Austin Property Management Blog

The End of Travis County’s Eviction Moratorium

In October, Travis County will lift their eviction ban and Austin’s local Justice of the Peace courts will resume hearing cases related to non-payment of rent. We are continuing to work with Rent Assistance programs, but there will be some relief on the horizon for landlords with tenants refusing to pay rent.

While we believe the moratoriums are coming to an end there is nothing preventing local authorities from extending their orders further.  The City of Austin moratorium is expected to end on October 15th unless that or any others are amended or extended.

Eviction & Tenant Data for Landlords Post COVID Policies

As most are well aware, 2020 was an unprecedented year for landlords. The Federal CARES Act, CDC eviction moratoriums as well as our local moratoriums here in Travis and the surrounding counties have all prevented landlords from processing and reporting evictions that meet certain circumstances and criteria. These policies have also prevented the reporting or consideration of certain eviction data in connection with credit history and background screens.

We have been notified by one screening provider, and expect others to follow suit in omitting data related to these instances for the duration spanning March 1, 2020 through August 31, 2021.

What does this mean? Property Managers and landlords will need to be more diligent in their screening processes going forward and may need to extend their screening efforts into pre-2020 data for some time going forward. Stone Oak and our partners have made preparations to ensure all approved tenants meet our criteria to live in one of our managed properties.

What did Stone Oak do? We have reviewed our tenant screening criteria and updated them with higher credit score requirements, and increased the qualifications for scenarios where a guarantor/co-signer is required including a higher income requirement.  The higher stringency on our requirements will put better tenants in your properties along with more security for you as we will require additional security deposits and/or guarantor/cosigners when necessary.

Implementing a Multi-Department Inspection Process For Our Properties

Going forward, Stone Oak’s policy is that all of our properties must be walked by a member of our property management team in conjunction with an inspection from a member of our maintenance team. While both departments have a common goal, we find that both parties may look for different things when initially assessing a property. By ensuring both teams touch all properties going forward, our level of detail offered to owners should benefit and, in turn, the service we can offer for your properties should benefit as well.

What To Expect When Your Property Has a Turn Over

It is common to incur a cost to turn your property between tenants, which is why we do our best to keep tenants in place as long as possible. All of our suggestions are highly recommended to get your property inline with comparable homes on the market, bringing you top dollar for your property and ultimately putting more money in your pocket! The items we suggest are what the majority of renters expected in the highly competitive Austin Rental Market. Please also note that completing property maintenance during periods of vacancy will save you money in the long run and will always be suggested in order to properly maintain your investment.

Please contact your property manager with any questions should you have any.

The Growth of Stone Oak & Our Appreciation

Stone Oak would like to announce the addition of several new team members.

Please welcome Oby Egbuna to our property management team! Oby has been working with our team for a few weeks now as some of you may know after speaking with him. With a background operating in the leasing industry here in Austin, Oby is a great addition to our team as we continue to grow.

Please also welcome the newest members of our field operations team - Jacorey Warrick and Mikah Gloude. Jacorey and Mikah will be working closely with the property management team and will be out in the field coordinating projects on your property.

We are excited to have both Oby, Jacorey & Mikah as a part of the Stone Oak family!

As Stone Oak continues to grow we want to be sure to thank you, our clients, for trusting us with your properties and real estate portfolios. We love being your Austin property management company! Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have.

2109 Castle View Drive, Austin, TX 78728

1,447 SF | 3 Bed | 2 Bath

For more information about this rental home visit our available properties page. 

Own a rental property in Austin, Texas? Learn how much your property can earn in monthly rent with a free rental market analysis from our team at Stone Oak Property Management. 

18312 Crestwind Lane, Elgin, TX 78621

1,610 SF | 3 Bed | 2 Bath

For more information about this property view our available rental homes. 

7915 Yellow Thistle Trail 6, Austin, TX 78735

1,716 SF | 3 Bed | 2.5 Bath

View this and more available rental homes in Austin, Texas!

1118 Algarita Avenue 2, Austin, TX 78704

1,792 SF | 3 Bed | 2.5 Bath

For more information about this home view this and more of our available Austin, TX rental homes. 

Own a rental property in Austin, Texas like this one? Learn more about our property management services or request a free market analysis for your home in Austin, Texas. 

Hi Residents, 

Please review the information below and contact your property manager if you have any questions.

Rent Assistance

If you are struggling or unable to pay rent there are programs available to help.  We’ve worked with a lot of tenants and/or worked with several of the agencies to get rent assistance funds for them.   There are a few programs that are listed below, however, this is not an all-inclusive list as there are many programs out there with varying eligibility requirements:

Texas Rent Relief- https://texasrentrelief.com/

Travis County- https://www.traviscountytx.gov/health-human-services/rent

City of Austin- https://www.austintexas.gov/rent

If you do work with any of these, or any other programs please give them Stone Oak Property Manager as the landlord/manager, if an email address is needed contact us to get that, and you can provide them with our main number of 512-617-6766.  

If you apply for the State of Texas program you must also provide them with our case ID number after you have completed your application.  Once your application has been submitted you must call them and ask them to connect your application to our case ID# 438378

Lease Renewals

We are in the busy season and have a lot of tenants who are up for renewal. If your lease is coming up for renewal or you'd like to discuss that in advance please let us know by filling out this lease renewal form. The sooner we can get these processed the better; even if your lease doesn't come up for several months. As a friendly reminder, you must have a zero balance to renew your lease.

Using the Maintenance Portal

In an order to streamline our work order requests, we ask that you please make a list of any items you want to submit, and then list all issues together as one request including as much info as possible and attach photos, if applicable.  We will then evaluate whether they should be split up or not.  We are again having tenants submit a string of requests back to back instead of simply putting in one request listing all issues, so please be mindful of this and include as much info and detail as possible along with photos. 

If you are wanting to inquire about a maintenance request you've already submitted, please do so using this form.

Maintenance time frames continue to be extended due to the pandemic limiting the availability of supplies or delaying delivery times.  Please allow at least 5 business days before requesting an update from our team unless it is an emergency.

Routine Maintenance Reminders

- Maintenance Portal: Please make a list of any items you want to submit, and then list all issues together as one request including as much info as possible and attach photos if applicable.  We will then evaluate whether they should be split up or not.  

- Smoke and CO Alarms: As a reminder don't ever unplug and remove smoke detectors because they are beeping. Change the batteries and if that doesn't work please notify us. We find a lot of tenants unplug them and bury them in a closet or drawer instead of replacing batteries.

- A/C Filters: Make sure to check and change every month or as required by the type of filter. If any HVAC systems in your home have a reusable filter you are still required to clean them periodically, so please make sure they are kept clean.

- Toilets: "Flushable" Wipes CANNOT be flushed.  Do not put anything down the drains except water, human waste, and regular toilet paper. Food, toys, feminine products, wipes, towels, wrappers, condoms, and other objects do not break apart and go down the drain. Clogs of the plumbing system may be charged back to you, so it is best to avoid this by not putting anything down any of the drains aside from water and human waste.  

- Disposal Systems: This includes using the sink disposal as a garbage chute.  These appliances are not meant to dispose of large quantities of food and should only be used as a last resort after all food items are scraped off dishes into a compost bin or trash can.

- Drainage: Shower, bath, and sink drains can get clogged up over time with hair and other organic matter. Do not use Draino-type products as they are extremely acidic and will do more harm than good by damaging the pipes while usually failing to fix the drainage issue.  The best way to address this is to use a disposable drain snake that can be obtained from any hardware store for a couple of dollars. Please note that if we send out a vendor for this and it turns out to be this very issue you may be charged back for the cost. Here is a video on how to use those - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOb4MJ6widg

- Emergency Maintenance: this extension should not be called unless you have an issue involving Flood, Blood, or Fire.  Do not call the emergency line to follow up on existing work orders or submit a new request that is not an emergency.  In case of an emergency call 911 if needed and then contact us after everyone is safe.  Remember that we do not monitor emails after hours, so if you submit something considered an emergency online and do not call we may not know until the next business day.

For basic DIY tips and tricks to solve some issues quickly, visit our DIY rental property maintenance page.

Your Tenant Portal & Electronic Statements

The system will generate a statement even if you're moving out, so there is no need to contact us if you receive this and are moving. All charges, including any prorated rent, will be adjusted as needed when the deposit is processed.

If you are not using the portal app that keeps you logged in please take a look at the linked flyer for more info. This can eliminate forgotten passwords, and help with easy updates/access to maintenance requests and all other account details.

AppFolio Tenant Portal Information

Thank you for being a resident of a Stone Oak rental property! Please don't hesitate to contact our staff if we can help with anything.

Send the Staff a Message

Login to Your Tenant Portal 

2301 Granite Hill Drive, Leander, TX 78641

1,918 SF | 4 Bed | 2 Bath

Learn more about this home and more available rental properties in Austin, Texas. 

18409 Catoctin Drive, Pflugerville, TX 78660

1,743 SF | 3 Bed | 2 Bath

For more information about this Pflugerville rental property and more available rental properties from Stone Oak.

Own a rental property in Pflugerville? Learn more about our Pflugerville property management services. 

Appliance Policy Change

We are always looking to improve operational procedures to have positive effects on our clients and their bottom line. We are adapting our Maintenance and Repair Policies to save you even more on operating costs. We are working towards eliminating requests for cosmetic repairs and other repairs not deemed urgent or necessary for your residents to live comfortably in your investment property. One important item we want to remove from your maintenance responsibility are Non-Real Property items; i.e. Washers, Dryers and Refrigerators.

In Texas, washers, dryers and refrigerators are 'non-real property items' which makes them unwarrantable. This means you, as the landlord, are not obligated to provide, repair or replace them during the tenancy if written into the lease in this manner. Effective immediately, we will begin implementing this change and this will result in releasing you from the responsibility of continuing to maintain these appliances. This can be determined on a case-by-case basis. Of course, if you wish to continue maintaining these appliances, you are welcome to do so and can specify so when the time comes. As leases come up for renewal and if/when we re-lease your property, your Property Manager will reach out to you to confirm how you wish to proceed. As always, please feel free to contact your Property Manager for more information.

CDC Extends the Eviction Moratorium

As it affects the industry as a whole, we feel it’s important to keep you in the loop about the CDC’s eviction bans. As of August 3rd, the CDC extended the ban. The extension has been met immediately by legal challengers backed by the National Association of Realtors. 

As it stands the new ban extended the moratorium another 2 months and is set to expire on October 3rd. It’s important to note that Austin City Council has also voted to extend the local eviction moratorium to October 15th. 

CDC Eviction Moratorium Lawsuit via the National Apartment Association

While on the topic of the CDC's eviction moratorium, we wanted to make our clients who own apartments aware of a lawsuit by the National Apartment Association. The NAA filed suit against the CDC in July states 'The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) protracted moratorium is financially damaging rental housing owners and violating rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.' 

The lawsuit is designed to help rental property owners attempt to recover losses attributed to the CDC order. For more information regarding this case and to join the lawsuit you can learn more on the National Apartment Association's website. 

Thank you for being a client of Stone Oak Property Management. Please don't hesitate to contact our team or your property manager directly with any questions or if you need assistance with anything.

2612 Dunes Drive, Pflugerville, TX 78660

2,153 SF | 4 Bed | 2 Bath

Learn more about this Pflugerville, Texas home for rent.