The Stepping Stone Group

The Stepping Stone Group took over the management of The Alden downtown Minneapolis. I have pictures that show what they consider a clean stairwell. I have lived in this building for 18 years of my life and I have now turned in my notice to vacate. You will read positive reviews about The Stepping Stone Group, but do NOT believe them. An average review score of 3 is pretty bad. I can now add that this company have now stolen my security deposit. DONT RENT FROM THESE PEOPLE. DONT RENT FROM THESE PEOPLE. DONT RENT FROM THESE PEOPLE. DONT RENT FROM THESE PEOPLE.
Oct 10th, 2022

The worst property management I have ever worked with. My college house landlord was better. Ive had three different property managers in three months and dont get clear answers to my questions. Would not recommend renting through this group.
Oct 6th, 2022

Im so happy I got my return deposit from this company so I can move forward with an honest review. Firstly, they cut part of my return deposit for damaged screens THAT THEIR MAINTENANCE TEAM damaged. We needed help installing AC units, and made a request with maintenance to help with the issue. It was not damage we caused, but they dont care. Secondly, their MAINTENANCE TEAM would show up at our apartment during evening hours. Like 7/8PM when me and my two previous fem roommates would be getting home from work, showering, cooking dinner. They made issue about us asking them to wear masks while in our building, and they wouldnt always announce themselves, but instead just unlock the doors and let themselves in. Thirdly, I had to make FOURTEEN+ emergency maintenance requests about non-functioning heat in my bedroom during the wintertime. There were a couple occasions where the issue was not dealt with the same day and I had to camp out in our living room to keep warm in the winter. We reported them to the city of MPLS, AND had a city employee come to the property to gauge temperatures and get it on record. They told me to just fix the issue myself by releasing pressure from the vent, until after a couple MONTHS they finally got to the root of the issue and had to replace multiple pieces in the basement that pushed heat to the top floor. This is what I got for agreeing to work with white people who care more about their dogs and their profits than people. DO NOT WORK WITH STEPPING STONE GROUP.
Sep 25th, 2022

Sep 15th, 2022

RUN! If I could give them zero stars I surely would. The Stepping Stone Group inherited my apartment complex and managed us for a few months while our owner searched for a permanent management company. Ive now worked with three different property management companies within my first year in this apartment and I would boldly say of the three Stepping Stone was by far the worst! We had a major issue with plumbing that started the Friday before Memorial Day, these issues resulted in my kitchen sink being completely unusable until the repair was made. It took ELEVEN days to restore function to my kitchen sink. When I pointed out to them this was an unacceptable amount of time to be without a basic amenity in Bridgets response she made sure to point out it was only 7 business days. It felt extremely insulting and dehumanizing as I still had a sink with no running water and no working drain for all of those ELEVEN days, whether they were business days or not. I dont feel any of them, Katrina, Caden, or Bridget, would be content with having a broken appliance for ELEVEN days in their own homes, and the fact they expect us to be okay with the lack of amenities or potentially being LEAKED ON for eleven days is absolutely crazy to me and my neighbors. There was absolutely zero communication as to where they were at with the repairs, and I had to drive to their office in order to receive a response from them. At the office I was told someone would likely be out Tuesday or Wednesday (day 11 or 12) to repair the plumbing, however, I could expect proper notice, as required by law, when someone would be entering my unit. There was no notice that anyone would be or had been in my apartment and had I not noticed my cupboards were open, I wouldve had no idea my sink was even working. When I pointed this out to Katrina and Caden, I asked them for a small rent credit to help offset the cost of me having to dine out for 11 days, as I had no where to wash dishes if I were to have cooked during that time and I pointed out this would still be less than the potential fines theyd acquire if I were to pursue them in court for invading my privacy. My concerns were passed to Bridget who does not seem to have a complete understanding of State Statutes and how to stay compliant within them. I was advised by an attorney I had a pretty strong case to take them to court with, however, Id end up almost breaking even after missing work and paying the court fees so it would not be worth it. I worked with Caden, Katrina, and Bridget- all of them were extremely poor communicators and had zero sense of urgency regarding anything weve reach out about. My neighbor who was being leaked on downstairs throughout all of those plumbing issues still has cosmetic repairs they never completed, and they never informed our new management company that there was work they had not finished. The moral of the story is- if you enjoy being treated as less than a human being, this could be the company for you. But if youre looking for a professional, attentive, and responsive management company look ANYWHERE else.
Sep 7th, 2022