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 website, rental availability list, and many online real estate websites. A sign is placed on the property and marketing photos will be taken.

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 Greater Fort Polk area market it takes between four to eight weeks to rent a home. 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 than 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.

It is our practice to collect a security deposit up front. A security deposit can be used for any owner costs and damages after a resident vacates your property.  The security deposit is held in a resident trust account as required by state real estate regulations.

The rent is due on the first of each month. We contact delinquent residents on the sixth of the month and delinquent letters are mailed. Most delinquencies and subsequent evictions are the result of loss of employment. We manage over 80 properties. Our eviction rate is less than 1% 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 by the 10th of the month. Depending on the owner’s preference, disbursements are made by ACH direct deposit into the owners’ accounts or by mailing checks.

A 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. We are on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Our rental agreements are for one year. Near the end of the lease term we will send renewal notices to the residents.  The owner can decide to renew the lease (if the resident wishes to remain), vacate the resident, or allow the resident to remain month-to-month.

Residents are encouraged to submit all repair requests in writing. Most owner will set a limit on what amount of repairs can be done without notifying them, it is our policy to notify owners of most maintenance requests. If funds are available the expense will be deducted on the accounting statement. If funds are not available the property manager will contact the owner for payment arrangements. Sometimes a request falls into the category of a maintenance emergency. Emergencies are scheduled immediately and the owner notified at the first possible opportunity.

The resident is responsible for the rent for the term of the lease. If residents leave before the termination date they will forfeit their security deposit and will be charged for balance of the rent due.

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.