The Owner Experience
From the first point of contact we strive to provide the owners of our properties with timely, professional service. Our goal is not only to provide excellent customer service, but also to exceed our customer’s expectations at every point in our relationship. Owners will also be given direct access to our online management software at all times. This software will allow owners to login and track rental income history, vacancy, repair expenditures, etc. We treat each property as if we were the owners. In doing so we hold ourselves to the highest of standards, which translates to an exceptional experience for the owner.
During the initial phase, the owner will be in contact with one of Avenue’s property managers who will fully explain the services we provide, the fees associated with those services, how we market properties to potential renters, and the general timeline these services are performed.
We understand that each property, building, and association is different, therefore require specific solutions. Our property manager carefully listens to the needs and concerns of each individual owner, devises a plan and executes the best solution. Part of the plan includes obtaining comparable rents, demand, and vacancy information, and presenting the findings in order to establish a realistic, obtainable rent rate. Once you, the owner, have decided to use our services and all agreements and applicable paperwork is in order we will do a visual inspection of the property to determine is any maintenance needs to be completed on the property prior to preparing and implementing all marketing for potential tenants.
The marketing process is an essential step in securing the most quality and qualified tenant possible in a timely manner. Once a tenant is located, have filled out the online application and paid the application fee of $50.00 (which we use to thoroughly screen the applicant with a credit check, criminal background check, sexual registry, eviction history, employment verification, and previous rental history), we will determine if the applicant is a good match for the unit. If there are any questions or variations in the rental term, rate, pet policy, lease language, etc. the owner will be contacted to discuss these and get approval to move forward. It is important to know that Avenue will always represent the owner in the transaction and negotiate fervently on your behalf, but you will always have the final decision in all matters.
Once the tenant is placed, Avenue will collect all rents and directly deposit the funds into your account or mail a check if no account is in file. From this point, you will be able to login to our system to check payment dates, vendor payments, get financial statements, approve or deny repair requests, etc. This system also allows the tenant to pay their rent online, which greatly reduces delinquencies in rent payment. This allows us to spend much less time tracking down rent checks and more time doing what is important, managing your property!
If a problem arises with the property during occupancy, our property manager will notify you about the issue. If the issue falls under the predetermined repair escrow amount (usually $300.00 for a single family home) we will dispatch repair personnel without having to bother the owner. If the repair is above the escrow limit, you will be contacted to discuss the best course of action. If the repair is the result of tenant neglect, the repair will be billed and paid for by the tenant. We handle all repairs in a prompt manner as delays often lead to unhappy tenants and larger repair bills in the future.
A month prior to the tenants lease expiring, we will contact them to determine their plan. If they are going to stay in the property we will get a new lease signed, and if not we will begin to remarket the property to the public. We provide a stringent move-in/move-out process, so when a tenant does move we have a good account of how to handle deposit disbursements. We strive to make this a seamless process to ensure your property never has a vacancy!