MEET THE OWNER, BROKER-IN-CHARGE

We complete a walk-thru of the property with you and make suggestions/recommendations with the goal of preventing maintenance calls and costs, i.e. water connections that might be susceptible to leaks and cause damage, any improvements that might increase the rental amount, etc. We also schedule a time for photography taking complimentary photos of your property so that it is best represented in our advertisements.

We begin marketing your property when we receive a completed management agreement, or in the case of an existing lease, when the tenant provides 30 days’ notice that they will be vacating. As noted in the property management agreement, our leasing fee includes the cost of coordinating and managing the advertising of your property.

Our goal is to have your home rented as soon as it is available. It does take time to find fully qualified tenants, so it is impossible to predict. Many factors come into play: time of year, location, price, amenities, and overall condition of the property. Pricing the property competitively and making sure your property is in the best condition possible are very important to reducing the amount of time needed. Ultimately, the only thing worse than a vacancy is having the wrong tenant in your property. Know that we are diligent in screening prospects with your best interest in mind.

We will contact you as needed to discuss activity, market conditions and advertising results should the property remain vacant for any extended period. We may also call you with questions about accepting certain types of pets or specific requests from prospective tenants.

Owners are briefed on policies, minimum lease requirements, pet policy, etc. prior to the execution of the management agreement. In the event, anything comes up that falls outside of those parameters, the property manager will follow up with the owner to discuss or ask for approval, i.e. number of pets allowed, maximum lease length, etc. A copy of the lease is provided at the begging of the lease and available upon request.

Owners are also notified of any expenditure more than $250 and provided with associated receipts as an attachment to the monthly statement. Monthly statements are emailed and posted to the Owner’s Portal no later than the 15th of the month. In addition, periodic maintenance inspections are conducted upon request, and the results posted to the Owner’s Portal and by email. Please let your property manager know of any additional detail you require.

Nearly 50% of all renters have pet(s).  We recommend advertising your property as “Pets Negotiable”. You can always say “no” to an applicant if you do not like the age, size or breed of the pets. We do not allow Akita, Chow, Pit-bull, Rottweiler, or any cross breed with wolf, without owner approval and verification that doing so does not violate the owner’s insurance coverage.

As of 2020, We have added to all leases that all our properties are “Non-Smoking” properties. This rule protects your property from the damage that can be caused by smoke.

Familial status is protected under Federal Fair Housing laws. We do not discriminate against families or any other protected class.

All applicants must go through a thorough screening process. The very first step is a search of the courthouse records to determine any negative information that would disqualify an applicant before we ever agree to show them the property. The next step includes screening credit, criminal background, employment/income, sex offender, and landlord references. Placing qualified tenants in your property is one of the most important jobs we do as your property manager. If an owner encounters a situation where they need to rent to someone that we do not approve, we may choose to return the property to the owner for management.

Before we turn over the keys, all tenants are required to pay the security deposit along with any applicable pet fees and the rent payment.

Owners should maintain all utilities in their name until advised otherwise by us. Failure to do this could result in additional fees to the owner for utility hook-up inspections. Tenants are expected to set up utilities in their name on or by the first date of occupancy. We also set up a landlord account with the utility companies so that the bill reverts to our business name when a tenant moves out. This prevents unnecessary utility connect fees.

We require tenants to pay their rent online via our secure web site on or before the 1st of each month. If rent payments are not received by the 5th day of the month, we will send a communication to the tenant advising them of their delinquency.  If we are not successful in collecting rents immediately though our contact with the tenant, we will notify you and take steps to secure the rent and/or file eviction proceedings.

When a tenant breaks the lease prior to its expiration the tenant is responsible for paying the rent, the utility cost and maintaining the property until a new tenant can be found. Associated leasing and marketing fees are also the responsibility of the tenant.

We conduct thorough move-in/move-out inspections to assess whether a deduction from departing tenants’ security deposit is appropriate and insure the property is ready for incoming tenants. We share the photographs taken at the time of the inspection as well as a detailed inspection report. 

We will process owner draws in most cases on or before the 10th of the month. Holidays can sometimes cause a processing delay due to timing of funds clearing the bank. The preferred and quickest method to receive your monthly draw is via ACH deposit, which can be set-up through your property manager. In addition, we email a monthly owner’s statement at the time we disburse funds and annual  comprehensive statement and 1099 at the end of the year.

All owners are advised to contact their insurance agent to determine if any change in coverage is warranted.  In addition, it is extremely important to make your insurance company aware that the property is being rented to insure ongoing coverage.

Tenants are advised that the owner’s insurance does not protect their personal belongings and require that tenants obtain a renter’s insurance policy through a 3rd party or they may purchase insurance offered through Quartermaster Properties.

Our staff is always available to our tenants.  When an emergency call is received, we will determine the severity of the problem and dispatch the needed service. If an issue arises during the night, owners will be advised via email with a follow up call the following morning. We define an emergency as a fire, flood or any dangerous or hazardous situation.

We are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST and are happy to handle owner questions and assist you in any way we can. Non-emergency inquiries and calls received outside of normal working hours are addressed on the following workday.

Under special situations, vacant properties can be shown to prospects by appointment outside of normal office hours.