community manager

leasing consultant

maintenance technician

maintenance supervisor

senior maintenance person

Hawthorne Residential Partners

A typical day at work:
A typical day is fast-paced, collaborative, and focused on both resident satisfaction and client success. There is a strong emphasis on delivering results while maintaining high service standards. Teams communicate regularly, and there is consistent alignment around performance goals and operational excellence.

What I’ve learned:
In my first 30+ days, I’ve learned how important reputation management, customer experience, and process consistency are in property management. Hawthorne holds one of the top reputation management scores in the industry for resident satisfaction, and it’s clear that this is intentional. I’ve also gained insight into scaling operations during growth and how strong communication supports that expansion.

Management:
Leadership is approachable and engaged. They provide clear expectations while also being supportive and open to feedback. There is a dedicated system in place for employees to share ideas and concerns, and leadership personally reviews feedback, which demonstrates accountability and transparency.

Workplace culture:
The culture is welcoming, professional, and customer- and client-focused. From day one, I felt supported by peers and leadership. There is a strong emphasis on teamwork, performance, and continuous improvement, especially as the company continues to grow.

The hardest part of the job:
With rapid growth, some processes are still being streamlined, which can require flexibility and adaptability. However, leadership is actively working on refining systems and improving efficiencies.

The most enjoyable part of the job:
The most enjoyable part is being part of a high-performing, service-driven organization and collaborating with talented professionals who genuinely care about residents, clients, and one another. It’s rewarding to contribute to a company that values both results and people.

Be prepared for a demanding, around-the-clock responsibility. You’ll often find yourself on call 24/7, with limited support, especially when staffing is insufficient. While you’re expected to manage and maintain your own property, don’t be surprised if you’re frequently pulled to assist at other struggling sites—causing delays and increased pressure at your own.

Upper management often lacks a clear understanding of what day-to-day operations actually entail. Despite ongoing requests, the tools, staff, and resources needed to maintain a property to the standards being marketed are frequently unavailable. This leads to overworked technicians and underwhelmed residents, creating a stressful environment where you absorb the frustration of tenants who expected more for the premium rent they’re paying.

The job itself is multifaceted—you’re not just a maintenance technician. You’re a plumber, painter, HVAC specialist, pool technician, event support, vendor coordinator, and more. Yet, compensation rarely reflects the diversity and volume of responsibilities. The promise of a “luxury” work environment often translates into luxury expectations without the luxury support.

Work-life balance is nearly non-existent. Many properties have only two technicians rotating on-call duties weekly, meaning you’re on call half the year. It’s mentally, physically, and emotionally taxing.

When corporate visits are scheduled, the priority shifts to making everything look perfect, often by hiding operational challenges instead of addressing them. The focus is on optics rather than sustainable improvements, often to the benefit of upper management bonuses rather than frontline support.

Budget constraints frequently undermine quality, with cost-cutting measures like hiring underqualified contractors who compromise the integrity of the units. Unfortunately, the burden to fix or explain these issues often falls back on the in-house team.

If you’re passionate about quality work and take pride in doing things right, be prepared to face blame for the time it takes to maintain those standards. It’s a tough role, often thankless, and it can wear you down if changes aren’t made from the top.

Before taking a role like this, consider whether the company’s values align with your own, and whether the support systems are truly in place to let you succeed—not just survive.

When I started with this company, I could not be happier. I genuinely loved working here and had planned a long term career with them. However, when I was transferred to another property, I kept receiving heads-up to "watch myself" and "be careful" over there. 
Things were going well until we fell behind on our new unit construction, we are talking 6-9 months behind. We had already pre-leased many units and were having to make concessions for them left and right- not the leasing staff's fault but man were we given a hard time when we did even though our Regional Mgr/Property Mgr approved each and every one. I had a majority of the new leases so many of these concessions were for my residents. The strain was evident for everyone, especially our management every time someone would come by from corporate to "inspect" but, we all joked that this was part of growing pains and it would be over soon.
Then one day, I get called into the office with a list of accusations, and was told I was being terminated. I was shocked and was able to show evidence to the contrary to every claim, so my property manager at the time advised me to contact corporate, and that she and the Regional would be "There to help". I contacted corporate, submitted an appeal showing that these accusations were not accurate.HR called me and refused to discuss anything, saying that I was terminated because "the behaviors had not changed" (I'm sorry what?), and that my Property manager is the one who actually submitted my termination request. Neither she nor my Regional ever returned my calls, and I never received my last commission check. 
I now know that Its a well know secret among the employees that this company is known for doing things like this to shift blame away from the higher levels of management and will terminate employees over just about anything. Unless you are related the the CEO that is- that gets you promoted after breaking in another properties swimming pool to go skinny dipping. Not even kidding. My tip for any future employees? Document EVERYTHING, although that did not help in my case, and if possible, be related to the CEO.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I appreciated the opportunity to work for this company and the access to classes intended to support advancement. However, in practice, growth did not feel equitable. Favoritism appeared to influence opportunities, and despite additional training, pay and work responsibilities remained mediocre and often did not reflect the effort or skills required. Management support was inconsistent, and the overall environment lacked positivity and clear direction. While I’m grateful for the experience, it ultimately felt like a dead end with limited return for the investment employees were asked to make.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part was the lack of consistent management support and clear, fair advancement. Although classes were offered, favoritism often determined who truly benefited, and added responsibilities were not matched with appropriate pay or recognition. This created ongoing frustration and uncertainty about growth.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work culture is fast-paced and generally upbeat, which can be energizing. However, it is also unpredictable, and when combined with inconsistent management support, favoritism, and unclear advancement, this unpredictability often became stressful rather than motivating.

I think HRP has the foundation to be a great company, but falls short. It’s definitely one of those companies that expand too quickly and lose themselves along the way. HRP is constantly pushing events, spirit week, and campaigns, but fails to make sure that teams at the site-level are being taken care of. My team and I are drowning and it doesn’t seem like anyone cares. My regional is nice enough, but makes it seem like I’m a burden anytime I call her. They let the residents walk all over us. Corporate is very big on resident status faction, which don’t get me wrong, is exactly what they should be focusing on. But it’s to the degree that they let the on-site team fall short. I honestly can’t wait to find another job. All of the systems are outdated, technology never works, and half of my working day is just spent trying to undo things that have broken. We have to do so much extra work just to prove we did our jobs and that takes too much time out of my work day. It’s to the point that I have to work an additional ten hours a week just to keep up. The work/life balance is terrible. The pay seems okay, but I’m working way outside of it. Every manager seems so stressed out. HRP needs to work on making sure every site is succeeding and has what we need before moving on to new projects. The CEO seems really nice. The company culture sounds good on paper, just not in practice. There are better companies out there. 

The company offers pay that’s higher than many smaller competitors, but still not on par with larger organizations. In recent months, the workload and expectations have become unreasonable, with constantly changing policies and increasing pressure on community managers. It’s clear that corporate is shifting most of the responsibility to site-level teams while offering little real support.
The marketing department is ineffective and only focuses on lease-ups, leaving established properties with minimal help. If you have a team member who isn’t performing, it can take months to address the issue, which adds even more stress.
Additionally, the property accountants are often slow to process payments. You frequently receive multiple “past due” invoices each month and have to spend time verifying whether they were actually entered and simply not paid. This effectively doubles the workload on that side of operations.
The company likes to promote a strong culture and positive values, but in reality, that culture feels more like a slogan than something truly practiced. Overall, the idea behind the company is good, but the execution, support, and balance just aren’t there.

I worked with this company for 3 DAYS as a Leasing Consultant. The Property Manager told me on a daily basis that I’m not a people person although I have been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years!  Let me tell you, this was the worst experience of my career so far. I wasn’t trained at all, was spoken down to every day that I worked there by the Property Manager who is fake as can be. She would be on the phone speaking to friends or family all day and then when 6pm comes complains that she didn’t get anything done. Wonder why?!?  I felt very disrespected at the property and couldn’t believe there was NO training for me yet. I was asked to work on my 3rd day alone on a Saturday because it was my Managers birthday on Sunday and she wanted off work. Even though she left me for 3 hours alone on Friday and took a really long lunch break. I just sat there and was basically told to figure it out. Then when I asked the Property Manager a question she said she wasn’t sure and would have to send an email to find the answer or call another Manager. Ridiculous! After 3 days I couldn’t take it anymore. I sent my Regional Manager an email and all she said was take care. Not asking me about the experience so that showed me that they don’t care. Glad to be gone from this company!

- CEO is one of the best in the business.  Truly cares.
- Benefits package is strong.  
- As a CM, your regional and assistant define your experience, for better or for worse.  If you have a supportive regional and a hardworking assistant? You'll love it at Hawthorne.  However, those are few and far between.  
- Policies are seriously outdated.  Feels like getting a bill passed in congress to get ANYTHING done with HR.
- RM is in charge of all staffing/hiring, ultimately, CM's have little to no say.
- Great promotion opportunities for assistant managers, maintenance techs, and leasing agents, but a lack of promotion opportunities at a CM or higher level unless you know the right people in corporate.  
- Diversity is non-existent at a corporate level. 

Overall, if you want strong benefits, a CEO who truly stands by the company motto, and you're just getting started in property management and don't mind working hard? Hawthorne isn't half bad.  If you're a community manager looking to advance your career? Look elsewhere - better regionals and higher compensation await. 

Middle management is terrible. They overload you with work then write you up for working overtime.  They have openings but won't hire help. I spent 7 months on call by myself. The job is so stressful  (maintenance) 4 guys I know in the area have developed ulcers, PTSD, or heart trouble or combinations of all in the past year. I don't think ownership is aware of how badly the maintenance department is treated. Whenever I discussed these things with my supervisor it fell on deaf ears. It's a shame I really love the job but I have never been treated as poorly as I was here at Hawthorne. The whole company's full of clicks if you're not in the click they abuse you if you don't kiss but they abuse you. Also they force you to go to a conference every year and they're supposed to pay for your travel expenses and they don't. If you don't go they charge you $800 out of your paycheck and if you do go they don't reimburse you for your expenses I asked to being reimbursed at least 10 times and never got my money back. I was told this was a good company to work for but that cease to exist a while before I got there. Beware of this company.

Multi tasking and having different to do lists everyday keeps the office job less boring. You get to meet residents and build relationships where they want to stay. However, in the office it’s basically a double standard for everything. If you do everything and then some, it’s still questioned that you didn’t do one more thing. You can’t really have a work life balance because you’re expected to have to work every weekend instead of rotating like they say they do when you’re hired. The manager will come in 30 minutes to an hour after 9, and leave an hour early everyday, but make you feel guilty for using your PTO. When you bring any complaints or frustrations up it’s not taken seriously. You are expected to pick up slack when you’re understaffed and then critiqued because you aren’t able to do 2 people’s jobs perfectly, while also having everything fall onto your desk. You have to handle the office while they do “reports” and you hear them talk on their cell phone with other properties OR their friends. The live it culture stuff really does only work for people in higher positions. Turnover rates are high and burnout comes quickly. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Community manager 5 salaries reported	$73,400 per year
Leasing consultant 3 salaries reported	$15.50 per hour
Maintenance technician 1 salary reported	$22.00 per hour
Maintenance supervisor 1 salary reported	$30.00 per hour
Senior maintenance person 2 salaries reported	$17.69 per hour

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