FAQ – Owners

We are a full service Real-Estate/Property Management Firm which means that we can help you buy, sell, rent and manage your rental properties. Our Rental Services include property marketing, tenant screening, rent collection Bookkeeping, Financial Reporting, Property Inspections, Maintenance Coordination, Eviction Oversight and Legal Compliance. We always strive to further our services at the right time.

Check out our pricing page here

We believe in having a simple, transparent and all-inclusive pricing structure without extra junk fees. Some companies will try to get you to sign because they offer a low rate. As the saying goes, if it is too good to be true, it probably is. Once you’ve signed, a company that seemed inexpensive will now charge you plenty of extra fees. Remember, a property management company has to make money, so if they aren’t making money from the low monthly fee they will find another way to do it.

We do not charge any fees until the property is rented unless we are involved in coordinating rehab and rent ready projects. We start marketing for new tenants 30 days prior to a tenant leaving to ensure low vacancies

To guarantee maximum exposure we market our properties on the Realtor MLS system along with over 100 high traffic rental websites and signage. We use wide angle lens photography and video tours to make your property stand out.

NO

Yes, every month we will send you a detailed owner packet containing an income-expense report, invoices, receipts, and surveys. In addition, you may access this information 24/7 from your online Owner Portal.

Both, Due 1st of the month.

Disbursements are made the 10th of each month via check or deposit. Please allow bank processing times.

Although we would like to earn your sales business…You are not required to sell the property with us.

You have an online portal so you can see your investments status at anytime. All you have to do is go to our main page and click login. If you prefer phone communication, expect same day communication and at most within 48 hours.

Our goal is to respond to Owners and Tenants in under 1 day.

Based on your plan we guarantee tenants for 6-12 months. Meaning that if we placed the tenant and managed the property and it doesn’t work out…than we will place a new tenant free of charge.

Some companies, such as ourselves, will offer eviction warranty. It is only a small fee, but it will give you major coverage should you need to evict a tenant. Please inquire for details

We believe in earning your business on a month to month basis and have a 60-day cancellation policy with no penalty.

Typically, 25 days or less. We start marketing for new tenants 30 days prior to a tenant leaving to ensure low vacancies. Our goals revolve around having a very high tenant retention rate. Being the official launch year we are always adapting and improvising to become the most effective property management company in Central Pennsylvania.

In the Spring Summer market…Under 25 days in many cases less. In Fall Winter when there is less demand under 45 days

We use 3 different data sources to create a detailed comparable rental analysis report for you. The report will show rent values and days on the market for similar properties in the same area that have rented or currently on the market over the last 6-12 months. We make it a point to compare apples to apples to help you decide on best rental price that will open the market vs narrow the market.

-Employed with verifiable household monthly gross income of at least 3x the rent
-No evictions in last 3 years
-Evictions within last 3 to 5 years requires balance paid off and higher security deposit
-60 days’ recent pay stubs and consistent work experience for at least 6 months
-2 years Income Tax Return and 3 months’ bank statements for self-employed
-Credit Check-Case by case basis. Depends on what is causing the bad credit.
-Good references and verification from current & previous Landlord
-No Felony Conviction record within 7 years for any of the following:
Murder, Manslaughter, Assault, Robbery, Rape, Child Molestation, Kidnapping, Arson
– No Felony Conviction record within 5 years for any of the following:
Manufacture, Delivery, sale of Illegal Drugs, or Possession with Intent to Deliver
-No Registered Sex Offenders
-Good attitude and ability to cooperate during screening process Government IDs

We encourage our tenants to pay via their online tenant portal. They can also make a deposit at our bank or pay by check.

We do allow for owner input. Keep in mind, we have been doing this with success and have executed plenty of successful leases…Our screening process and lease agreement is extremely comprehensive and designed to protect you….so we encourage you to leave this to us and depend on our experience.

Typically, security deposits are equal to one month’s rent in some cases more. The deposits are held in our secure escrow account. When tenants move out we inspect the home and withhold anything above and beyond normal wear and tear. The money is credited to you to be applied towards maintenance and repair if necessary.

You have the right to choose the type of pet, breed, and size. You can refuse pets but keep in mind that around 65% of today’s renters have pets. So by allowing select pets, you can increase the demand on your property which helps in getting the top price in a shorter amount of time. Tenants pay a ($425/Year/Pet) Pet Rent Fee and a non refundable pet deposit upfront of $300.

Every day.

We do not for a few reasons
The goal is to follow a proven system and set of checklists…to remain objective vs subjective and to avoid mistakes and liability
1-We have systems in place that work to better serve you. We do this day I and day out and have a screening process that we do not deviate from to ensure success and decrease liability.
2-We also want to protect you and us from Fair Housing Lawsuits that can easily result in not following our system verbatim for everyone. And also sharing sensitive screening info with Owners
3-Here is a link to our screening parameters. And if we approved the applicant…that means that they have passed and that’s all that is necessary to avoid liability and avoid making statistically bad judgment calls4-We haven’t had to evict a Tenant that we placed in yet using our system
5- You chose us for a reason. Because you felt that we can manage your property effectively…which we will do as long as we follow our systems and procedures.

Move in and Move out Inspections are included in your plan. We offer 3 & 6-month periodical inspections along with detailed reports with pictures which will be shared with you on your online Owner portal. We will also assist in coordinating any necessary repairs and updates.

Tenant contacts us, we respond within an 1-24hrs, we try to resolve the problem over the phone first and then dispatch one of our maintenance vendors to resolve issue. If the issues were caused by the Tenant…than the Tenant will receive the bill. If it is matter of normal wear and tear, we pay the bill out of the collected rent on your behalf and you get a detailed accounting report, copy of invoice and follow up.

Our lease requires the Tenants change the filters at least every 180 days. Tenants are advised of the benefits of changing the filters and that if filters are not changed they can be held liable for HVAC Service and Repair costs. When we do onsite surveys of the home we check to make sure that they are changed. If not, we change them at the cost of the Tenant.

Typically, the Tenant is responsible for lawn maintenance. In some cases, we handle Lawn Maintenance to preserve the lawn quality and charge the Tenant

Yes we do…but we advise against it as they don’t always cover what you expect and they take much longer to make repairs than the vendors that we work with…which causes potential problems with the Tenants.

Yes, as long as they comply with our quality standards

Our approach towards late paying Tenants and Eviction is more of a preventative approach…meaning that we emphasize a very thorough screening process on the front end and approve only highly qualified renters that can pay their rent on time so we do not have to evict.
In the event, these circumstances do arise here is our approach to mitigate the problem:
Rent is due on the 1st and late after the 5th of the month. On the 6th of the month, by default, we send out “10 Day Demand Notice” to all late paying tenants…which is the first step in the eviction process. Typical most tenants pay only a few days late and we do not need to evict.
If we do not receive the rent within 10 days than we file an Eviction with the court.
The cost of evictions vary depending on the scenario…but typically cost the Landlord $300-$600 and include.
-Attorney fees
-Court Costs
-Filing fees
-Occupancy checks
-Meet the Sheriff and locksmith for lockouts.
-Survey the property and coordinate all steps to make the property rent ready again.
If we need to evict a Tenant that we did not place there is an additional $200 oversight fee.
FETCH offers an eviction protection plan for $25/month which will cover up to $800. in legal fees and court costs. This plan is only offered for Tenants that we place.
We also provide 6-12 months Tenant Guarantee depending on which plan you choose…which means that if a tenant that we placed breaks the lease we will replace them at no charge.