YOU HAVE QUESTIONS…WE HAVE ANSWERS.

A: Once you have signed the lease and paid the security deposit, you will need to transfer all the utilities into your name prior to your move in date. With confirmation of that, we will schedule a time for you to pick up the keys to the property or make them available to you at the property. Prior to you taking possession, we will have already completed an extensive move in inspection of the residence including photos, which can be provided to you. You will be asked to pay a full month’s rent prior to gaining access to the keys, which again you can pay online or bring cashiers check to our office. Gaining access to the keys or any portion of the property is when rent commences. If you are interested in an earlier move in date than what is reflected on the lease, you can expect to pay the extra days rent.

A: The most important part of the lease is EVERY part. You should read the entire lease and understand what it means prior to signing it. It is a legally binding agreement and you will be held responsible for all of it. Please contact us right away with questions you may have so we have the opportunity to clarify things for you prior to signing it. There are many provisions that will affect your use of the property, who is allowed to reside there, your financial responsibilities as well as your rights as a tenant in the State of California.

A: The days of rent owing in the month that you are moving in, are paid as a prorated rent the second month of your tenancy. All real estate transactions and prorations are based on a thirty-day month regardless of the actual days in the month in question. The days are then counted on the calendar of your possession of the property. Please refer back to your lease for the calculated dollar amount to be paid the second month of your residency.

An example of how this works:

Rent $1000. Move in date May 16^th. You pay $1000 plus your deposit prior to move in on May 16^th. On June 1^st, you pay $533.33. That is calculated by 1000 divided by 30 times 16.

A: Please note your lease requires the rent to be due on the first and delinquent on the third. What this means to you is if you choose to pay your rent on the third or thereafter, you will be charged a late fee. You can pay online, mail or bring a check to our office all of which will need to occur prior the third to avoid the late fee.

A: If these untoward circumstances arrive in your life, immediately contact your property manager. Plan to let that person know when you will be paying and how much you can pay until the full balance is received. Please also plan to pay the late fee without being asked as that is part of the agreement that you executed upon move in. With no contact from you nor any rent received, you will receive a 3-day notice, which is the beginning of the unlawful detainer action to terminate your tenancy. Communication is critical at this point but it starts with you.

A: You have an early termination clause in your lease that provides for this process. It begins with your notification to us and your rent must be paid in full at that point. You let us know your move out date in writing and you also pay the re-leasing fee in advance to find the replacement tenant before we place the property on the market to get it re-rented. You continue to pay the rent until the replacement tenant has signed the lease and commenced rent payment at which time your rent terminates. If the property is left clean and undamaged when you vacate, your deposit is refunded in full and your legal responsibility under the lease ends. Your security deposit cannot be used for rent nor the re-leasing fee.

A: Please use our website for your repair request. We assign it to a vendor who reaches out to you to schedule the repair. If you have an emergency, please call our emergency office number at 408 272 4100, press 2 for maintenance and 2 again for an emergency request. Please do not use this last extension number for any routine requests for repairs. Through our website, we can then monitor repairs and follow up so please utilize it.

A: Communication is the hallmark of a good tenancy. Please utilize the process we have in place for maintenance to be handled professionally and according to the agreement we have with the owner of the property. If you want to make a repair at your own cost, please ask us in advance as it may be deemed an alteration and not allowed under your lease agreement. Any deduction of rent related to unauthorized tenant repairs will be treated as nonpayment of rent.

A: The original term of your lease is one year. We welcome long-term tenants and we are interested in the preservation of quality tenants in our managed properties. Please contact us as your lease termination date is approaching so we can come meet you at the property to discuss the renewal of the lease. If the lease is not formally extended, it automatically defaults to a month-to-month tenancy. It is in your best interest to keep a lease intact, as you cannot be removed from the property during the lease term unless you default upon the lease provisions.

A: Your lease requires you to give a minimum 30-day notice in writing prior to vacating at lease termination or thereafter. If the landlord is ending your tenancy at lease termination or thereafter, and you have resided in the property one year or longer, your written notice will be a minimum of 60 days. Your rent must be paid in full during the notice and we have to able to show the property to prospective tenants during the entire term of the notice unless the owner is moving back into the property. You may offer to show those prospects for us as a means to better manage those appointments and we welcome that cooperation. You will receive an acknowledgment from us of your move out notice and a list of requirements that you will need to perform prior to moving. You have the right to a pre-inspection inspection prior to moving; in order to perform all required cleaning and repairs in advance of your move out date to receive a full refund of your deposit. You will need to request this inspection two weeks prior to vacating. We will tour the property with you noting any deficiencies and cleaning needed. You will receive a follow up letter with the related costs of the repairs and cleaning, if you chose not to correct them yourself. At the end of your residency, you will need to return all keys and access units to our office to terminate your rent. If you fail to return the keys or leave them in the property, your rent will continue until we have possession of the property. You will need to provide us with your new address for return of your security deposit. There is no final inspection completed with you after you have moved out.

A: By statute, your deposit must be returned to you within 21 days of the end of your tenancy.

If the property is left clean and undamaged and you have provided your forwarding address, the turn around time may be much shorter. If it is left with damages, we have to get those repaired so the time will probably be the full period. The refund of your deposit includes an accounting with all receipts for the charges reflected.

A: Rent increases are controlled by market conditions and the owner of the property. Please keep in mind that our highest priority is to have long-term quality tenants in our properties so this standard is maintained as we balance necessary rent increases.

A: The factors that best contribute to a long-term tenancy with our company are as follows: On time rent payment, adherence to all conditions of the lease, good maintenance of the property and a professional interaction with us. Further, you can protect yourself by purchasing tenant’s insurance to mitigate any losses that may occur caused by you at the property. Communication with us is always paramount to an ongoing long-term relationship. We value your tenancy very much.