Lease Reminders
We are heading into the beginning of the busiest time of year. That means more annual inspections. Please note the following important lease reminders:
Did you know an unauthorized occupant or unauthorized pet is a lease violation that can put you at risk of being charged fees, having adverse action taken against those listed on the lease, and potentially facing eviction. If you move-in a friend, significant other, family member or a furry friend without first adding them to the lease, they immediately become an unauthorized occupant or unauthorized pet. Yes, even service animals need to be documented to live in the property. We are happy to add additional tenants or pets to your lease, when permitted. It does not have to wait until you renew your lease! The process is fairly simple! If you find yourself with the need to add, or an accidental unauthorized occupant or pet, please reach out to your property manager to start the process of adding them to your lease today.
We’re still finding properties that have either a trampoline or an above ground pool which are not permitted. If you have one of these items without written authorization, please remove them to remain in compliance with your lease.
Spring Gardening
Last month we talked a bit about spring weather preparedness, and we’ve been fortunate to have an above average rain accumulation for April. Things are green and it’s a great time to tend to your garden or start one! The City of Austin is a great resource not only for native and adapted plant info but also has other great resources as well. Here are a few items that a gardener might be interested in checking out-
Mulch – residents can get free it free if you bring a pitchfork, shovel, work gloves, and load what you need yourself
Soil Moisture Meter – one free per residential customer that are available in ladybug or frog design.
Water Saver Hose Meter – the resource page has this under free stuff, but the link takes you to the library availability page, so we don’t know if these are given or lent to residents
Hose-End Watering Timer – rebate through Austin Water for ½ the cost up to $40 for residents
HOA Compliance
Many of you are in an HOA with very strict rules on lawns,, and with a rainy April wrapping up there is probably more lawn maintenance than we’ve seen in a long time. Please be sure to keep your lawn mowed, edged, and weeded. Get rid of any dead vegetation that may have died over the winter, trim shrubs away from the house, remove weeds from flower beds, etc.
Also, PLEASE bring your trash cans in when it is not your trash day.
Preparing to Move Out?
If you have an upcoming move-out, please be mindful of the following:
Be mindful of your required notice to vacate! The standard is 60 days but yours may be different, please review your lease for your unique notice to vacate requirements. If you do not provide proper notice, you may still be obligated to pay rent past the date you vacate! Please keep utilities on through the end of your lease regardless of the day you turn over possession* If you shut utilities off early you will be charged back for services plus potential administrative fees.
Please don’t forget to provide a forwarding address! If we do not have a forwarding address, it will cause a delay in receiving your security deposit refund. Also ensure the address is correct by checking for reversed numbers, spelling, and typos. Please be sure to turn in cleaning receipts if required by your lease. You may email them directly to your property manager, along with any questions about the move out process.
In the event you are needing to break your lease, here is a blog post our sister-company, BMG, posted recently.
Thank you for being a resident! Please don't hesitate to contact our staff if we can help with anything.
Routine Maintenance Reminders
- Maintenance Requests: We still receive a lot of maintenance requests that state something vague like "washer" or "AC" without any other info about the actual issue. We cannot act on requests like this and will require that you provide more info, so any request like this will only delay a resolution to the issue. Make sure you provide as much info as possible in your request, including pics if possible
- 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.
