Renter FAQs

How can I find out what the utilities cost?
While we cannot ever predict what each tenant’s utilities will cost based on individual use, most of the utility companies can provide you an average usage and billed amount for the previous 6 months if you call them and provide the address.

Please check our list of utility vendors and give them a call to find out the average if you are interest. We do not guarantee any quotes they provide.

You have approved my application now what?
Once your application is approved you will receive a congratulations email laying out the next steps. In order to setup a move in date you will be required to sign your lease, pay your deposit and 1st month’s rent. Provide us with proof of renter’s insurance, pet insurance (if applicable) and utilities in your name.

What happens if I’m approved but won’t be moving in right away?
If you’re move in date is not within 7 days of application, you will be required to pay your security  deposit within 24 hours of approval and sign a security deposit release form stating you forfeit your security deposit in the event you decide not to move in. Our property management group values your time as well as other potential applicants therefore, this allows us to remove the property from our listing services and discontinue showings.

What are ways to ensure I get my security deposit back?
Ensure you do a complete move-in inspection notating any issues you find the property already might have. We understand move-in inspections can be a bit overwhelming trying to catch it all, with Family Owned Property Management, LLC you have an additional 2 days after move in to report any concerns you found after we’ve completed your move-in. Report those to us through your online tenant portal and keep a record for yourself. Also, make all proper repairs within a professional manner and clean the unit. If you have any questions, please ask! We will gladly do a pre-move-out inspection if you wish to vacate the unit a few days early and schedule a time for us to come out, giving you a chance to make any
corrections.

Can I use my security deposit towards last month’s rent?
Typically, no. Your security deposit is reserved for any potential damages. In the event you are required to place a higher deposit due to credit discrepancies or as a condition of rental you may be able to use a portion of your security deposit as last month’s rent. This will be stipulated in your lease agreement.

 

When is rent considered late and what happens if my rent is late?
Your rent is due on the 1st of every month. You have until the 5th of each month to pay rent without any late penalties. Our system will automatically assess a 10% late fee to your account if rent is not paid by 11:59 PM on the 5th of the month. An additional $5 per day will be assessed until rent and all penalties are paid in full. At Family Owned Property Management, LLC COMMUNICATION is a big part of our success! We want to work with you, not against you. If you have not communicated with the office prior to the 5th regarding a late payment, an eviction will be filed on the 6th of the month. We cannot help you if we don’t know you need it. Please communicate as soon as you know you might have a financial
hardship in making your rental payment on time. Once fees are assessed we cannot remove them.

What if the 5th is Friday or a weekend?
We get it! We’d rather you wait and make sure payroll is in your account than bounce a check! At Family Owned Property Management, LLC if the 5th lands on a Friday or a weekend, you will have until Monday at 8:00am to make a payment without incurring late fees.

What if my payment doesn’t clear the bank?
In the event that your funds are returned, for incorrect bank information or insufficient funds you will be assessed a $55.00 NSF/Bank fee. This fee is not controlled by us, but our banks charge us for this return. Please make sure to verify bank information as you input into your tenant portal. Only make payments when funds are in your account. It takes time for payments to be returned to us. In the event that your payment is made between the 1st and the 5th, but we are not notified of a returned payment until after the 5th your payment will ALSO be considered late. Therefore, in addition to your NSF/Bank fee you will incur a late payment fee of 10% of your monthly rent added to your account.

What methods of payment do you offer?
At Family Owned Property Management, LLC we want to make it fast and convenient to pay your rent so you can move on with the important things in life! We offer multiple payments methods including, direct payment via check, cashier’s check, or money order. Additionally, you may pay your rent online using
your bank account via ACH payment. Finally, you may use our PayNearMe services to pay at many local retailers such as gas stations and drug stores. In the event of a returned payment via personal check or online ACH we reserved the right to revoke your online payment options and only accept certified funds at the office or thorough our retail payment methods.

 

Something isn’t working right-what do I do for maintenance?
Many times, our maintenance requests can be cured with a few simple steps. We ask each of our tenants to review our maintenance “how-to” trouble shooting guide prior to any maintenance requests. In the event that a maintenance call was caused by tenant(s) action or inaction you will be responsible for the service call. Therefore, it’s imperative that you make simple attempts to resolve the issue. All NON-EMERGENCY request must be submitted through our online portal. This is to ensure efficiency and protect you with a paper trail. Any EMERGENCY request should be called into the office immediately. After-hours, please call the after-hours number provided on your lease.

Can I make alterations such as painting the property?
Any alteration to the property no matter how small or big it might seem needs to be requested and approved in writing by our offices. Any such alteration made without proper request and approval may be deemed damage upon your move-out.

Do you provide lawn care and landscaping?
Most of our properties landscaping needs are the responsibility of the tenant. You will be responsible unless otherwise stipulated in your lease (sometimes in multi-family units the HOA provides landscaping). Your responsibility includes lawn care such as mowing, edging, and weed and feed to encourage growth of grass and reduce weeds. Additionally, you are responsible for trimming bushes, weeding flower beds, and watering plants so they don’t dry out. We do have a landscaper and can arrange for landscaping to be provided as an additional cost with your monthly rent account.

I lost my key can I change the locks?
In the event locks need to be changed you must contact the office. We will have the locks changed and provide you the new keys. This will be billed to your account.

What if I want to add a roommate or significant other to my lease?
In the event you have applied, been approved, and signed a lease and now want to add someone that will be living in the property they will need to submit an application and be approved on their own credit and background merits. Income will be calculated to the total household gross income.

 

Who pays the utilities?
You are responsible for all utilities unless stipulated otherwise in your lease. In the event you move out early you are responsible to maintain utilities and pay them until the final day of your lease term. In the event utilities are shut off prior to your lease termination and any damage is caused to the property as a result of no utilities your account will be billed for such damages. Additionally, many of our units are setup on a landlord auto revert account. In the event we receive a utility bill for any time during the term of your lease you will be responsible for the bill.

Please not that it is not always possible to prorate those expenses as we may not be notified immediately of such billing and will not have an amount until a full billing period has lapsed. In which event, you will be responsible for the entirety of the bill.

I have moved in and now decided to get a pet - what do I do?
Every property has a different pet policy. Please check with us prior to getting any pets that are not listed on your application for rental. In the event that your rental property is pet friendly you will need to complete a PetScreening. Once approved you will be able to move a pet into the property provided you pay the additional administrative pet fee, and pet rent will be assessed each month.

My friends/family are going out of town and need me to pet sit can I have them at my place?
No, this is a strict lease violation and can result in an eviction depending on the property. Regardless of who’s pet you have in/on your property we must be made aware PRIOR TO the pet coming onto the property. If approved, you will need to pay a pet fee and potential pet rent.

How can I renew my lease?
We typically reach out to you 60-90 days before your lease expires and provide a renewal offer. You will have 10 days to respond to the renewal offer. If you haven’t heard from us check your spam email folder or give us a call/email. 

Somethings come up in my life and I have to move before my lease is up, what do I do?
We understand life happens; therefore, we do provide an early move out option. Please see our early termination page or contact the office for further instruction.

 

What do I do to prepare for a storm?
In the event of a storm that is approaching our region, we will be in constant communication with you via our portal announcements as well as text messaging services. Therefore, it is imperative that you create your tenant portal immediately upon lease signing and confirm our text messaging service request, as well as add us to your email to protect from going to spam. We do require that each tenant notify us in the event of evacuation so that we are aware of which properties are vacate. We will continuously monitor the local weather forecasts and advice you of any steps you should take to protect the rental property. If your home has hurricane shudders and the owner as requested them to be installed, our maintenance team will install them. We do not allow any tenants to place hurricane shudders on our
rental properties. If a tenant does so, they will be responsible for any potential damage that improper install has caused. We may ask you to place sandbags in front of doors or remove all items from the yard. This will all be communicated via our email, portal announcement, and/or text messaging applications. We will perform inspections of every property after the storm has passed to assess for any
potential damage.

A storm has passed and caused damage to my property what do I need to do?
If your rental property sustains damage you are required to report this to the office immediately. If the damage to the property is severe such as flooding or tree damage to the home, please call our emergency number if unable to reach the office. For any non-emergency damage, you are required to submit a maintenance request via your portal. If you are unsure of whether a particular damage is an
emergency, please error on the side of caution and give us a call immediately! Any damage sustained to the property due to delayed reporting will be the tenant’s responsibility. Therefore, its important you let us know if you have evacuated. If you evacuated for a storm our office will monitor the property until you notify us that you have return.