I’d like to share my recent experience with American Homes 4 Rent after noticing a slew of negative reviews about them. Honestly, I’m baffled by the poor reputation of this company! Numerous sources—both online and offline—cautioned against renting from them. Last year, due to time constraints after a previous option fell through, I quickly visited a property managed by AMH. Given the reviews I read, I anticipated the worst, but I was pleasantly surprised. The home was charming, tidy, and exceptionally well-maintained compared to similar properties in the area, boasting a beautifully landscaped yard and a lovely view of the lake at a decent price.
After some deliberation, we reached out to them. The representative we spoke with was exceedingly friendly and fluent in English, which I can’t say for many other rental companies. Her assistance was invaluable, and we could easily contact her directly during business hours. We decided to proceed with the leasing process.
Setting everything up was a breeze, and we signed the lease on the same day as our tour. One week later, we moved in without any hassles. Throughout our year-long stay, there were no unexpected charges, and we encountered only three maintenance issues that were promptly resolved. Even with a minor pest problem, they treated our home without any charge.
Upon moving out, we felt quite anxious due to the bad press surrounding move-out experiences. Many have reported being unreasonably charged for non-existent damages, or unfair cleaning fees despite thorough cleaning. Though our home had some minor damage, we spent four intensive days cleaning thoroughly. Our deposit amounted to $1750, and we were pleasantly surprised by the damage estimates. Only $480 was deducted for repairs, which included repainting a wall, cleaning gutters, yard work, and other minor issues, even though they had promised to account for damage observed in pictures.
Overall, my experience with AMH was outstanding, and I’m thankful we overlooked the negative feedback. Despite their local star rating being under 2 out of 5 with many one-star reviews, I would give them a perfect score if possible! I would certainly rent from them again without hesitation, primarily downsizing because the home was quite large for just the two of us. Their prices align with Zillow’s estimates, and although they intended to increase our rent by $200 upon renewal, it remained slightly below the new market rate. Subsequently, they rented the property to another tenant for a $200 increase over our renewal offer, affirming their rates are still competitive.