1. What needs to be done to my house?

2. How will you find tenants and how long will it take?

3. Why are we so much less expensive than the competition?

4. Can I say who I want as tenants for my house?

5. When do I get my money each month?

6. Who does the repairs on my property?

7. Can I use my own contractor?

8. What happens if a tenant does damage?

9. What happens if the tenant leaves before the end of the lease?

 

1. What needs to be done to my house?

The better condition your property is in, the better quality tenant we will attract for you.  This means that the property should be clean, walls should be painted a neutral color if they are dirty or marred, and things should be in good repair.  It is best to have window coverings on the windows, such as blinds.  Depending on the time of the year, snow removal or lawn care should be done prior to the new tenant moving in.

Upon taking over management, we will go through your property and make note of the condition and what we would suggest being done.  You would then instruct us what you want done.

2. How will you find tenants and how long will it take?

Once we start management, a rental file is created.  Your property is added to our list of available properties.  Newspaper ads are generally run as needed.  We pass along to you our contract ad rates so you save significantly on these ads.  We will also place a for lease sign on your property in most cases.  The time of year, the condition, location, and price of the property will determine the lease of a property in good condition during the spring and summer months.  Higher price ranges and properties on the fringes of the metro area can take longer.  Some properties lease within days.  There are many variables.

3. Why are we so much less expensive than the competition?

We believe that if we are your one stop shop for property management, maintenance, and sales, we can offer superior pricing and far better service than the competition. Consistently updating our procedures and processes allows us to streamline the flow of communication and handle tasks quickly, which makes us very efficient, and means we are able to pass the savings along to you. Ultimately, if you make more with us, you will invest more with us, and so the cycle continues.

4. Can I say who I want as tenants for my house?

You can specify whether or not you want tenants with pets (in most situations) or even tenants who don’t smoke.  However, the more restrictive you are, the longer it could take to rent your property.  You cannot discriminate against any protected class under the federal, state, or local fair housing laws, such as saying you don’t want children.  Because of this, it is best that you stay out of the selection process.  We are professionals in leasing.  We have specific criteria that every applicant has to pass in order to rent your property.

5. When do I get my money each month?

Rents are due in our office on the first of each month.  We will collect the rent and then by the twentieth, after rent checks have cleared, we will send a detailed monthly statement showing all the income and expenses for the month as well as issue any excess funds in your account.

6. Who does the repairs on my property?

The tenants do have responsibility for some of the maintenance on your property.  In most cases, they have to replace burned out light bulbs, change furnace filters, change batteries in the smoke detectors, and provide other “maintenance” on the property.  Tenants are usually responsible for the lawn care and snow removal, and other yard maintenances, and for any repairs necessitated by their own actions or negligence.

When repairs need to be done outside the scope of the tenant’s responsibility, we would have one of our in-house maintenance technicians or one of our sub-contractors handle the job.  Our workers are available for your property maintenance needs 24 hours a day and their work is guaranteed.  Because of the volume of work we do with them, we usually get lower rates than you would get if you called them directly, and we pass our savings along to you.

7. Can I use my own contractor?

We can use your contractor if you wish; however, as protection for you and us, they would need to have the ability to respond and complete the work on a timely basis and be able to provide proof of licensing and insurance, as required.

8. What happens if a tenant does damage?

A security deposit taken at move-in is usually adequate to handle most damage that a properly screened tenant may cause.  Tenants with good credit and prior rental or ownership history seldom cause much damage.  The horror stories you may have heard about a property being “trashed” generally are less expensive properties that have been rented without the proper application and screening process.  Our screening process is very thorough and can include credit, rental and ownership history, income and employment, with specific acceptance guidelines for each.   Should the tenant leave your property owing more than is covered by the deposit, they will be billed.  If they do not pay, they will be turned over to a collection agency or court action may be taken if appropriate.

9. What happens if the tenant leaves before the end of the lease?

The tenant is responsible for the rent for the duration of the lease.  If they choose to leave prior to the termination date of the lease, they will be charged for the rent until the property is re-rented again.  They are also responsible for paying us a re-leasing fee and advertising costs so you do not incur this expense.  Most responsible tenants value their credit and their commitments and therefore honor their lease.

If you have any additional questions that were not addressed here, please at call us at 248-609-7108.