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Crosstown Properties Crosstown Properties offers complete service Property Management and Homes For Rent in Austin Texas. Our goal is to supply Austin real estate owners and tenants with reliable best quality property management services. For property owners, that means the peace of mind that comes with knowing your home is being well maintained and cared for while it is rented.
Reviews (25)
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Courtney W.
May 31, 2021
We leased a home from Crosstown sight unseen as we were moving out of state. We've been there 3 years. The home was older but we really loved the location and neighborhood. We have never really had any problems with Jim or his team. Anytime we've needed repairs they were quick to send someone. I will say they rarely answer the phone but Jim does always answer emails.

He even worked with us on letting us extend our lease 1 extra month after our lease was up (we are building a house and needed a little more time). I have 0 complaints from these guys. I would lease from Jim again and I would also trust them to manage my property.
Mike Williams
May 07, 2021
I've lived in our Crosstown house for a year now, and Jim and co. have been great. Communication has always been prompt, and they've always been helpful. We had a few repairs to the house needed, and we had someone sent out the next day. Jim was also thoughtful through the process, asked if we had small children (we do), and the workers were informed to keep the worksite safe for children, using barricades, etc. I would highly recommend.
Scott Brantley
Feb 28, 2021
I have lived in a Crosstown Property for over four years now and they have always been very professional in our dealings. Recently, I returned home on a Saturday night from being out of town for two weeks to find my house was 85 degrees inside and the air conditioner not working. My wife filled out a repair request form and Jim called us shortly after.

He had a repair crew out first thing the next morning on a Sunday to repair our unit. I still live in and would highly recommend renting from Crosstown Properties. Before moving to Austin, I owned my own home for 15 years and I would not hesitate to have Crosstown Properties manage my home. Jim is very professional and easy to deal with
M. S.
Feb 18, 2021
We've leased from Crosstown for many years now, and working with them has always been a pleasure! In our experience, Jim has always been very kind and fair, and we have always had very quick responses to any issues that have arisen. We're very thankful for everything that Crosstown has been and done for us through the years, and we look forward to what the future holds!
Aaron P.
Feb 13, 2021
We recently bought a house, and as a result, moved out of the house we had rented from Crosstown for the last 7 years. Jim and his team were communicative and easy to work with throughout our move-out, and very fair in their return of our deposit. Over the years, Jim has been responsive to repairs and kept up his end of the bargain. And if I were a property owner, he'd be at the top of my list to manage my property, knowing he takes care of fixing things before they become problems and treats tenants how you'd want them to be treated.
Aaron Perman
Dec 18, 2020
I lived in a rental house managed by Jim at Crosstown Properties for 7 years. Throughout this time, Jim has been helpful and responsive, especially when issues come up. He uses professional vendors that do good quality work, sends folks out quickly -- same day in emergencies (like when our water heater cracked, he had someone at our house within a couple of hours in the evening, and had a new one installed within a couple of days which was truly as soon as practical), and promptly for more routine stuff (ex. vendor called within 24 hours of submitting the work order, and at your house within 2-5 days).

We recently bought a house, and as a result, moved out of the house we had rented. Jim and his team were communicative and easy to work with throughout our move-out, and very fair in their return of our deposit. Note that his tenant screening criteria and process is rigorous, but if I owned one of the units he managed, that would give me confidence he's getting responsible folks.
Trent Douglas
Oct 28, 2020
Crosstown Properties was a great management company for the three years that we rented with them. Whenever we had a maintenance issue, Jim and Hudson were always quick to respond and had a repair crew in contact in a short amount of time. So long as you are a responsible tenant, you won't hear from Crosstown, so they really do respect tenant's privacy. I would recommend Crosstown Properties to any searching renters!
Amber F.
Aug 03, 2020
It is hard to fully convey our experience with Jim and Crosstown Properties. Unfortunately, we had to rent our property sight unseen, because we were moving back to Austin from out of state. The condo was not clean upon move in. There was mold growing in the shower, and visible hairs in the carpet. Jim later admitted to not having the carpet cleaned before we moved in.

The cold water line was turned off in the master bath sink due to a leak. The smoke detectors started beeping before the end of the first week, because the batteries were original to the 3-year-old house. Had we been able to see the property in person, we NEVER would have signed a lease there. Jim seemed generally unaware of the property. He didn't provide information as to where our mailbox was.

It was in a gated community, and he didn't know the code to the pedestrian gate. He didn't know who the internet provider was. He didn't even know who provided trash service for the property. You get my drift. There was a lot of drama over trashcans. In our condo complex, over 75% of owners kept their full sized trashcans outside, but to make Jim happy, we got the tiniest trashcans available to get them to fit in the garage with my small crossover SUV. You'll have even more fun if you also have to juggle an HOA *and* Jim.

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, Jim sent a letter, along with a year old fine that he had promised to take off our account. This letter wasn't to support us in any way--it was to require us to give a 60-day notice if we wanted to renew our lease instead of a 30-day notice as required by our lease. But hey, he wasn't going to raise rent, so there's that.

For the most part during the 16 months that we had the unfortunate experience renting a property from Jim, he was rude and difficult. I basically avoided him at all costs. We should have known by how pushy he was when he was trying to get us to sign the lease, but we were getting desperate to find a place. On one occasion, I had to place a work order after a leak from the kitchen faucet.

I was pleasantly surprised that Jim responded quickly and courteously. He sent someone out to fix it the next morning. We had the faucet in the master bath repaired at that time as well, which was over 12 months into our lease. Yes, we chose not to request a repair before that to avoid dealing with Jim. The move out process was about as expected. After he received our letter notifying him that we did not intend to renew, Jim sent a condescending two-page letter "explaining" how to move out.

This was during COVID-19, but Jim provided no instructions on the process to actually turn in our keys. When we got to his office, there were no signs to indicate the next steps, and the door was locked. After I knocked, Jim peered through a window, gesturing for me to drop the keys in the payment box. Talk about great customer service! When I emailed him immediately after we got home from turning in our keys, he claimed we had not provided him with our new address even though we sent it both through the mail and by email a month earlier.

He had even responded to the email! We mailed and emailed the same letter. Again. We didn't hear back from him, and proceeded to count down our 30 days until our security deposit refund was due. For those curious about how long it takes to get the deposit refund (because you'll find that his snarky letter will tell you not to inquire about your deposit), Jim postmarked the envelope on the 28th of the month.

It was sent through regular mail, not certified. The real shocker came when I opened the letter--we actually got a refund of 100% of our deposit! Based on other reviews, I honestly was expecting to end up filing suit to get our deposit back. At the end of the lease, I emailed documentation to him proving that we kept the utilities connected through the end of our lease, sent paid billing statements showing that we had a lawn crew mow the lawn every other week until the end of our lease, and I emailed the receipt of the move out clean we had done.

Throughout the lease, I also frequently resent his own emails to him to hold him accountable. In the end, we didn't need it, but we also had a 20-minute video proving the condition of the property, and we even took a video of me turning in the keys to time stamp that we drove straight from the condo to his office. If you are renting from them now, and are concerned about your deposit, it is possible to get it back!

Just make sure you keep all email and written communication from him, and be proactive with documentation at the end. Bottom line, I would not recommend renting from a property managed by Crosstown Properties, and I certainly wouldn't let them manage a property that I own.
S. E.
Jun 23, 2020
We have been using Crosstown as our property management company since 2005. As property owners, we expect good communication and reliable follow-through on problem solving. Jim and the Crosstown team have been quick to respond to our questions and concerns, have been excellent on following through on solving problems, and have been organized and timely on record keeping and communication.

Their experience ranges from normal maintenance to the really odd situations - What do you do when a fox lives under your tenant's porch? They knew the options and lined up a solution. We trust their judgement and love working with them.
Demetria Barksdale
May 02, 2020
"Pleasantly Professional", After 1 Year - I am pleased to say that after a year at 1 of the properties Jim has stayed consistent and my original post proves to be consistent, attentive to request and always professional. 1st Year - Had a wonderful experience with Crosstown Properties. From initial contact to moving into rental. The realtor Hudson was great she connected with my realtor and it was smooth sailing from there.

She provided info specified what was needed and the apps were approved in a few days. We were given the keys and went to check the property before moving all of our items. There were two problems (a leak in a bathroom and 1 of 2 furnaces were out). I thought okay here we go, just moving and experiencing problems. How is this new relationship going to work.

Well to my pleasant surprise Jim the property manager was responsive and dispatced two service people to come out within a couple of days. Everything was fixed before we moved in. The repair personnel were professional. Excellent Customer Service. Great First Impression Crosstown Properties.
Ct Tam
Feb 10, 2020
Jim Wilson of Crosstown Properties had managed my rental house in Austin for nearly ten years until I sold it recently. I don't have any complaints and I can safely assume nor did the tenants, considering the low turnover rate. A special thank to Jim for referring to me a very good realtor when I decided to sell, who helped me find the best offer in the market.
LeAnn H.
Oct 14, 2019
My experience with these guys was several years ago but I still remember it well. I'm in real estate and have been for many years. I understand how things work. And the way Jim handles things is not normal. First they get you with a sweet girl that has you sign on the dotted line. She evaporates immediately upon completion of the lease agreement and you're left with curmudgeon Jim.

After move in, the fridge was not working. I called Jim at 8:30AM and was told that I called too early and that that I would be charged a trip charge to assess the fridge and an additional fee if they could not find what was wrong with it. I asked him to point me in the direction of the clause of the lease that supported his assertions. He could not but still placed unauthorized charges not allowed and deducted it at move out.

The stove was broken and the oven would burn you on the outside if you turned it on. With a small baby it was a huge concern but Jim spent months arguing instead of fixing it. He sent a maintenance guy that diagnosed the problem, maybe something about a seal, but he didn't want to repair it and the maintenance guy had to tell him he couldn't leave without repairing it.

He doesn't want to do maintenance because it presumably takes away money from his management fee. Bad design because the owner and renter suffer where the owner's home is not being cared for and the renter's very basic needs not met. Jim drives by constantly so he is never in the office and cannot answer the phone. The fence was falling down and the neighbors dogs roamed freely in our yard where my children could not play outside but he refused to repair/replace claiming insurance should cover and months went by.

I think ultimately I got in contact with the owner of the home and the neighbors for each to work something out. The neighbors had to contact the owner of the home as well when Jim refused to take any action. We had termites and despite promptly notifying him it took over a month for him to even begin looking into the problem. At move out, he sucked every dime of the security deposit despite us having professional cleaning and professional carpet cleaning and no damages.

Just really a nightmare to work with, poor communication skills, and lack of maintenance while you uphold every end of your agreement and he steals your money in the end likely pocketing it for himself. His practices also don't serve the owners well because of the increase in resident turnover for the people that don't want to deal with him.
Ken M.
Aug 05, 2019
Jim at Crosstown Properties has managed my Austin rental for over five years. He has always been responsive and diligent, managing my property with integrity and attention to detail, earning my trust and my confidence and my strong recommendation.
Marina B.
Jul 06, 2019
Jim was rude and manipulative, and he acted like I worked for him, rather than the other way around. I would warn anyone against entering into a lease arrangement with him. 1) Every time my lease renewed, the contract was shortened by 2 or 4 months, so the rent increase became ever more frequent. 2) The refrigerator in the house broke. This was not my fault and I ended up purchasing my own refrigerator, but the price of the rent never decreased accordingly. 3) I kept the house very clean, I barely unpacked, and before I moved out, the house was spotless except for the windows and blinds.

I scrubbed the house top to bottom, but I was charged $275 for the cleaning of the windows and charged extra for landscaping. In all, I got back less than 1/3 of my deposit, despite 3 days of cleaning. I frequently felt disrespected and insulted. I should have just just left the house as it was rather than exhausting myself by scrubbing it since he dug around around on top of the microwave and found some dust to smear around for some still life photography. Terrible, remorseless treatment.
Clayton Best
Jun 01, 2019
My wife and I moved into one of Crosstown Properties houses almost a year ago. We have lived in many apartments and this was our first house and really didn't know what to expect coming in, but Jim with Crosstown made everything simple and easy to understand. We have had a couple work orders for AC and water heater which is understanding considering the house is over 10 years old, but both orders were taking care of in less then 24 hours with great communication both from Jim and Mark with the maintenance department. Would highly recommend.
Evan A.
Apr 16, 2019
Having rented in Austin for the last 15 years, I can unequivocally say Crosstown Properties excels in property management and customer service. Crosstown has managed our current home for several years and the entire time they've worked 100% on the home owner and my behalf. One - they complete standard maintenance on the house without me even having to request it.

Second - if something does go wrong and needs to be professionally fixed, they hire reputable and honest businesses. They also move quickly! On the rare occurrence we had an issue on a weekend, Jim would always reply to our email. Third - the customer service is spot on. They set clear expectations from the start. With that, they hold their end of the bargain by being responsive to any needs and actually taking care of the home rather than just collecting checks every month. Take it from me, Crosstown knows what they're doing.
Craig M.
Mar 05, 2019
Jim at Crosstown properties is not someone you want to work with. Water intrusion and mold was found throughout the home we rented. He took 2 months to figure out who he wanted to use to start investigation and repairs. The repairs took 5 months because he kept delaying or having additional assessments and insurance reviews (5 total) during which we could not use rooms and bathroom.

For 5 months we were expected to pay full rent despite hundreds of square feet less access. And then upon move out, despite no damage or repairs done because of us, he knit picked and kept $900 of our deposit. They charged for leaf removal despite no lease requirement of leaf removal. They charged for mowing and trimming bushes in the HOA service area. and similar such BS. Don't rent from this company and don't use them to manage your rental property. Insurance did not cover the water damage because it was due to neglect. The water had been in the walls and raining inside for months if not years before we moved in.
Lauren P.
Jul 12, 2018
My husband and I have been trying for almost a week to rent a house from out of town. Hudson Bell is awful. She Never answers the phone, doesn't bother explaining anything, but had no problem hassrassing everyone else, but refused to call us directly or our agent. She is hands down the most unprofessional person I have never had a pleasure to talk to because she would have to actually answer her phone or call people back.
Carlos G.
May 30, 2018
I write this review as a tenant of Crosstown Properties for the last 3 years. Relocating from another state, I expected to rent for a year before buying a home. The rental rate we received, combined with the services we received over the last 3 years made it easy to renew our lease each of the last two years. We always received immediate response when something went wrong.

When a tree blew down, Jim sent someone to haul it away, even though I offered to do it myself. When the condensation line started leaking behind the wall, Jim sent someone over. These are just a couple of examples. Most recently, the yearly inspection found that the AC unit was not at 100%. And for its age, they felt it was time to replace it. Being a tenant of Crosstown Properties has been a really good experience for us. And we are very grateful.
Saunya O.
May 25, 2018
My air conditioning stop working late on a Wednesday evening. I went online and filled out the repair request. Got a response immediately and the repair person was at my home Thursday at noon. The HVAC repairman was very knowledgeable, respectful, entertaining and friendly. I was amazed at how him just listening to the system he could tell what was going on. The property manager check back in with me that Thursday to make sure everything was okay. I am extremely happy with how efficient this process was done.
Huan T.
Dec 19, 2017
I have used Jim at Crosstown Properties to manage my rental property since I purchased it in 2004 - 13 years! Since that time, Jim has been extremely professional, from selecting well qualified tenants to managing any problems or repairs that come up. Jim sends the monthly statements right on time and all expenses are itemized and receipts attached so I know exactly what repairs have been done.

If I have any questions at all, I send him an email and I always get a response within a day. I would definitely use Jim's team again if I had another property to be managed and highly recommend him for anyone looking to own a hassle free rental.
Philip Archer
Mar 22, 2017
Jim and Crosstown Properties did a fantastic job managing our property in Austin for 10 years while we were stationed all over the world. They consistently had our home rented out (maybe had 3 weeks of non-occupation in all that time) and took great care of the property (while at the same time not bogging us down with minutia that comes with the upkeep of any residence).

When it came time to sell the property it was in great shape and we had no problems transitioning from rental to sale. Jim and his staff are excellent managers who will take good care of you and your property.
Tom F.
Nov 14, 2016
Jim Wilson with Crosstown Properties has been and still is my Property Manager in Leander, TX for more than 5 years now. He has been terrific at screening prospective tenants as well as making sure that my home is well taken care of. His communication has always been professional and timely and I would definitely recommend Jim and his team!
Kate W.
Jun 12, 2016
We rented from them for one year, and could not wait to move out! We could give a long list of issues, like other renters have, but the short of it is, don't rent from them! As others have mentioned, the rental was not cleaned upon move in, but we also had issues getting repairs after an electrical storm hit the house, having no heat for several days over the winter.

They never declared a monthly recycling day for the neighborhood, practically in our back yard, and the exit process was a nightmare - it got to the point that Debbie was so rude it was shocking! Customer service is not their strong point, and everything is about ease and convenience for them, so don't expect any favors or extra attention. So glad that nightmare year is behind us now.
Mags F.
Nov 20, 2013
We rented a house from crosstown properties for a few years. They were helpful in getting approval and getting our lease signed in a courteous and quick manner. Once in the house the faucet fell off the bathtub so we put it on our move in form. We didn't call for repair since we just used the shower. There is a yearly inspection, that person is nice and does a good job.

When he came for the inspection he saw the missing faucet and said he would put it back on for us and he did. Very good experience. Until two weeks later I got a bill from Crosstown asking for $100 to put the faucet back on. 1st of all the inspection guy didn't tell us there would be a charge and 2nd it was on my move in form. Good thing is Crosstown didn't make me pay the bill once I asked them to look at the move in form.

The house we were in was big and the air conditioning wouldn't cool it in the summer. We told the inspector every year and were told that the house was just too big for the air conditioner and to use fans. Now move out is where you need to be super careful and document everything. We took photos of everything and had someone come in and clean the house after all our stuff was out.

We were still charged over $300 by Crosstown properties for cleaning. We were charged for things like crumbs in the fridge, dust behind the fridge, dust on the underside of the blind caps. Things I have never been charged for in the years we have rented at multiple places. Some of the things they cleaned were valid, like grease on the vent hood but others seemed excessive like hard water ring around faucet and changing a light bulb.

They also charged to replace batteries in the garage door opener and reprogramming it for the new tenants! really?! Jim the property manager doesn't have a good bedside manner. Sometimes he answers emails and other times it could take a few days to get a response. I understand he doesn't have to be our friend, but I would expect some level of friendly service.