Paragon Properties

Paragon Properties is a property management company started in 2011 by Lisa Navarro, formerly of Lyon Real Estate.

Currently, this company is known to manage the following rental properties in Davis: Casa del Rey Apartments (411 1st St)

2012-07-21 18:58:01   Lisa Navarro of Paragon Properties recently took over management of Casa del Rey (411 1st St) from the previous property manager, who retired. So far, my dealings with her have been thus:

1) I was charged $65 for leaving a mattress next to the dumpster during move-out. I leave it to the reader to judge whether this is reasonable. 2) I was charged $37.50 for a "cleaning fee" despite cleaning the apartment thoroughly upon exit. I was informed that this was a routine cleaning charge which is charged to every tenant upon exit. Routine cleaning charges appear to be in violation of California Civil Code Section 1950.5(e). 3) To top it all off, the arithmetic on the itemized receipt was incorrect, and thus the refund check amount was less than what I was owed. 4) She has been generally unresponsive and hard to get a hold of. There are numerous instances of this, but one glaring example was the difficulty in scheduling an "initial inspection" of the apartment in order to assess potential damages or charges upon move-out. Eventually, I was denied the "initial inspection" in violation of landlord responsibilities as per California Civil Code Section 1950.5(f).

You may decide for yourself, based on these experiences, whether you wish to enter into business dealings with Ms Navarro. Further reviews may be found at the wiki page for Lyon Real Estate, where Ms Navarro worked previously. Sadly, at this stage I cannot recommend dealing with Paragon Properties either as a tenant or a property owner. —Annoyed

2013-01-30 16:41:44  "Annoyed" was a tenant in an apartment building I managed. My experience was this: 1. When he moved out he left his queen size mattress propped up against the side of the apartment complex. When I called him to ask him to remove it, he denied it was his. I knew it was his because I had just seen it in his apartment when I did the pre-move out walk through. He later admitted it was his and complained about being charged to have it removed. Davis waste removal will not pick up mattresses with the regular garbage, and I don't know anyone in the industry who charges $20 to haul a queen mattress to the dump. I'm not inclined to spend any amount of time searching for the best deal for a tenant who should have removed it themselves. 2. I don't have "routine" cleaning charges. I only charge for the cleaning that is necessary upon a tenant's move out. Some tenants, such as "Annoyed", do not understand that dirty kitchens are not acceptable. 3. I made a .50 (yes, that's cents, not dollars) error on the security deposit disposition. I subsequently apologized for the error and issued another check immediately. 4. I am quite easy to get in touch with. I correspond by e-mail, phone calls and even text messages. I asked if he would like a pre-move out inspection, he said yes, and one was done. I did not deny a move out inspection. Instead of scheduling a move out inspection a week in advance, "Annoyed" wanted to be able to call me when he was done moving and have me come by. He had no idea when that would be, he just wanted me to be "on call" for him.

If you are the type of tenant who is inclined to lie, leave your personal property and your apartment for me to clean, never say a word to me about any issues but then attempt to paint a picture of me as a bad property mananger, then I also would recommend that you do not rent from me. —lisanavarro

2013-03-21 00:05:12   I don't like to get into extended arguments on the internet; however, potential renters from Paragon Properties should be aware of the following:

1) Her claims, stated above, falsely state the chain of events, and I have documentation, in the form of saved emails, texts, receipts, and check copies, to prove this. For example, I have a message from her stating that the $75 cleaning fee is standard upon move-out, and that she would "generously" split the charges with me (resulting in $37.50 being taken out of my security deposit). As stated above, such a charge is not legal according to California law. There are other errors and falsehoods in her story, but I don't have the time or energy to discuss them all.

2) In my case, I was forced to send her copies of her own receipts and checks in order to get any of my security deposit back from her. The arithmetic error, by the way, was $5, not $0.50. However, the reason her check needed to be reissued was because two separate banks rejected it as invalid, due to Ms Navarro's multiple errors and cross-outs while filling out said check.

3) The moral of the story is— If you must do business with Lisa Navarro, be sure to keep all receipts and documents. Better yet, just avoid Paragon Properties entirely. I'm not sure if my experience was the result of malice, or incompetence, but either way, it's just not worth the headache. —Annoyed

If anybody is relinquishing a studio here for fall 2015, please let me know at casey(a)millerscreamdraft(dot)com! Thank you. —CaseyM