maintenance technician

leasing consultant

maintenance supervisor

assistant manager

general manager

Sentinel Real Estate

The company had some positives, especially having a manager who genuinely supported the team and handled difficult situations professionally.  Whenever my manager was stressed the entire team could feel it. She did not know how to keep the stress from her job away from the rest of the team. When asking a simple question, there was once a time when she gave an attitude all because I did not know how to do something. Not to mention, the team had pulled a "prank" on me when I was out of town visiting family, by saying "the manager was fired" knowing how much stress this had put on me. No other company I have ever been with would allow the employees let alone a "professional manager" follow through with this type of prank in the workplace. The  overall company culture was very drama-filled and often created an unnecessary stressful environment. I worked hard, helped lease the property up, and consistently put in effort, but it felt like there was little recognition or incentive to continue performing at a high level once goals were met.  There was a disconnect between employee effort and company appreciation. The environment and lack of motivation made it difficult to stay engaged long term. Unfortunately, because of these issues, I would not recommend this company as a workplace. They also promised a "bonus" during the interview process to only find out we would not be getting the bonus because of the budget. If you are going to promise your employees, something at least give them half of what they were supposed to get. 

Our management structure changed several times over several years with different reporting requirements each time with no communication just chiding "this is the Sentinel way" when you got it wrong even if it was polar opposite to what the last supervisor had instructed as "the Sentinel way". 

Communication was severely lacking in all areas. The audit process is exhausting and stressful for no reason. Pay and commission structure was obscure and raises were COL only - regular performance reviews nonexistent.  Your only review will be write-ups, which are inconsistent at best - they are not interested in bringing out the best in their employees. Sentinel's bottom line is making money for their investors. They will care insomuch as that goal is accomplished. 

On-site staff gets lip-service support but no real backing. Training is minimal. Their hiring process - they will tell you they'll help with hiring and then don't. Months later they will blame you for staffing issues. Oftentimes communication with higher-ups went unanswered. Mostly you are left on your own, sink-or-swim. For newer properties with fewer problems, this may be fine, but for difficult properties, it was immensely frustrating. If you do actually get some help, it is later held against you that you needed help (this happened many times). 

Good things, there were many good people working there trying their hardest. A lot of people in the company are long timers. Their covid response was proactive. 

Overall, though, way too stressful with little to no support. 

In my beginning years as a Maintenance/Groundskeeper my typical day consisted of maintaining excellent Curb Appeal throughout the site as well as providing maintenance and turning units to "Rent Ready" status. Completed work orders in a timely manner and provided after hours on call. After being promoted to the Maintenance Supervisor position my role increased to supervising a staff of between 2-5 persons. I was also tasked with the responsibility to maintaining Pool/Spa water chemistry, cleaning them and troubleshooting and repairing their respective components/equipment i.e. pump/motors, heaters etc. Troubleshooting and Repairing HVAC systems was also an added responsibility. I was promoted to the Maintenance Coordinator position later and my responsibilities entailed developing 5 and 10 year capital improvements and programs for an apartment portfolio that consisted of apartment communities in 5 states in the Southwest.
Additional responsibilities included developing preventive maintenance programs, walking communities and developing capital improvements for each. The hardest part of the job was traveling to the different states. The most enjoyable part of the job was that the company afforded me the opportunity  to grow in the Property Management Maintenance Field which aided me tremendously in my  present career.

So I had to think long and hard about this so as to give a fair balanced review. Here we go: I’m usually great with handling stressful situations so being at a fast paced and somewhat demanding property does not bother me. I feel I’m a great asset to my community and company and the feedback I get from all the tenants is amazing. I have an extremely positive manager who is supportive and encouraging and she is a working manager also she takes the lead with creating a positive work environment. She also helps with the workload and keeps stress levels very low on the really high demand days. Pay is ok the company could do better at performance based pay and according the employee value/skill set and contributions. No room from advancement no opportunity for promotions so really love what you get hired to do as you may be doing it forever. It’s a very loyal company though. So all in all for me a great fit and great community along with great manager.  Great learning experience you get to test what you are really made of. Great by-the-book attention to detailed paperwork kind of company. Strict dress code (uniforms could be a little more stylish and up to date). Good pay but raises once per annum standard no room for  performance raises. I would definitely recommend this company to someone however only someone with some experience and if I could help train them.  Well that’s all folks.

I love my job and bosses. I have been here over 15 years but from what I hear of the NY corporate office I wouldn't have made it 6 months. They are very old school and believe heavily on the Top down business structure. My immediate bosses treat me like family. I've heard that it depends where you are located. Sentinel has properties in over 35 states. I think property managers have the hardest job of any of them. I could never do their job. Sentinel is very by the book and strictly enforce them. There are lots of tests, training and videos you are required to do. There are so many things and reports you have to do. There is yearly audit  and Fair Housing training. The leasing office is highly encouraged to get CAM or CAP designations. District managers come monthly to audit the property. Asset managers and portfolio directors visit 1-2 x a year to inspect and audit the company. The maintenance coordinator comes 2-3 times a year to inspect and inquire about capital projects. I say these things to give people an idea of what its like to work at the apartment complex. The most enjoyable part of my job is that I matter as a person in my office and they genuinely care about me.

I was originally very excited to work for an apartment complex for Sentinel because I thought it would be really valuable experience for my resume. I only last three weeks. Corporate was basically hands off. The property manager was completely unapproachable and very unorganized. The office as a whole seemed highly unprepared for a new hire. I had better things to do with my time like apply for a better job. The pay sucked, too. The assistant manager was too intent on stealing other people's leads and lying about the rules to get ahead. The other leasing agent I worked with was very kind and helpful and she was the only good thing about working there. Let's not forget about the apartments crawling with roaches and bed bugs. The last thing I wanted to do was bring that nastiness home with me, and I certainly couldn't sell that to someone else without losing sleep at night. I personally wouldn't live there if it were the last place on Earth to live. I found a job a week after I quit making an extra $20,000 a year without having to worry about someone stealing my leads behind my back. I most certainly will not be putting sentinel real estate on my resume. 

The company doesn't care about employees. You are a number. You are taken advantage of and if you ask questions, they go out of their way to eliminate you from the equation. Working for the property was okay, the upper management was a joke. Regionals don't do property visits, set unrealistic expectations, and are completely disorganized with no plan. By far the worst company I've ever worked for in my 20 years in the industry. 

If you're a supervisor and have no staff, they expect you to do it all. Take on call for months at a time, and don't bother asking for a break or for someone to cover you. You won't get any help unless you're on the "liked" list. I signed an offer to be on call 6 months out of the year but ended up giving them 10 months. Did they thank me? Nope. Did they give me a bonus? Nope. Did they offer help? Nope. They just told me "Managers and supervisors" are expected to go above and beyond. 

The best decision I made was leaving them behind. 

They're toxic. 

So, if you like your mental health, if you like being treated like a person and not a number, and if you like low stress I'd suggest running away from this company as soon as possible. 

I was with this company for 7 plus years and just left in 2022. So I’m very familiar with how this company is ran. They rope you in and give you a discount to stay onsite. Knowing how expensive it is to live anywhere else it makes it very hard to leave…. And they know that. What comes with that is alot of expectation. If you live on-site they expect you to always be ready/willing to work. Even when you’re not on the clock.  There is no work/home life balance. Your life is work, that’s it. The office girls will text you day/night even on days off. You have to respond within 15 or you get a phone call threatening to write you up. You could be cooking, showering, napping, spending time with your kids or whatever, they don’t care you belong to them. Now upper management is way worse I won’t get into that. This company doesn’t offer fair raises but 3% ever year. Mine was 27 cents. No monthly bonuses either. 

Now even after reading all that and you still decide to work for them do not live onsite. You will need time to be away and unwind 

I was the Assistant Manager at this high end luxury apartment community. I posted rent on a daily basis, I was able to build a good rapport with all of my residents, and most did pay on time, so I hardly ever had to file eviction. I worked closely with my Manager and became Hi Rise Certified in Fire Safety. I also completed AP, payroll, trained all new staff and assisted my Property Manager with the daily reports. The hardest part of my job was that I was getting $9K per month luxury Pent House Suites leased. It was always a challenge, however we managed to lease those with the right advertising. The most enjoyable part of my job was being extremely proud of working for one of the nicest apartment communities at the time. We had every amenity you could imagine. A cigar Bar, A Wine cellar, state of the art fitness center, concierges and valet just to name a few!

A typical day at work can be challenging, with a fast-paced environment and high expectations. I often had to juggle multiple responsibilities, from managing operations to handling customer concerns, all while ensuring everything ran smoothly.

What I learned was how to adapt quickly, think on my feet, and improve my problem-solving skills. However, management was often inconsistent, which made it difficult to get clear direction or support when needed.

The workplace culture could be stressful at times, with high demands and limited appreciation for hard work. The hardest part of the job was dealing with unrealistic expectations and a lack of communication, which made tasks more difficult than they needed to be.

Despite this, the most enjoyable part was the satisfaction of overcoming challenges and working alongside great colleagues who made tough days more manageable. Helping customers and seeing positive results from my efforts was also rewarding.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Maintenance technician 43 salaries reported	$24.79 per hour
Leasing consultant 38 salaries reported	$22.79 per hour
Maintenance supervisor 22 salaries reported	$34.19 per hour
Assistant manager 7 salaries reported	$26.07 per hour
General manager 9 salaries reported	$80,355 per year

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