SOVIAK REALTY

We do not recommend that anyone rent through Soviak Realty. Irv and Kathy Soviak manage apartment rentals for Red Cedar Construction in Menomonie, WI. I strongly recommend you check out their reviews at the various online sites. Many former tenants tell the same horror stories, which include the Soviaks asking tenants to pay rent (which has already been paid in full), billing tenants for issues two to three years after an issue with no notice in the meantime, denying they have given written approval for pets, and refusal to provide maintenance. They also have some of the highest rents in the area. We were long term tenants because poor health and the expense of moving made it impossible for us to move -- but ultimately -- after smoke detectors went off for over six months continuously -- we fled.

overcharged and refused to keep accurate records or issue full account statements

Soviak Realty L.L.C./Red Cedar Properties manages apartments and properties in Menomonie, WI. With over $50,000 paid to them in rent since 2008, I am shocked at how increasingly bad and dangerous property management has become. I post this out of frustration, after twenty five weeks of having my smoke detectors going off. As of this date, September 4, 2014, the Soviaks are under review for housing code violations. Soviak's Do Not Make Repairs When Asked: In our case, and increasingly, in spite of the some of the highest rent in Menomonie for apartments in complexes, Kathy and Irv Soviak do not repair problems (when they are notified by call or in writing) and allow serious problems to worsen. When they do agree to fix something, resident may be asked to wait all day for several days to meet repair people. Those repair people often do not arrive. They they do arrive, they are likely to ask you to provide the tools or equipment to do the repair. Our smoke detectors shorted out more than five times in five years, and electrical lines kept tripping master circuit breaker switches, but landlords refused for years to have electrician check the lines and solve the problem. How would you feel about the five weeks of a constantly sounding smoke detector which had its batteries renewed multiple times, but kept going off -- and the landlord did not repair to silence the detectors in spite of more than 15 requests? We have had thousands of dollars of electrical property ruined, and still no solution from our multiple requests. The property has serious ice problems in winter and lacks snow removal after heavy storms (for a day or two). So taking a step out of your apartment is dangerous, ice and snow issues build into ice packs around the units and where you need to walk on the property the Soviaks are required to maintain. When an appliance or device (such as electric garage door failure) it has averaged 4 months and more than 15 calls to get the replacement or repair. In response to every maintenance call I have made to the Soviaks I have received a prolonged set of instructions on how I needed to resolve it. Recently, when asking for the 7th time for a garage door to be repaired so that I could enter my home through the attached garage, in light of recent major orthopedic surgery, I was told how to climb a ladder and replace parts in the ceiling of the garage, instead of having them agree to send a repair man to replace electrical parts that had failed in the garage opening system. Soviaks Force Tenants to Pay Water Bills Late/Visit Units Monthly: The Soviaks will not allow tenants to have water bill sent directly to them for their own unit or in their own names. The Soviaks hand deliver and visit your unit every month to hand deliver the bill -- often doing do the day the payment is due; thus, making it nearly impossible to pay the exact amount on time. Additionally, we have found them peering in our windows. Ironic, since getting them to show up to fix something the first time you notify them is so hard. Poor Record Keeping/Rent Extortion: The Soviaks do not accurately track rent payments. Irv claims his rent computer program died several years ago and it has been impossible for him to track payments, but as a tenant paying $50,000 in rent, I expect the payments to be accurately recorded. When presented with a cancelled check cashed by the Soviaks for rent, he will still ask you to pay him again, but he asks for cash and often refuses to give you a cash receipt. We have been asked to pay rent in excess of the amount agreed to in our signed lease. When asked for account information to justify random oral comments, they have refused to provide it in writing. I do not recommend renting any property or doing any real estate transactions through Soviak Realty L.L.C, or Red Cedar Properties whom they are the agents for, but if you do you MUST KEEP ALL CANCELLED CHECKS for rent receipts FOREVER. Three or four years after a monthly rent payment, you may randomly have to prove that they cashed the check or received the payment -- with no prior notice. You will be given five days to produce the cancelled checks and receipts, or face late penalties for every month since the month of the payment. The Soviaks refused to accept rent checks generated from our bank's online bill pay system which automatically issued the check at the end of each month for arrival on the first, and insisted we hand deliver cash or hand written checks. When rent payments were made in cash, it was virtually impossible to get Irv Soviak to issue a receipt for the payment. Kathy and Irv Soviak appear to be nice folks, but these are serious business problems. Can you imagine the frustration of five years of recurring smoke detector alarms and electrical problems and led to thousands of dollars of losses and period when smoke detectors went off for weeks without the landlords solving the problem? Can you imagine your concern when family illnesses make it physically impossible for you to move your household, but electrical problems are serious enough to fry smoke detectors and ruin your electronic property, but landlords don't fix a problem that could cause a fire and/or threaten your life? I do not recommend using Soviak Realty for any business transaction. Because of illness and disability, I am trapped in a home for which I have now paid more than $50,000 in rent. Don't subject yourself to the same type of treatment. See the reviews of the Soviaks and Red Cedar Properties online posted by many of their tenants. You will find the same story. To date I have found no online positive reviews. You make the call. This is my opinion, based on my experience of renting with the Soviaks since 2008 and having fully paid rent and deposits in excess of $50,000. Well, and then there is the issue of the Soviaks misplacing our damage deposit -- we have the receipt for payment --BUT OH NO --that doesn't prove we paid it and four years after noticing it wasn't credited to our account we are still trying to get them to post it and give us the credit. UPDATE: After six years of problems with electrical systems and smoke detectors going off, I contacted the housing inspectors. They wrote by the violations. At that point I was given a bill from the Soviaks for the service to the electrical systems and smoke detectors, which is contrary to the law of my state and the terms of my lease. I posted my original review around 9/1/2014. As of today,,(9/15/2014) still no problem resolution, but tons of retaliation because they got into problems with the housing code and the state licensing agency for real estate folks. SECOND UPDATE: Problems that led to housing code violations being cited still aren't solved. Smoke detectors still failing. Sockets still shorting out equipment.

Kathy Soviak is a neurotic micro manager when it comes to managing rental properties in Menomonie WI. With exceptionally poor communication skills, ie. some times she receives an email other times she would claim "didn't get it". This leads to a frustrating experience when reporting maintenance issues and nothing gets done. Kathy likes to use the water bill, that she keeps in her name, as a reason to come around and check on/spy on tenants while sliding the bill into the door seal of the front door for delivery. This happens even late in the evenings when is dark, this sounds like you have someone breaking in, and it's "crazy Kathy" at the door fidgeting, listening and lurking about while hand delivering the water bill. Heaven forbid, if you're late paying the water she drops everything and rushes over to hand deliver the late water bill!! Having Kathy Soviak for a property manager is much like having a STALKER, avoid her if you can!