The better condition your property is in, the better quality resident we will be able to attract for you. This means the property should be clean, walls should be painted if they are dirty or marred (a neutral color is best), and everything should be in good repair. Window coverings on the windows, such as blinds, will also enhance your property's attractiveness. Depending on the time of the year, snow removal or lawn care should be done prior to the new resident moving in. Upon assuming management, we will inspect your property, noting its condition and any maintenance we might suggest to be done. We discuss our findings with you so you may decide what best fits your budget and your plans for the property.

The resident have responsibility for some of the maintenance on your property such as replacing burnt out light bulbs, changing furnace filters, and changing batteries in smoke detectors. Residents are usually responsible for the lawn care and snow removal unless they are in a multi-unit property. When repairs are needed beyond the residents responsibility, we will have one of our uniformed IPM maintenance technicians or a selected sub-contractor handle the job. Anyone doing maintenance on your property is screened and insured for liability and workers compensation to protect you from unnecessary exposure. Our technicians work is under warranty to be properly completed.

A security deposit taken at move-in is usually adequate to handle most damage that a properly screened resident may cause. Residents who qualify through our application screening process are of lower risk. The horror stories you may have heard about a property being "trashed" are generally properties that have been rented without proper application and screening. Our screening checks credit, criminal, rental and ownership history, income and employment, with specific acceptance guidelines for each. Should a resident leave your property owing more than is covered by the deposit, they are billed. If they do not pay, they are turned over to a collection agency.

The resident is responsible for the rent for the duration of the lease. If they leave prior to the termination date of the lease, they will be charged for the rent until the property is re-rented, or until the end of the lease. They are also responsible for costs related to re-renting the property including advertising and re-keying.

Once we begin management, your property is added to our list of available properties, if it is vacant. Your property is listed with color photos on our Internet website at www.tonsofrentals.com. Our weekly newspaper ad is placed in the local paper each Sunday under the banner of tonsofrentals.com. We also put up a rental sign on your property, if appropriate. The time of year and the condition of the property will influence how long it takes for your property to rent. You can expect that it may take up to three months to lease a property in good condition during the spring and summer months.

You can specify whether or not you will accept residents with pets (in most situations), or even residents who don't smoke. Please keep in mind that the more restrictive you are, the longer it may take to rent your property. You cannot discriminate against any protected class e.g. families with children under Federal Fair or local Fair Housing laws. Because of this, it is best that you allow us to conduct the selections process. We are professionals in leasing. Every applicant must pass specific criteria to rent a tonsofrentals.com property. Our application process, developed over 20 years of experience in screening qualified residents, includes accessing national credit information, criminal history, income qualification and previous rental history.

Rents are due in our office on the first day of each month. Our leases specify that if rent is not received by the sixth of the month, a late fee is assessed in accordance with North Carolina state law. In order to avoid violating trust accounting laws, we need to wait until rent checks clear before we can send payment to you. We collect the rent, pay any related bills, and on or about the 15th of each month provide you a detailed statement showing all income and expenses for the month, along with payment of any excess funds. These monthly statements are available for review on line. This means you will need an adequate amount of funds to handle property expenses in your IPM trust account. You may choose to participate in our convenient direct deposit program which allows us to deposit your rent proceeds electronically into the bank account of your choice each month.