well as call when there is an issue with the house. Take pictures also. Save the email so that later, should there be no response and repair work is not done, you can show that you did alert them to the problem.
4. When maintenance is requested, expect to wait as long as 2 weeks and possibly even more than a month for it to be done.
5. Be prepared for maintenance charges or for a bill to be added to your monthly rent after maintenance is done.
*I cannot emphasize this enough, be very careful when renting a house in this area!

if you’re buying or selling — go through Strano and ask for Dorothy Timmons. Holy moley — we’re the pickiest people ever and Dorothy is a true SAINT to deal with us… and she was always very patient. Helpful, knowledgeable, patient, honest … would definitely recommend.