please note that this flag pole holder still stands on the house. We were charged a deduction out of our security deposit for removal
Sarah H.
Jan 22, 2020
If I could give negative stars, I would. Mike is the rental agent, supposedly, but it is absolutely clear that he is the owner. That is a very poor way to represent yourself and your business, by lying. We rented a home from him in Dublin for $2800 per month. We had the rent to him on the first of the month, every month, despite my husband losing his job in the middle of our lease. We gave perfect notice when we were leaving as instructed by the lease and the law. As former landlords ourselves, we understand the difficulties of renting and treated the home as our own. For this extraordinary amount of rent, we went one whole week without hot water, and without a dishwasher for a week plus on two separate occasions. In addition, when we moved in, the house reeked of smoke. When we mentioned this to Mike, as it is a non-smoking property, he said he didn't smell any smoke. LIE!! So... we had to buy an ozone machine on my own to clean the rooms. Completely ridiculous. In addition, our railing on our deck was structurally unsound and unsafe. It was also ridden with carpenter bees. When we brought this up to Mike, he said he'd never seen any bees there, despite the fact their was a bee trap on the deck!! Another lie!! His fixes of the handrail were pedestrian at best, ineffective and unsafe at worse. Certainly not to the standards expected at Muirfield Village.And now... we get the deposit refund and he has nickel and dimed us to death, to the point of charging us to replace light bulbs!! When we moved in, there were missing light bulbs and he certainly did not provide any free lightbulbs to us while we were living there. Many of the deductions are illegal and we will be referring the matter to the authorities in Ohio who regulate rental law. As former landlords, we would never have taken such illegal deductions from our tenants. I've updated this post with photos taken today of our property. None of the work that we were charged deductions for has been done. This is a kind of unethical and illegal behavior that you can expect from NCR. Mike is cheap, a liar, a terrible property manager. Do not rent from NCR.
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Sydnee K.
Oct 19, 2020
We are currently renting from Mike Butas, most likely the owner judging by all of your reviews as well. We are renting a 2 bd 1 ba in Marietta, Ohio. There has been construction crews in the house/apartments despite being told that they would be finished with construction before we moved in. My partner works nights and plumbers have been pounding during the day and leaving the basement light on. Walls are paper thin; my poor partner had to hear about the plumbing issues, which were affecting our unit as well, because he could overhear them through the walls saying that they needed to rip into our walls to repair a leak. Mike Butas is saying, "it will only take one day to repair", I highly doubt this and I'm going to the courthouse tomorrow. I highly recommend anyone who left a review please, please, report him to the Better Business Bureau.
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Ben B.
Aug 19, 2010
On first appearance the units look pretty good for the price. One quickly learns that things are cheap for a reason. Only the most minimal upkeep and maintenance is performed.The property manager, Mike, loves to use the "owners" as scapegoats for all rent hikes and any other such qualms you may have. Fun fact, according to the BBB, he IS the owner.Repairs and maintenance are not handled in a timely manner (or at all) and when they are they're usually done by the property manager, whom suffice to say is NOT a handyman by trade.Over the past 2 years, 2 major "improvements" have been made. The windows were replaced and the parking lots was repaved. The windows still show scars around the wall they were unprofessionally ripped out and have been leaking during heavy rain for the past 3 months. The tar in the parking lot sticks to your shoes and tires when it gets above 85 degrees out.
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Brandi H.
Sep 9, 2013
My roommates and I rented from Mike (uh, I mean "the owners") for three years.90% of the time he was very attentive and quick with any maintenance needs.Rent went up $100 going into the second year due to "property taxes" and it was the "owners" decisionThe deductions from our deposit were actually pretty fair when we got it back - though now we know an already clean fridges cost $25 to clean again. The property was in great shape, newly renovated, and we had endless compliments every time people came over. Hardwood floors, nice tile, new kitchen appliances, our own washer/dryer. It was a nice house, especially for college off-campus housing.I would rent from him again for sure, but that's not to say there weren't things that could have been better. In the future, I'll just take it up directly with "the owners" and not Mike Butas.
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Scott S.
Aug 15, 2022
Mike Butas makes wanting to write a review with negative stars sound more appealing than winning the lottery. There are many pros to renting from Mike Butas! You will be treated like a child when moving in to start with. He will give you a detailed explanation of how to use blinds and pipes! He will also respond promptly to any service issues with your unit. Expect the dishwasher to take at least 6 months to be serviced when the pump stops working. Lastly, when you move out, he will itemize deductions from your security deposit that dont exist. Expect to have a deduction for every surface in the unit. Kitchen floors? Cleaning deduction. Living room floors? Cleaning deduction. Bathroom? Cleaning deduction. One staple left in the wall after taking posters down? Cleaning deduction. Mike was an absolute pleasure to rent from and i hope that his business goes bankrupt within the year!
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Seth F.
Jun 10, 2020
I wish that I could give negative stars. This man is a con-man. I flew half way across the country to view apartments and setup the meeting a week in advance. When I arrived, he was two hours away in Columbus and told me to "look around outside". That should have told me all I needed to know right then.I found out (because I work with the previous tenant) that Mike Butas charged rent to the previous tenant and myself at the same time even though he was not living there (which is illegal).There were three separate leaks in the ceiling that he never fixed for two years that created mold and stagnant water in the house.He is impossible to communicate with. He never responds to texts, never answers his email, and rarely answers his phone. The only way you can get his attention is by sending a certified letter through the mail. So his responses take literal weeks.He openly lied about there being other owners. He would say that late charges were so strict because of "the owners", but then when I asked to have a 3rd party involved in our discussions, he would say he WAS the owner. This man is a liar and will not treat you with respect.When I tried to move out, he held an entire extra month of rent because I only texted him 28 days before hand instead of sending him a certified letter 30 days before. I then mailed him a letter the day after and he still charged me for a whole month.When returning my security deposit he charged me for light bulbs and a broken ceiling fan chain. The ceiling fan chain was broken when he tried to fix it.This man is the definition of slum lord, and I'm not sure if he's delusional or if he knowingly takes advantage of tenants. He may honestly just be old and a little senile.DO NOT RENT FROM MIKE BUTAS.
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Joseph H.
Jan 26, 2017
Mike Butas was pretty attentive to maintenance needs. However, sometimes you'd have to press him to get things fixed. He talks a lot about "The Owners", however there are no other "owners" besides himself. He is very strict about his lease. I once left one trash bag out front for about an hour because I had planned on taking it to the garbage cans when I left for the grocery store- he knocked on my door and said if it wasn't gone in a half-hour he'd charge me a fee.Long story short, if you like strict leases, this place is the place for you.I'll finish with a positive though, Mike promised that this neighborhood is pretty quiet and it's been true. No one around here ever really parties.
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Amber L.
Feb 19, 2012
--PLEASE READ--If you are an international or out-of-town resident seeking a campus type area rental unit or otherwise prefer the convenience of a Google search to find a place to live, North Campus Rentals might trick you into appearing like a good option. **However, I urge you to look elsewhere.**The "property managers" (i.e. the singular man, Mike Butas) has been an unsatisfactory landlord. I WAS FORCED TO SEEK LEGAL ASSISTANCE IN MAINTAINING MY TENANT RIGHTS. "Property managers": 'You're not being evicted; you're just not allowed to live in the unit anymore.' CONCLUSION: (In case you don't want to read the whole review)North Campus Rentals somehow maintains enough credibility to take advantage of student types. I urge you to give your money to better, deserving businesspeople who care about customer/tenant satisfaction and make the campus area a nice place to live instead of an area infected by potential slumlords. You may only be living near campus for a couple years, but that doesn't mean you have to lie there belly up to flagrant misuse of property owner power.BIGGEST COMPLAINT: The "property managers" himself neglected to show up to a meeting we arranged that I might re-sign my lease, informed me upon calling to request information on this particular failed meeting that he was 'sorry, but not in the area--perhaps we can meet later in the week,' failed to return my calls trying to arrange the rescheduled meeting, called to inform me that other tenants had interest in my unit (to which I firmly replied that I am very serious about our agreement that I would be re-signing), and then eventually answered my repeated calls informing me that he had allowed other tenants to sign the lease for my unit in spite of our agreement.His apology was, "Oops, but we [Mike himself] manage over 300 units, and mistakes do happen." Then had the audacity to recommend I kindly move next door or consider any of the other available units he manages. Sorry, sir, but only upstanding businesspeople who do not mislead, lie to, or neglect their clients deserve to remain in business.SMALLER COMPLAINTS:1. I would like to concur with another reviewer in that maintenance requests are performed by the "property managers" himself and poorly at that. Tenants are NOT even permitted to pay licensed professionals out of pocket to make repairs after the "property managers" himself failed to fix the problem; to make matters worse, the "property managers" himself gives you attitude for making legitimate complaints about how the issue is still not resolved in spite of his questionable handyman skills. 2. The "property managers" himself told me to my face while standing in the kitchen of a rental unit just before signing the lease that there was zero cat rent. I specifically asked, stating that other companies I was considering enforced such a charge. Upon obtaining a cat, he informed me that I would have to start paying cat rent. 3. There is a clause in the lease that implies tenants are not permitted to sue the company for any reason at any time under any circumstances etc. etc. AND YOU MUST AGREE TO THAT!?!CONCLUSION: (Refrain)North Campus Rentals somehow maintains enough credibility to take advantage of student types. I urge you to give your money to better, deserving businesspeople who care about customer/tenant satisfaction and make the campus area a nice place to live instead of an area infected by potential slumlords. You may only be living near campus for a couple years, but that doesn't mean you have to lie there belly up to flagrant misuse of property owner power.
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Olivia G.
Aug 28, 2019
I would give this no stars if it were possible. Mike claims to be the "property manager", but BBB states he's the owner. He's clearly doing this just to avoid being sued as he is the sole proprietor of NCR... I moved in July 2018 and within the first month noticed a HUGE cockroach problem. I notified Mike immediately. He blamed it on me and claimed that "I was bringing them in".. after refusing to take my claim seriously, student legal services sent him a letter demanding he fix the issue. Trying to get him to fix anything in the apartment was always a battle. He was rude, unprofessional, and uncooperative. He took the easiest and cheapest way to fix anything. He does not understand law requiring a 24hr notice before entering... Then proceeded to yell at me and told me that "you and your roommate have done nothing but cause problems". I would call about a problem and he would refuse to talk to me and would hang up on me. It was difficult to ever get ahold of him and he rarely returned voicemails. Getting the security deposit back was a nightmare... He insisted he had to give the deposit back on a single check and wrote it out to three people.. (one being in Poland and the other in Indianapolis IN) it made it the most complicated situation. I had to pay money to mail it so other roommates could sign the check. Overall, I COULDN'T STRESS MORE, I DO NOT RECOMMEND NCR FOR CAMPUS LIVING. I get finding campus housing is hard.. but trust me there are WAY BETTER companies and landlords than this.
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Allie C.
Nov 28, 2011
I completely agree with the other reviewer on all points about the "improvements" being minimal, and then unprofessional, and Mike constantly needing to consult the "owners". Phone calls are never answered, it always goes to voicemail. Additionally, there was talk about a new sidewalk being put in because the current one has half sunk into the ground, and the part that hasn't is in bad repair. A guy even came out and measured; this has not happened, and really needs to. When it rains very hard, as it has this past summer, the water reaches the door, and very nearly has come in. Having lived here for over 3 years, the place served our needs when the price was reasonable, but recent hikes and lack of amenities simply makes it not a good deal anymore. Pros: Washer/dryer in unit, nice big fridge, lots of electrical outlets, off-street lighted parking, large living room and bedrooms, ceiling fans and powerful window AC (for this size of a dwelling), allows cats for a nominal pet rent, next to the ER bus stop/close to campus and I-71.Cons: No exhaust fan in the bathroom, plumbing issues and water pressure issues, pavement does melt/stick to your feet when it gets too hot, no central air, gas stove/water heater, carpet is essentially industrial carpet laid on cement (no padding), not the best area (there are some skeezy looking neighbors in other buildings, and bums/dumpster divers going through your trash cans).In short, if being close to campus is your #1 priority, as it was mine for these past couple of years, it's not bad. It's not great, but it's not bad. I know for a fact that they charge quite a premium for living so close, so if it's not absolutely necessary, you can find something MUCH nicer for cheaper or comparable 10-20 minutes outside of campus area.
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