FAQ

Our most commonly asked questions by prospective owners

• What needs to be done to my house before it is ready for rent?
• How will you find tenants for my house? How long will it take?
• Do you collect first and last months rent?
• Can I say that I do not want any pets or smokers in the house? 
• How does Fair Housing impact me?
• What happens if the tenant does not pay rent on time?
• When do I get my money each month?
• How am I protected if the tenant damages the property?
• What happens if the tenant leaves before the end of the lease?
• Will I get called in the middle of the night with emergencies?
• Who does the repairs on the properties you manage? Can I use my own contractors?

What needs to be done to my house before it is ready for rent?

The better condition your house is in, the better quality tenant it will attract. Your home must be left in professionally cleaned condition. Your Property Manager prefers to arrange this cleaning to insure that the cleaning guidelines are strictly followed. The carpets must be professionally cleaned and all debris and personal belongings removed from the house.

It is not necessary to paint automatically, but you should consider painting any room that has dirty or marred walls. A neutral color is best. Your Property Manager will be happy to discuss any necessary repairs or painting with you. Neutral window coverings such as blinds should be left, preferably not curtains. Tenants moving into a rental property do expect some sort of window coverings to be provided for privacy and safety.

The tenants are required to maintain the yard in the condition it is provided to them. Therefore, the yard should be freshly mowed, weeded, trimmed and the leaves and debris removed.

How will you find tenants for my house? How long will it take?

Your property will be advertised on our website, as well as several other national third party websites. It will also be posted on craigslist regularly. A Property Information Sheet will be prepared for your property with all the necessary information and pictures. This information is given to anyone who sees the property, and is often faxed to people who have indicated an interest.

We are in frequent contact with many real estate agents in the Portland metro area as well as the relocation offices of major companies.

It normally takes two to four weeks to rent a home. It sometimes takes longer in the winter. A property is activated on our website as soon as we receive notice from the existing tenant and permission from the owner to re-rent.

Do you collect first and last month's rent?

Commonly move-in costs in the Portland area are about two months rent.

We collect a pro-rated rent at move in plus a refundable security deposit which is based on the credit report. The security deposit is intended to cover damages and any necessary cleaning at move out.

The Security Deposit is held in a Clients Trust Account, as mandated by the Oregon Real Estate Agency.

Can I say that I do not want any pets or smokers in the house?

Pet owners make up 75% of the people in the market for a rental house! Being open to allowing pets will make your property available to more potential renters. Additional deposits for pets generally run $200.00 to $500.00. However, if you feel very strongly about this issue, we will agree not to show your property to anyone with a pet.

All of our properties prohibit smoking, in the interest of protecting your investment.

How does Fair Housing impact me?

Fair housing laws were enacted to protect against illegal housing discrimination based on “protected class status. The intention of federal, state, and local fair housing laws is to require that all individuals be given the same treatment, the same services, and offered an equal opportunity to live in a home of their choice. In other words, the same rights as everyone else--realize that all of us fall within one or more protected classes and are all, therefore, protected under the law! The only "special rights" are those provided to individuals with disaiblities in order to establish equal opportunity.

Federally Protected Classes:

race, color, national origin, religion, gender, familial status, and disability.

State and Local Protected Classes:

Oregon's fair housing laws include the following protected classes: marital status, legal sources of income, and sexual orientation / gender identity

In addition, Oregon effectively created another protected class for domestic violence survivors. 

What happens if the tenant does not pay rent on time?

The rent is due on the first of each month and considered late after the fifth. The majority of our tenants pay their rent by the fifth of the month. If not paid by the eighth of the month, we will take the first step in the eviction process, which is to send a “72 Hour Notice” to pay the rent or vacate.

If they have not paid by the end of the notice period, we would notify the owner and file at the courthouse for a FED (eviction) hearing. In most cases, we will handle all evictions ourselves, without an attorney. You would pay initially for filing fees, but there are no additional charges for our time to attend the hearing. If an attorney is necessary in a contested FED, you will be responsible for any legal fees.

When do I get my money each month?

The rental funds must have cleared the banks before we can begin disbursing funds. We begin the payment of bills on the fifteenth and owner statements (along with disbursement of funds), go out between the 23rd and 27th.

How am I protected if the tenant damages the property?

The security deposit collected at move in is intended to cover tenant damage. If the tenants leave the property owing more than is covered by the security deposit, they will be billed. If they do not pay, they will be turned over to a collection agency.

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

The tenant is responsible for rent through the entire term of the lease. If they are forced or choose to leave prior to the termination date, they will be charged for rent until the property is re-rented to acceptable persons under the same terms and conditions as the original lease. They are also responsible for the cost of re-renting the property, 50% of one months rent ($500 minimum), advertising cost, utilities, landscaping and other related expenses.

The Owner/Agent is responsible to market for re-rent as soon as possible in order to mitigate the tenant’s costs.

Will I get called in the middle of the night with emergencies?

We will handle all emergency and non-emergency repairs.

Who does the repairs on the properties you manage?

We use a variety of in-house and outside contractors depending on what needs to be done. Many of our vendors have been with us for years and are available 24 hours a day for emergencies. They work at competitive rates and are licensed and bonded as appropriate. You are billed for exactly the amount of the vendors invoice; we do not charge for supervision of normal repairs.