1. Do you help individual landlords or just major complexes with several units?
We work largely with individual landlords. We will be happy to help if you have one unit
or many.
2. How are the vacancies advertised?
Our staff is actively pre-lining up where your tenants might come from by establishing contacts at key places within the county. The fortune 500 companies in the area, hospitals, schools, and relocation companies come to us for their rental needs.
We start additional marketing at the time we receive a 30 Day Notice from your resident, or 30 days before the property is expected to be completed, if it is under construction. We will put up eye catching signs on your property giving rental prospects access to our services. Approximately 1 out of 4 prospects come to us from signage at the property. We will put your listing up as a featured page on our website, and in the MLS for other Realtors to see. The home will have a high internet presence – Zillow, Trulia, Craigslist, and many other websites will showcase your property. Because of our reputation many prospects contact our office for a list of vacancies in the area, and we
keep a database full of all renters that have contacted us. We know what they are looking for, in what area, and price range they would feel most comfortable.
3. What is the screening process on applicants?
We require a detailed written application and copy of the applicants drivers license from each adult. No applicant will be approved until all questions are answered to our satisfaction. We will check credit history, criminal history, see if bad checks are on the system, and evictions, in addition to verify the residential, employment information they have given. We have certain criteria we go by to approve or disapprove every applicant so that discrimination is not a factor. We know the benefits of screening applicants and we are confident our method we go by will weed out the tenants you don’t want, helping you make an informed decision and find the tenants you do want.
4. What is the Criteria to approve or disapprove an application?
The applicant must be 18 yrs or older. They should have at least 1 year good residential history or have a co-signer approved to be the main lease holder. They should have 1 year continuous employment history making at least three times what the rent will be. In the event they are self employed a tax statement will be needed to verify that they are indeed self employed and to verify the income. There shall be no applicant approved that has a felony on their record or a misdemeanor that has to do with burglary or a drug conviction within the last 7 years. There shall be no applicant approved that owes another apartment or landlord or has been evicted. Credit is carefully reviewed and approvals are based on the standard criteria we go by for every applicant. Ultimately the landlord is the decision maker on who will be approved for their property.
5. Who pays for repairs to vacancies?
After the move-out inspection, we will determine who is responsible to pay the bills to bring the property back to the condition it was prior to the resident moving in. We are allowed by law to charge the resident’s deposit for rent, damages above normal wear and tear, and cleaning. We want you to know that we consider this an important time in the management cycle, and we will protect your interests. Any repairs that are not covered by the security deposit will be the landlords responsibility.
6. When will I get my report and check?
Owners are emailed a monthly report the day your money has been dispersed. The tenant usually has a 5 day grace period to pay their rent. When the tenant pays by personal check we must wait to disperse funds until the funds have cleared our account. We do have a way for the tenant to pay electronically though and then we just have to wait until the money has been deposited into our account, dispersing the next day. After we release the funds it will show in your bank account within 3 business days. In the event the tenant pays by cashiers check or money order the amount of time it takes to clear our account is very minimal.
7. Who handles problems late at night?
Our 24 Hour Hotline will take the residents call and page the supervisor on call. We will then talk with the resident to determine how to proceed. Many times we solve a problem over the phone or by simply calling one of our vendors that we have access to 24 hours a day.
8. How do you handle Security Deposits?
All security deposits will be held in an escrow account. When your tenant vacates, we will provide all required accounting of the tenant’s security deposit within the time legally allotted. If there are damages or unpaid rent this will be deducted from the security deposit.
9. Why should I choose Rental Source Property Management LLC?
We have the easiest way for tenants to see your property, apply for your property, pay their rent, and we are the fastest most thorough at screening the applicants. Our company has been in business since 1993 and our professionalism shows.
Advertise– We have the best system to find the perfect tenant for you. We know how to attract a good tenant. We have the most well thought out lease that will be signed. (provided by the St. Louis County Association of Realtors and their attorneys) We are prompt to start the process that starts evictions when rent is not paid on time.
Maintenance– Your tenants can contact us 24 hours a day 7 days a week for emergencies, and we deal with any maintenance issues promptly. The maintenance costs are kept at a minimum. We contract with only qualified, independent contractors that we use on a continuing basis.
Property Observation – We will go out and observe the property after move-in, thus minimizing problems and expenses. We usually visit the property 2 times a year, sometimes more.
Top Market Value – We are on top of the market and get the best possible rent for you. Fees – The monthly management fees are small and are more than paid for by our ability to keep our properties leased at current market rates. Our fees are either the same as or lower than others, our service is definitely superior to others.
10. Why would an individual rent when they have the option to buy? The person may not be ready for a commitment, they want to check out the area before they commit. The renters could be a newly married couple or a single person just starting out waiting to buy until they are ready for a commitment. Some may be waiting for their home to be built. Another reason we come across is because they are a professional just in the area for a job for a year or two until they will be moved elsewhere; this would not be their permanent residence for years to come.