Kelemen Real Estate

Henry and Dolores Kelemen of Kelemen Real Estate are two of the most outstanding real estate agents I have ever worked with. Their skill and expertise have saved me countless headaches and problems over the years. Every time I worked with them — on a purchase, sale or lease — they carefully guided me each step of the way with knowledge and professionalism. They have also always worked hard to get me the best deal — whether I was the buyer or the seller. Their willingness to go above and beyond to help their clients far surpasses what any real estate company does in this day and age. Dolores and Henry are fair, honest, and ethical, and unlike many other real-​estate agents, their concern about meeting their clients’ needs is first and foremost on their agenda. For years, they have been the #1 sellers in Century City and there is a good reason for this: They are terrific! Dolores & Henry Kelemen are not only extremely competent and trustworthy professionals; they are caring, wonderful and authentic human beings.

This is one of the best Real Estate Co to deal with in Century City, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica etc… The knowledge and integrity Hank and Dolores posses is beyond measure. Very honest, they will always be upfront with you and tell you everything as it is… We have been working with Hank and Dolores for all our real estate needs for more than 20 years… we referred many friends and relaties to Kelemen Real Estate and everyone was always happy and satisfied…

I am amazed by the knowledge and integrity of the Kelemens, Henry and Dolores, and how hard they work, for you!
I have known them as well as used them for years and I cannot say one negative thing about them.
I am shocked by some of the reviews I am reading and can’t imagine that anyone thinks it is ok to be so small and use the Internet to bash a business like this. Their years in business, their integrity, and their amazing track record is all one needs to consider when deciding who to use.
It must be very difficult and quite impractical to be an absentee landlord and expect others to do everything for you when you live so out of reach of your property. This burdens the HOA and realtors who are expected to do everything for you. Blame is very easy, own your own responsibility and avoid this.
The Kelemens are especially knowledgeable on Century City and the condominium market here. So, if you are a responsible owner who takes pride in your investment and are willing to listen to the advice of the Kelemens, you will not make a mistake choosing them for your real estate needs.
I can say if you are looking to rent or sell and are not willing to do so by following the law, their advice, and with integrity, then move on, as this is not their way of doing business.
You will notice that I rarely give a negative review and use my time wisely trying to help businesses, rather than hurt them.

I generally don’t like to write negative reviews (see my other reviews) but I would be remiss if I did not share my experience of working with this brokerage. If I can help one other landlord — or seller/​buyer/​tenant, for that matter — make an informed decision, then this review has served its purpose.
Let me start by saying that this broker is unlawfully holding onto my keys with the specific intention of denying me access to my unit, and the opportunity to lease the unit. He states he will release them when I pay his «earned commission» though no lease was signed, and the listing agreement between us cancelled. Regardless, my keys are held hostage. Are these the actions of an ethical and law-​abiding professional?
I engaged this brokerage to help lease my Century City condo. Four months into the engagement (and two — wholly unsuitable — prospects later), I had to cancel the listing agreement on grounds of Henry’s:
1. Breach of fiduciary duty of utmost care, integrity, honesty and loyalty.
a. Henry took it upon himself to make secret and unauthorized agreements with the prior tenant and prospective tenant, against my instructions. When the prospective tenant could not follow through on the lease (see point 2 below), my unit was left with the unwanted furniture from the old tenant.
b. Prior to entering into the Listing Agreement Henry represented to me that his commission would be 6% of the gross rent for the first year only. He later interprets the Listing Agreement differently and claims commission is 6% of entire lease term. This is relevant in context — he negotiated a two-​year lease at below Listing Price, thereby maximizing his commission but minimizing monthly rent due to me. I rejected this deal and suggested a one-​year term with an option to extend, which he would not put to the tenant — you can do the math.
c. I told Henry, in writing and in no uncertain terms, that «I will cover the usual property management functions of the landlord, as defined by the California Department of Consumer Affairs.» This did not suit Henry’s coffers, so he unrelentingly pressured me to hire his firm’s Property Manager to manage the unit. In doing so, he breached his duty of loyalty towards me several times by highlighting to prospective tenants that there was no professional property manager. He also included in a lease addendum in caps «LANDLORD IS MANAGING THE UNIT», against my explicit instructions. This served the tenant’s interest at best, and his own interest at worst — it certainly did not serve my interests.
2. Breach of express covenant to exercise reasonable effort and due diligence
Henry failed to exercise due diligence in vetting and presenting a prospective tenant who failed to come through on the lease at the last minute. First, he misrepresented to me that the prospective tenant had provided her «green card», when in fact she provided no such thing. He did not provide photo ID of the prospective tenant (which I specifically requested, but he ignored). In fact, no attempt was made to verify the identity of the prospective tenant in any way. There was no credit report, no background report, no vetting, nothing. It therefore should have been no surprise when the lease fell through when the prospective tenant could not re-​enter the US. This would all have been avoided if he had just performed due diligence, like a realtor acting for a landlord is supposed to.
3. Breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing
On account of the above breaches, I cancelled the Listing Agreement, which Henry agreed to. However, he did not remove his MLS listing and refused to return my keys, making it impossible for anyone else to list or show my condo. He still holds my keys hostage. He stated that he would only release them when I paid him his «earned commission» though no lease was ever signed, and the Listing Agreement was cancelled! He continues to hold my keys.
You can decide for yourself whether this brokerage has competent, much less lawful and ethical, business practices.
I myself have submitted complaints to the California Bureau of Real Estate and the Better Business Bureau.