1. What does RE-Homing Texas, LLC do to qualify a tenant after they have made application to rent my property?
This is one of the most important aspects of the successful management of rental property. We look at an applicant’s past behavior and assume their future behavior will be the same. An applicant must demonstrate a history of being a good, responsible tenant as well as meeting our financial criteria.
APPLICATION
After a prospective resident has been shown a property and has expressed a desire to lease it, our Rental Application must be submitted. The prospective tenant must also submit a nonrefundable Application Fee. The application fee is retained by the company to defray the cost of processing the application. Upon approval of the application, the the Security Deposit is requested in 24 hours for that property.
SCREENING
We subscribe to Acutraq a premiere tenant performance reporting company.
LANDLORD VERIFICATIONS
Acutraq verifies the true owner or agent for the property. They personally talk to past landlords and ask detailed questions about the applicant’s past performance.
SCORED RETAIL CREDIT REPORTS
Acutraq provides us with their exclusive Transunion Credit Report which tells us the applicant’s current and past performance in meeting their financial obligations. It also tells us their monthly debt and shows their previous addresses (which we compare to addresses listed on the application). An applicant must have acceptable credit to qualify.
EMPLOYMENT / INCOME VERIFICATIONS
Acutraq also provides us with a complete employment picture. They verify job title, job status, salary and prospects for continued employment. An applicant needs to earn at least 3 times the monthly rent in gross income to qualify for rental.
EVICTION & CRIMINAL REPORTS
Acutraq has access to public records that tell us if the applicant has ever been evicted. They also provide us with criminal background checks. This is a level of scrutiny that most other property management companies do not perform.
If accepted, the applicant’s in-processing includes a detailed explanation of the lease, lease signing, collecting pro-rated rent, and providing the tenants with a copy of our Lease Rules and Regulations and our Detailed Property Check List. Our Lease Rules and Regulations further explains our Lease Agreement and provides information about rental payments, lawn care and maintenance, pets, service calls/emergency repairs, check- in/out procedures, lease renewal and termination, utilities, security deposit, etc. The Lease-Rules and Regulations becomes an addendum to the Lease Agreement.
2. How informed will I be about what happens with my property?
We believe that you hire a property manager to manage the property for you, not to assist you in managing it yourself. We offer a turnkey style of property management service which is most appreciated by those property owners who prefer to be “out of the loop” on all but the most important matters related to the management and leasing of the property.
We don’t pester you with small details, questions, information or “updates” about your property or tenants, except for those matters which will have a significant impact on your monthly cash flow. Instead, we simply take care of the things you have entrusted us to handle on your behalf.
3. What do you do to get my property leased?
Renting homes is a merchandising rather than a selling effort. Many tenants find their homes by looking at the outer appearance of properties in neighborhoods where they want to live. We place signs with our company name and telephone number, and it is one of our best methods of attracting potential tenants. We also acquire tenants through the Multiple Listing Service, Internet web searches, other Real Estate companies, Military Housing Office, rental agencies, walk-in business, and referrals from satisfied clients.
FOR RENT SIGNS
“For Rent” signs are normally placed on a rental property thirty (30) days prior to the property’s availability date. For new property, the sign is placed on the date the unit first comes under our management or, if necessary, when the property is in a showing condition. Unless restricted by Neighborhood Associations or City Ordinances, signs are placed in the yard where they are visible to traffic.
BASE HOUSING
Properties are posted at AHRN.com which is the major source of our military tenants.
LEASING LOCATORS
We make all of our listings available to the many Lease locator Companies. These non-REALTOR® companies specialize in helping tenants find apartments, houses, and duplexes.
WORD OF MOUTH / REFERRALS
We regularly receive referrals from our current and past tenants, friends of our tenants, and from other Broker’s agents.
INTERNET LISTINGS
We have developed our website, which provides information on rental homes to families that are planning to relocate into the San Antonio area. Our properties are posted online here at ReHomingTexas.com, and listings are updated regularly.
CORRECT PRICING
Even the best properties will not lease quickly if overpriced. We analyze the market to be certain your home is priced according to current market conditions.
THOROUGH PREPARATION
The most desirable properties, priced well, will not lease quickly if they are not in top condition. Properties must show well and have “curb appeal”. We make sure your property is presented in a clean and attractive condition so that it will catch the attention of a good, qualified tenant.
WE SHOW YOUR PROPERTY PERSONALLY
We have motivated leasing agents, who are all licensed REALTORS®, who personally show your property. Potential tenants ARE NOT permitted to take keys and view properties.
Normally, there are three factors that make a property difficult to rent:
1) undesirable neighborhood, 2) it does not show well, or 3) the rent is not competitive. If one of the last two problems appears to be a factor in marketing your property, we will make suggestions to correct them.
We do our utmost to keep all properties rented, not only for your benefit but also because our income is based on a percentage of the rental income.
SOME RENTAL FACTS:
- Monday is the busiest phone day.
- Renters visit three to five properties before making a decision.
- It usually takes two visits for a renter to make a decision.
- Over 75% decide to rent in the spring or summer.
- 58% of the prospective tenants use the Internet.
- The female is the primary decision maker.
4. How do you make sure the tenant is taking good care of my property?
First, careful tenant selection protects your property from being rented to unqualified people. During the lease term, we may have occasion to enter the property for repair or maintenance reasons and will use that opportunity to examine the property.
In addition, we will generally schedule a 6 month property survey walk-through to see how the tenants are maintaining the property.
We make sure the air filter is being changed, that the smoke alarms have batteries and that there are no unreported problems at the property.
We will also schedule a renewal survey when the tenant renews the lease. This protects both you and your property. The right for us to make routine inspections of the property is part of the tenant’s lease agreement.
5. How do you make sure the tenant is taking good care of my property?
First, careful tenant selection protects your property from being rented to unqualified people. During the lease term, we may have occasion to enter the property for repair or maintenance reasons and will use that opportunity to examine the property.
In addition, we will generally schedule a 6 month property survey walk-through to see how the tenants are maintaining the property.
We make sure the air filter is being changed, that the smoke alarms have batteries and that there are no unreported problems at the property.
We will also schedule a renewal survey when the tenant renews the lease. This protects both you and your property. The right for us to make routine inspections of the property is part of the tenant’s lease agreement.
6. What do you do if they are not taking care of my property as they should?
We give them an opportunity to correct the situation, and usually they will. If a problem persists, we will make a decision based on that specific situation.
7. What happens if the tenant does not pay their rent?
If payment has not been made by the 5th – 6th day of the month, we send an eviction notice. Whether or not we eventually have to proceed with a formal eviction depends on the specific circumstances. It is usually financially better, for all involved, if a solution can be worked out. If the tenant has experienced a one-time event which caused them a financial hardship, and we have had no previous problems with them, we will normally give them a chance to catch up, if there is reason to believe they can do so. If the tenant has demonstrated an ongoing pattern of late payments, broken promises and/or evasiveness, eviction is usually the best course of action.
Each case is unique, and we make our decisions based on what is best for you and the property in the long run. We always proceed with the legal notices required for eviction regardless of any other factors. We will simply postpone the actual filing of the eviction if the tenant is showing favorable effort toward resolution. Evictions in Texas are a simple legal matter as there is no way a tenant can prevail in court if they have not paid rent, and the landlord has properly executed the notices and filing. Full evictions, when necessary, can usually be completed in five to eight weeks.
8. What if I want you to use my plumber, HVAC Company, etc.?
We will be happy to invite them to join our vendor list if they are qualified and insured, but we cannot promise that a specific vendor will be dispatched to your home for certain repairs. We already have a stable of very qualified and reasonably priced vendors that we have used for many years. If a company you prefer wants to be added to our vendor list, they can contact us and we will interview them and let them know what documentation and references we need. However, we cannot guarantee that your favorite company will be sent on all service calls to your property. Our concern is always to resolve repair problems in the timeliest way possible with the best available vendor at the time. We cannot keep track of a pre-established roster of which vendors are assigned to certain properties – it would be very cumbersome and inefficient and would not achieve the best service to you, the tenant, or your property.
Our professional reputation, with both tenants and owners, is largely, if not entirely, determined by how well we handle maintenance. Therefore, we follow a practice that is most likely to insure the best possible response and resolution to problems.
9. When do you mail the owner’s checks and statements?
Frequently, I get asked why owners have to wait so long to get their rent proceeds when rent is due on the 1st of the month. I think that it is a good question and I would like to take a moment to answer it! Yes, our lease agreement states that the rent is due on the 1st of the month. Texas law says that we have to give the tenants a grace period. Therefore, the tenants have to midnight on the 2nd before they are considered to be late with their rent.
So consequently, when we open our office on the (3rd), we have a lot of rents that were dropped off late on the night of the 3rd. If the 4th falls on a Saturday or Sunday, or a holiday, in which case we are closed, this will further delay the process. The checks that we receive on the morning of the 4th, we have to post into the property management software. Then we have to do a deposit for the bank, on the afternoon of the 4th, if all goes smoothly, we take the deposits to the bank. The bank then has to post these deposits to our account, if it falls on a weekend or a holiday, does not happen until the following Monday, or workday for the bank. Therefore, if the funds for us to send you your money are not credited or put into our account before we send out checks then some of checks we send out could be returned for Non-sufficient funds, causing numerous other problems for all of us. Typically owners will be paid on or before the 15th of the month.
We process statements and rent proceeds between the 7th and 10th of each month. You should receive your statement and rent proceeds no later than the 15th providing the property is occupied and the rent has been paid on time.
Disbursements are made by check and mailed with the owner’s statement and statements are mailed the same day. We now email owner’s statements that receive their rent process by check.
Payments to Owners who had late rents (received after 5th) and before the 15th are processed between the 15th and 20th of the month. Late payments received after the 15th of the month are processed the following month.
If you have not received your statement and rental proceeds by the 15th of the month, please call our office, but calls prior to the 15th will just delay the processing of your funds and statement. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
10. What bills will you take care of getting paid for me, related to my rental property?
We will pay your lawn service and any other bills or invoices generated as a result of repairs, utilities or other services to your property. We are not able to pay mortgage or insurance payments on your behalf.
We strongly recommend that owners pay their own HOA fees in order to avoid the possibility of fines and fees or other legal issues that could arise.
There must be sufficient cash flow from the property to cover such expenses, and sometimes we must set up an additional reserve fund for this purpose, which will allow us to make prompt payment for you without waiting for the rent to arrive.
11. What if I do not see the answer to my question here?
Contact us by phone, or at info@rehomingtexas.com
Just for Sellers
Selling a home, condo, or any other type of real estate requires expert knowledge and someone who will work tirelessly on your behalf. If you are interested in selling your home, please contact Christine Felux, the Owner/Broker at RE-Homing Texas, LLC, today!