Schermerhorn Real Estate Holdings — Local services in Town of Queensbury

I have lived in 2 properties controlled by Schermerhorn Property Holdings since 2018, and can definitively say that they work their hardest in getting in tenants, but are unresponsive to the needs and general safety of said tenants once they are in. They wear the facade of respectability, but this is a very thin veneer.

I slipped and fell twice and reported the first one (which was ignored). I did not report the second because it seemed pointless.

The most egregious incident that occurred was earlier this year in February 2022 when someone with the on-call group opened my door at 5:30 A.M. (read that again!) Luckily I was up and doing work in the living room so I heard the knock. I chose to ignore the knock because who answers their door at 5:30 when no-one has identified themselves? I was not expecting anyone. I knew it was not the police because they would have identified themselves, so I decided to wait it out. The knocking continued a few times and when I looked through the peephole, I saw someone wearing a heavy jacket and a hat pulled down over their head. Of course I did not answer the door. But imagine my surprise when the person on the other side opened the door. I was close enough to the door to slam it shut and demand to know who it was. It was then that the person (a woman) indicated that she was with the property and that there was a water leak downstairs. She showed me an ID (I have no idea what it said as I was in a heightened state of panic), and she showed me her work shirt that she was wearing. She said she needed to check whether the source was from my apartment (it wasn't).

While I understood the concern after the fact, I was flummoxed why I was never contacted by the property (no text, email, phone call, nothing!). The woman said they did not have access to tenants' information at the time, but does this give anyone the right to invade one's privacy at that time of the morning? The lease agreement indicates a "reasonable time" to enter our apartments, but certainly 5:30 A.M. is not a reasonable time for anyone to enter someone else's apartment without advance notice. It is not my business that Schermerhorn had not shared tenants' information with their on-call agents. That is their problem (I think that they have since resolved this issue. I don't know, and I really do not care anymore!)

To add insult to injury, when I called to complain, Nicole Palmer, the Maintenance Manager, was extremely condescending and dismissive of my concerns. She opined that I must have been terrified when a small woman entered my apartment at 5:30 in the morning, completely ignoring the fact that this was an invasion of my privacy and that I was a single woman with a child. Forget the fact that I too am a small woman (5'1" 115lbs). In a different context, what if I had been a licensed firearm holder?

It made me wonder how many other times they have entered my apartment without my knowledge. Schermerhorn's solution was to put a deadbolt on the front door. But this did not solve the problem, as it only provided 2 locks that they could still open at 5:30 in the morning. I was later given the opportunity to install a deadbolt if I wanted to, but was told that in case of an emergency and the emergency crew had to break down the door I would be responsible for the cost. I declined the offer.

Schermerhorn Property Holdings' behavior is not only offensive, and condescending, but is also disrespectful. As an entity, they do not not consistently take the well-being of their tenants into consideration. I do not recommend their...

I've been renting from them for 9 years now and it hasn't been all rainbows and sunshine but it's been far from a horrible experience. My unit is one of the oldest and it's had its share of malfunctions, but, the maintenance crews are punctual and the head guy really knows his stuff. When the heating element went in my stove, they just bought me a new stove the very next day and installed it. The grounds are well maintained. They're prompt to plow when it snows, and the crews are somewhat flexible with tenant sleep schedules being that not everyone works the same hours. If they have any concerns over anything at my residence they are quick to ask me my input and are very willing to hear my side of the story. It usually involves a small compromise between us but they always seem to work with me.

The girls in the office have been very flexible and an understanding group to work with over the last several years. The lease is strict, but with a small amount of turn the cheek flexibility. My biggest gripe, and kind of the only one, is the continual rent increase per year but they will work with you if you talk to them about your situation. Not as much as you might think is set in stone, these girls want to work with us. They're friendly whenever I talk to them and they always greet me with a smile. I've worked in construction and installation my entire time living here and have at times had ladders and tools on the back patio or temporarily in the foyer for a day. They never threaten me if they want me to move something or find a different place for it. They just nicely ask me if I could, and then usually give me the reason why. Another thing is being in construction I have had down times of almost every year. Seasons effect my work as well as the usual slow time in the last fiscal quarter and end of the first for businesses to figure out taxes. I have found that it was my communication in years of past that was lacking and had I been more open with the girls in the office about my situation then, they would've helped me through my downtimes. Again, not everything is set in stone here. These girls have been great and Maureen has worked with me every way she can to insure I remain a valued tenant. I appreciate the effort she has gone to and am grateful for the help she has given me. I've been a single parent raising two kids full time while living here these many years, and the help of these girls and their patience and flexibility has been uplifting. It's not easy being a single parent as easy as loving your kids is, and they've helped me to remain able to provide my children with stability, and a small place they...

No deadbolt locks on front door, our townhouse was broken into within weeks of us living there and when we went to management saying we need a deadbolt, we had to pay for it. All townhouses/apartments should come with a deadbolt lock. I have never lived in a place that did not already have one on the front door. They only had a doorknob lock, just really unsafe .. clearly. also - My roommate could not stay at our townhouse at Harrison Village the ENTIRE summer because of the heat and the fact that they do not have central air in the units, but we are not allowed to have an AC in the front window because and I quote "we like our properties to look a certain way" (so not even because of a safety issue, but because they care about what the property looks like to potential tenants, rather than caring about the comfort of their current tenants). She had to stay at her boyfriends house despite paying half the rent on our townhouse while not even being able to live there for 3 months. They recommend you get a "floor AC" - which mind you, the cheapest one you can find online is $300. They recommended we buy this multiple times despite us explaining we did not have the funds to purchase this and for them to keep recommending it is inconsiderate and ignorant. They also say the AC that is allowed in the back bedroom window should cool the entire upstairs. Not true. We kept out bedroom doors open, put a fan in front of the AC to help make the cold air travel, kept it on high for hours - it did not work and my roommates room was still too warm to sleep in. Also, the application process was insane, as we passed everything but they insisted on knowing exactly where our security deposit was coming from as if that mattered? Like if we do not pay it, we do not move in, so to send us an email saying we won't be approved unless we tell them how we will pay for security is just weird and rude? however, to include a pro, I will say this - the are very good at getting heavy snow removed quickly when there is a snow storm. They clear the side walks and even clean around your cars/tires for you to be able to get out and they get it done quickly (very early morning). That was a pro & we appreciated that. My recommendation is, do not live in this specific location. I do not know about others, but even just reading their snarky and arrogant replies to bad reviews - I would pass all together. I do not even want a response after reading their other entitled ones. Hopefully by others reading them, you can see what I mean about them not caring on the comfort and complaints of current tenants....