Owner’s Frequently Asked Questions

The property should be in the best possible condition to attract a quality resident. Paint should be in good shape with marred or dirty areas touched up. Neutral colors for walls and floors are best. Blinds or shades are ideal window coverings. The home should be “detailed” clean and the yard in excellent shape.

The competition determines the rental amount. As experts in the field, we know the market and the competitive rental ranges for your home. If the home is marketed too high the home will be vacant much longer. If it is marketed too low, it may be one or two years before the price becomes competitive again.

The property is immediately added to our rental availability list, web sites, and other resources. Lists go out when updated 20 rental advertising websites and classifieds, including CraigsList. We regularly track the marketing effectiveness for all properties.

Vacancy periods are market driven. There is also some luck involved in the right person looking at the right time. On average in today’s Antelope Valley market it takes between four to eight weeks to rent a home. Utilizing our expertise in this area, we have demonstarted a better than average time of two to four weeks for renting homes. Homes rent more slowly between Thanksgiving and New Years. Location and price effect vacancy.

Statistics indicate that 75% of renters own pets. Restricting pets reduces the number of available qualified residents. Pets should be screened and pet references checked out. In general, a well-behaved cat or dog causes less wear and tear on a home and yard then a young child.

It is common to restrict smoking inside the property. This does not significantly reduce the marketability of the property.

In federal, state, and local Fair Housing regulations children come under the protective class of “familiar status”. It is unlawful to discriminate against children in any way.

If a resident has good credit it is common practice to collect first month’s rent and a security deposit up front. A security deposit can be used for any owner costs while a last month’s rent can only be used for rent. For our subsidized rent tenants, we typically only require a security deposit up front. The security deposit is held in a property trust account as required by state real estate regulations.

The rent is due on the first of each month. We begin collection proceedings after the fifth of the month. If the rent is not paid by the 10th we take the first step in the eviction process and send out a 3-day notice to pay rent or vacate. If the resident does not pay by the 10th of the month the owner is notified and eviction papers are filed at the courthouse. Most evictions are the result of loss of employment. In most cases we use an attorney for evictions. We manage over 150 properties. Our eviction rate is less than 2% of properties under management.

State Real Estate Regulations require that rental checks must have cleared the bank and the accounts reconciled to the penny before disbursing funds. The payments to owners along with statements are processed around the 10th of the month. Disbursements are made by ACH direct deposit into the owners’ accounts and statements e-mailed the same day. Payments for the owners who prefer to receive checks are processed between the 10th and 12th. Payments to Owners who had late rents (received after 5th) are processed between the 20th and 25th.

A licensed property manager is always on call for emergencies. We have an extensive network of maintenance personnel and sub-contractors to handle any emergency on your property, day or night. We are on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Over 95% of rental agreements are for one year. Other agreements range from six to eighteen months. At the end of the lease term the owner can decide to renew to the resident (if the resident wishes to remain), vacate the resident, or allow the resident to remain month-to-month. If the market has changed the owner can raise the rent at lease end.

The home’s personal property management team is responsible for approving all maintenance requests. Residents are encouraged to submit all repair requests in writing. It is our policy to notify owners of all maintenance requests above the agreed upon limit. If funds are available the expense will be deducted on the next month’s accounting statement. If funds are not available the property manager will contact the owner for payment arrangements. Sometime a request falls into the category of a maintenance emergency. Emergencies are scheduled immediately and the owner notified at the first possible opportunity. Some maintenance requests can result in a rent abatement if not handled timely. The owner is notified immediately when there is a rent abatable maintenance issue.

The resident is responsible for the rent for the term of the lease. If residents leave before the termination date they will be charged for rent until the home is re-let. We, on behalf of the owner, will do everything possible to re-let the home and minimize the residents’ cost. The owner is not charged for advertising or a re-letting fee.

A refundable security deposit taken at move-in is usually sufficient to handle the minor damage caused by residents. Residents with excellent credit and references seldom cause significant damage. If the resident leaves the property owing money for rent and/or damages they will be billed. If they do not pay, at the owner’s request we will have our attorney file a writ for restitution with the local court. If the court agrees with the charges, the court will enter a judgment against the resident. The judgment can either be turned over to an attorney or a collection agency. A judgment remains on the person’s records for 14 years or until satisfied.