FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


Q1: Do you accept pets?
A1: Yes but only small pets and non-vicious animals and with pets you will be required to carry renter's insurance.

Q2: What are your requirements for moving in? Do you have an appicatoin fee?
A2: Please go to our requirements page to see that. We do not have an application fee if you have already seen the house.

Q3: How fast can we move in? Can I give you cash immediately after I see the house?
A3: No you cannot.. The speed of your approval depends on how fast you respond to our approval process. Our process is first you look at the property, second you complete an application to rent the house, third we verify you are qualified for the house (income verification, landlord verification etc.), fourth we give you an opportunity to review the lease/contract to make sure you are comfortable with all of our terms and conditions that are in writing, and fifth we collect the money necessary to take the house off the market.

Q4: When do I get the key?
A4: After we approve you for the house and recieve the required deposit. We verify everything.

Q5: What utilities am I responsible for?
A5: You are responsible for all utilities including water.

Q6: When will rent be due?
A6: Rent is always due on the first of the month. There is never a grace period.

Q7: Do you acceptance assistance payments for the security deposit (aid from the city, large check from Church programs, SAM, etc.)?
A7: Yes but only a limited amount and provided that your family currently earn the required three times rent in gross income.  We limit the amount of aid we accept to one month's rent.

Q8: Are you the owner or a property management company?
A8: We are the owners. Our family owns all of these properties.

Q9: What if I don't have any landlord references because I owned a house for the past number of years? How do you handle that?
A9: We don't normally accept an applicant with no landlord references but we could make an excpetion for a higher security deposit of two times rent.  For example if the rent is $1300 per month, the security depsit would be $2600.

Q10: I am currently out of state and wish to relocate. Will you allow a family member or friend who is local to look at the property on my behalf and if they say it is good allow me to give you a deposit to secure the property?
A10: No. You must see the property for yourself for us to rent the house to you.

Q11: Do you accept Section 8?
A11: Yes we do accept Section 8.

Q12: Do you give your tenants a grace period to pay their rent?
A12: No we do not. Rent is due on the first of the month and when late, we charge $10 per day in late fees starting on the first of the month.

Q13: What if after I move into the house I am unable to pay the rent. What happens next?
A13: In this scenario we proceed with filing for eviction immediately (your right to 10 day notice is waived in our lease). After we evict you from the property we proceed to small claims court for both the judgement amount as well as the remaining amount due for the term of the lease. For example if you move into the house for $800/mo in January, is unable to pay in February, we get judgement and evict you in March ($1600 judgment) what would happen next is we would file a case with small claims court in the amount of $8,800 ($1600 judgment plus $7200 for remaining terms of the lease). This will enable us to have the legal means of getting our money back via leans, garnishments and other means.

Q14: What can I do to prepare prior to the showing so that I can expidite the proces of getting approved for the house?
A14: Get the following in your possession prior to the showing:

  1. Collect three prior months proof of income as well as your most recent pay stub for each adult that will be living in the house. If you are self-employed collect 2 prior years tax returns.
  2. Collect the phone number for your HR department for your place of employment for employment verification.
  3. Collect the name, phone number and email address of every single prior landlord for each adult that will be living in the house.
  4. Starting taking necessary steps to ensure all adults that will be living in the house has thier state or federal government issued identification and social security card.
  5. Get all the money together that is required to move in prior to looking at the house. We have a waiting list of people to see our homes when they go vacant.

Q15: Would you be willing to accept a large sum of cash up front (six months to a year of rent) and waive your requirments?
A15: No. We have found that no amount of cash is a sufficient substitue for a trashed property after the teanant moves out.

Q16: If we do not meet all the requirements on our own would you allow a qualified co-signer?
A16: Yes provided that the co-signer along with all applicants are willing to have their credit report pulled at $20 per person cost and if approved pay an additional month rent in security deposit if approved.

Q17: One of the adults that will be living in the house is currently on unemployment. Can we use that unemployment income to count toward meeting the income requirments for this property?
A17: No.

Q18: After I get approved for the house how much exactly do I need to give you to take the house?
A18: Grab a calculator. The security deposit, plus the water deposit (PA only), plus the first months rent.

Q19 I have had an eviction in the past 7 years, should I apply anyway?
A19: No as I will disqualify you. All evictions can be seen online. Here is a PA example https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch. I suggest you run a search against your own name so you can see what everyone else can see. Remember even if it is not there I will be calling your previous landlords to confirm.