CBS Rentals

"There are a lot of bad reviews here, but honestly when I rented with CBS (2022-2023), they were very responsive. The maintenance people are so nice, communicative, and prompt. I’ve had much more difficulty with maintenance at well-reviewed rental companies in Charlottesville. I locked myself out a couple times and my apartment flooded twice, and maintenance was always prompt and cared about fixing the issue for good. Everyone’s experience will be different of course, but I found the pricing fair for the area and felt treated well by CBS."

"Terrible experience! WATCH OUT PARENTS!! They allow the kids to “inherit” apartments from other students. My son (and 3 roomies) inherited their apt from friends. 7 years over and over so when they moved out we lost the $4000 deposit AND we’re charged an additional $2095 for “not sweeping”, “uncleanliness”, etc. The kids tried to go back and get money for all the stuff that was broken before they moved in….GOT NOTHING. They were also charged extra for paying in 4 payments vs 1 lump sum?!? They were charged extra for garbage that that we had to remove from the apt because we had “too much”. UNBELIEVABLE! They are clearly in the business of taking advantage of kids. BTW, if you park in their lot for even a moment without a permit, you will be towed. If you have the opportunity to rent at CBS Rental Charlottesville, RUN THE OTHER WAY!!"

"Unprofessional and Demanding Apparently, when CBS makes an error in their system...thats also on you to fix right away.... CBS rentals notifies my college student that they have not been charged for their parking space for the last several months and that it needed to be paid for immediately or you they will not allow use of spot for next semester. I called to speak with CBS to see how we could work together to resolve the issue. I wasn't looking for a "Free Pass" on the past due amount. The error was in their system. All I was looking for was a little flexibility as to when due since this was no fault of ours. I pay the rent. My student doesn't. I pay whats due monthly according to what CBS puts in the system. When I asked how Im supposed to know Emily informed me that they signed a contract for parking. To which I replied, yes, I understand...but how are they supposed to know if the payment is not put in the portal. She said the portal is for optional use. I said..GREAT! So you send a paper statement?? She said No, that is not our policy, I understand my student is using the space.. and I understand that it should be paid for... Usually when a company makes a mistake they offer some type of flexibility to resolve the issue. Maybe scheduled payments to catch up.... Maybe half now... Half Next Month??? I was just told it needs to be paid now. Bottom line...these people are unprofessional and have no sense of what doing the right thing is. Please use caution when committing to CBS."

"Do not rent with this company unless you have absolutely no other options. This is going to echo a lot of the awful reviews this monopoly of a company has received Some of CBS’s low lights include; after not having to deal with mowing our lawn for the entire year, CBS dumps this responsibility on us, telling us we have around three days to take care of this issue, we were later charged $75 for this as of course we didn’t have a lawnmower in our back pocket. Their homes and apartments are old. There seems to be about 30 layers of paint on the wall, and a stiff gust of wind could bring it all down. The walls and windows are paper thin, I could probably hear every conversation within a 150-foot radius. They never helped with any trash issues, but they were always ready to add $250 charges to tenant accounts without notice for trash issues. The house, outside of individual bedrooms, was Antarctica in the winter, and you felt like you were being baked alive in the summer. We had to remove a couch we had on the porch because it was a fire hazard, so we basically couldn’t have any outdoor furniture the whole year. A quick drive around Charlottesville would show that almost every single other house had outdoor furniture, but not with CBS you won’t. Every single month we were on the lease we were charged a $45 late fee for some guy who wasn’t even on the lease, I cannot make this up. They will find anyway to pull money out of your pockets. They charged $75 for 3 missing keys, $100 to reconnect your electricity. They charge $75 for a wax spill half the size of your palm, another $75 for ONE missing key. It’s a good scheme they run here, as most replacement keys cost $3, they earn a great profit of $72. On top of that, after claiming they would be explicit about charges taken from the security deposit, the overwhelming majority of our fees were labeled under the vague “restoration fee”. Again, some of their properties look like they haven’t been restored since the Gulf War. I will give them this, service requests were answered quickly, where workers just barged in at random business hour times. Their appliances were also fairly new. If you try talk to them and explain a situation in any way, expect an “I understand, but” with no compromise and not one care for any of your legitimate points or any other words that come out of your mouth. I’ve dealt with bad landlords, but these college-town monopolies are a different level of scam. CBS, stop taking advantage of college students that have no time, money, or bargaining power to stand up to your ridiculous way of management as a rental company. Stop over charging for your average at best homes and apartments, where, on top of already crazy prices, you collect thousands of dollars in “restoration fees” but most of the houses look like they haven’t been restored in decades. There is a reason this company has terrible reviews on every site, every one of them seems like something CBS would attempt. I wouldn’t be surprised if a class-action lawsuit is headed their way."

"Pulled 16 inches of hair our of my drain today in my CBS apartment. This is my third CBS apartment and I've lived here for two months. The shower heads and faucets all get covered with mold within a few days of cleaning. The pipes are probably full of mold and bet these drains have never been cleaned based on the amount of stuff that I just pulled out. I'd say this photo is a pretty perfect representation of the three years and three different apartments I've had the pleasure of renting from CBS. I get that college apartments aren't supposed to be the best but for almost $4000 a month for a four bedroom apartment this is straight up highway robbery. Not to mention the crazy rental prices that parents are willing to pay are pushing up rental rates in nearby low income areas and causing homelessness. This business is extremely unethical, will take advantage of you/make your life harder in any way they can, and should be avoided at all costs."