 Payment of rent is the most important action identified by the lease. To it is tied a lot of emotion that increases with intensity as the rent date approaches and after it passes, if no payment is received. With late rent the tenant faces fees and the property manager faces pensive owners wondering about their monthly residual check. Making rent easy to pay and easy to collect is paramount. Let’s review the many ways available to the Property Manager, and tenant.
Check in the Mail The traditional approach. Check or money order sent through the US Mail gets it to the Property Manager in 1-3 days. The Property Manager must then wait 1-3 days for the check to clear after depositing into the bank. To avoid a late fee the tenant must mail early . Please don’t send cash this way! Pay in Person Often socially awkward. The Property Manager can not appreciate the effort that the tenant expended to earn the rent, nor the things they had to sacrifice. The tenant can’t appreciate the amount of owner‘s debt the rent pays, the expenses carried to offer the property as a rental, nor how on-time payment is fundamental is maintaining good credit. Both think the other can afford more/sooner or doesn’t need the money. Counter Deposit at the Property Manager’s Bank This is very popular with tenants who may not have a checking account. I give them or text them a bank deposit slip. They go to any local branch and make a counter deposit, then text me a picture of the deposit receipt. This is popular because payment can be delayed until the due date. On my end it gives me a good record of the transaction but requires a little extra file manipulation /storage. EFT from the Tenant ‘s Bank The Property Manager must have a bank service that integrates Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) with the property management software. This allows the tenant to log into their lease account through a tenant portal, and transfer funds from their bank to the Property Manager’s bank. In particular the younger or more tech-savvy tenants love this approach because it can be done on the due date and from a phone or and device. Once logged-in the tenant can see both charges and past payments and, I don’t need to send them a statement. Bank Automatic Bill-pay Many people withy salaries directly deposited into their checking account pay all their bills this way. I set up monthly automatic payments for many bills. They all get paid (something) even if I forget to edit the amount due. Paying rent this way is a "set and forget" action. On-line Credit Card Payment The last resort! The Property Manager must have a bank service that integrates with the Property Management software. Like Pay Pal, a hefty service fee is charged by the bank. In order for the Property Manager to keep from paying the bank fee the tenant is charged that fee at the time of transaction. Fees usually run under 3% but that’s better than the 5% charged if late. Even though late rent payment is entirely the tenant's responsibility and within their control, tenants bludgeoned by late fees quickly come to the notion that the property manager is at fault, and they will be moving at the end of the lease. Offering multiple methods of payment, empowers the tenant. It makes it easy for them to satisfy an onerous monthly task and is the best way to remove excuses for late rent. 77th Meridian, LLC is full service residential property management company. We serve Anne Arundel and surrounding counties, and parts of Baltimore City for a monthly fee of 7.7%. Why pay the 10% others charge? We save you TIME and WORRY. . . .
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 All homes are subject to infiltration of insects and rodents. The most common visitors are ants, roaches, mice, and rats. Nobody likes to talk about any of these or even admit that such unwelcome visitors have even been guests. Depending on property location and age it may be a fact of life. Fear not, the expense of an exterminator is not always warranted because there are home remedies. Here are a few that are low cost and toxicity:
Ants Most people make the mistake and use sprays, liquids and traps where the ants are seen inside the house. The liquid ant traps are very effective but they are best placed outside, directly beneath the window or wherever they are seen coming in inside. I struggled with ants for months and out of exasperation placed the trap outside at the foundation and the ants disappeared the next day! Roaches These are ugly robust creatures but they can be kept at bay using one of many recipes found on-line using Borax. Borax is a wonderful low toxicity product. Simply mix equal amounts of sugar and borax and sprinkle sparingly in the corners near water supplies (under the sink). Adding a little flower and water to make a paste creates dough balls that can be set on counter tops or under refrigerators (roaches like the hum of the compressor transformer). Water the balls periodically to keep pliable. City dwellers are often plagued by these and the most effective way to treat them is to call a professional to treat the entire row of townhomes at one time. After treatment wash all your clothes to rid the eggs that might be attached. Also vacuum the carpets regularly and throw out the bag. Mice Mice are typical visitors at seasonal weather changes, but once inside they may set up baby hospitals! The key is a two-step process: Block entrances from the outside and trap those living inside. If you can see light under or around the door then that is a possible entrance. First replace the worn door sweeps, thresholds, and door weather-stripping. Also look for holes in the exterior walls. Caulk around hose bibs, broken bricks, rotting doorjambs. Dryer vents not connected to a dryer are also entry points. Inside, use old-fashion traps. Bait with peanut butter and place the trap in a corner of the room or along a wall (mice are corner runners). Place a 2x4 block along the long side of the trap so the mouse must approach the trap from only one end and then step on the paddle to reach the bait. Rats Ugly is their middle name. Keep your trashcan lids on tight and tie the can to a fence so the rats can’t push it over (they are smart!). Also keep the grass cut short. Bait the yard with poison (not for yards with pets or children) or use bait houses. If they persist call a professional. All of these are easy inexpensive safeguards or tools against these visitors. The key is to deny them what they want: Easy food and water or shelter. 77th Meridian, LLC manages residential property in Anne Arundel and surrounding counties, and parts of Baltimore City for a monthly fee of 7.7% of the collected rent. Why pay the 10% others charge? We save you TIME and WORRY. . . .  Changing the filter on the furnace or heat pump is one of the easiest ways to maintain comfort in your home during the heating and cooling seasons, and save money! The furnace filter’s purpose is to remove dust particles from the air and makes the atmosphere within your home healthier. If you have central air conditioning then the filter also prevents those particles from clogging the A-coil.
What’s and A-coil? A central air conditioning system doesn’t vent hot air from inside the house to the outside, it moves heat from inside to the outside. It does that by two finned assemblies similar to car radiators. The radiator inside is called the A-coil because it is shaped that way. The radiator on the outside of the house is much larger but is basically the same thing. The fan indoors moves the inside air past the A-coil and the fan in the outdoor unit moves it past that radiator. A special liquid moves between these two radiators and carries the heat one direction or the other. It’s important to change the in-door filter every three months because it keeps the A-coil from clogging, which degrades it’s efficiency in transferring heat/cold. Regularly changing the filter also keeps the fan motor from struggling to push air through the system, which can raise your electricity costs and burn out the motor! It’s also a good idea to hose off the out-door unit. Grass clippings and dust can clog that coil and possibly cause the compressor to fail. Changing the furnace filter is easy. It’s usually located in a slot in the ductwork close to the furnace. Simply pull out the old filter and place it in a plastic bag because it’s going to be dirty! On the side of the old filter there are dimensions and an arrow. The hardware store should have a variety of filters, so find one like yours with the same dimensions. Observe the arrow on the filter and align it with the direction the air is flowing. If you don’t know which way the air will flow, start the system and feel which way the air is flowing into or out of the slot. Most filters are located in the duct that brings air to the furnace. So in that case the arrow should point to the furnace. If you plan to replace the filter regularly, tape a piece of paper to the furnace with the date the filter was last changed. For the few minutes it took to change the filter you saved yourself energy dollars, improved the comfort and quality of the air in the home, and avoided future repair bills. 77th Meridian, LLC manages residential property in Anne Arundel and surrounding counties, and parts of Baltimore City for a monthly fee of 7.7% of the collected rent. Why pay the 10% others charge? We save you TIME and WORRY. . . .  If you are a tenant behind in rent, bet that a rent court notice is bound to show up on your front door sometime soon. Perhaps it already has. The rent court notice is a summons to district court where you can defend yourself against a landlord or property manager, who may be charging you for rent already paid or items not awardable in rent court. It also offers an opportunity to complain about dangerous or unhealthy living conditions from lack of management maintenance.
Go to court and come prepared. Bring your lease and a most recent statement of your account (or at least receipts for what was paid). Prepare what to say when the judge asks why the rent wasn’t paid. Finally, have a plan for repayment in mind. If the rent truly wasn’t paid, many tenants just don’t go to court. Some don’t want to lose a day of work, and others just admit defeat. But this is a bad approach, because your attendance just might get part or all the debt paid! When your case is called, the judge will ask if the amount on the rent notice is owed. Saying yes, the judge will want to know why you’re in court. The answer to that question should always be “Because I want to stay in the apartment (or house)”. Then, the most amazing thing may happen. The judge will ask how much money you have toward the rent, then direct you to see a court official about county social programs that can help pay that balance. Be careful, the amount paid has a limit and it can only happen once a year for you. Prior to court also look into other sources of financial help: Churches and private eviction prevention services. Take some initiative, and a solution is at hand. Give up, and in a short time the sheriff will be knocking on your door and an eviction crew close behind. Paying rent on-time and in-full is the best policy. Partial payments are second best. Not communicating with the property management will only land you in court or worse yet, standing on the street looking back at the house you slept in the night before. 77th Meridian, LLC manages rental property in Anne Arundel and surrounding counties for a monthly fee of 7.7% of collected rent. ** WE SAVE YOU TIME, AND WORRY **  Shopping for rental housing should be no different than shopping for a car. When you think about it, as a tenant you are committing to a substantial amount of money (a year’s rent), not to mention the cost of moving. Making an emotional or careless decision can haunt you for a year or longer. Here are some tips on getting the most out of a your search and showing so you have something substantial on which to base your final decision.
77th Meridian, LLC offers professional property management in Anne Arundel and surrounding counties, including Baltimore City. ** EXPERIENCED, ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE**  How do you get the security deposit returned after the lease ends? Some tenants assume they never will. Some landlords make it difficult to get it back. To make sure you do, it's helpful to know a little about how it works. In other words: Your responsibilities and the Landlord's obligations.
If you are leaving before the end of the lease, that's called breaking the lease. Breach of lease usually results in forfeit of the entire security deposit. But this is about leaving "in accordance with the terms of the lease". So the first step is to stay the entire term. Second, read your lease and determine how much notice must be given to the Landlord or management company. Make sure it is in writing or whatever method is prescribed. Calling the Landlord may not be sufficient. Assuming the notice is properly given, the Landlord is required to send a final statement within 45 days after you return the keys. That statement will show security deposit and interest on that amount (over the term of the tenancy), credited to your account from which all the unpaid invoices, utilities, damages, and allowable repairs are subtracted. Allowable repairs can not include normal wear and tear. For example, you can not be charged for repainting or a leaking faucet. Holes in the wall, however, a room painted by the tenant without permission, or broken windows are examples of legitimate damages. If you were evicted then all legal costs plus the cost to move your belongings out are also chargeable to your account. Let's say, however, you exited normally. To get the deposit back you need to make all the repairs before the management company does their walk-through. Your objective is to restore the property to it's original condition less normal wear and tear. To recall how the house looked when you moved in, use the move-in-move-out form signed at move-in, as a guide to the original condition and damages. Fill all the nail holes, leave the floor clean of debris and sweep with a broom. Repair the screens, repaint rooms that you painted without permission, and clean the carpets. In other words, the landlord should not have to do much except paint and clean in order to re-rent. If all this was done then make sure that your statement and refund are received within the 45 days after the keys were tuned in. If the statement arrives after this period or not at all, you may be entitled to three-times your security deposit in compensation! Getting your full deposit returned takes a little work but it's certainly worth it if you're willing to do your part. Ask your Landlord for specific guidance as to what must be done to get the deposit back. Remember, they rather you do the repairs, major cleaning etc, because the property can be shown and re-rented that much sooner. Another way to look at it is; if it takes you eight hours of cleaning and repairing to get back a $1000, that's $125/hr and probably a better hourly rate than you make at your current job! 77th Meridian, LLC offers professional property management for residential property in Anne Arundel and surrounding counties, including Baltimore City. ** WE'RE THERE, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T BE **  Tenants often forget that even though they are renting a property, their belongings are not protected from loss by the owners insurance policy. In the case of a fire, storm damage, or theft, the owner's policy only covers damage to the building and appliances provided by the owner for tenant use.
Here's a good example: Let's say the tenant had a kitchen fire and it was a complete loss. The stove, refrigerator, walls, flooring, and kitchen cabinets would all be covered by the owner's policy, but the tenant's food, pots & pans, and wall decorations would not. To protect themselves the tenant should contact an insurance agent and ask about a renters policy. The cost of this protection is inexpensive and well worth it. Call several insurance carriers or an "Independent" agent as they represent several larger carriers. Don't forget to ask the carrier who holds your auto policy, there may be a multi-policy discount. Some landlords require the tenant to take out a renters policy when signing a lease, but tenants often just cancel the policy after they move in. 77th Meridian makes a new tenant aware of risk, that the owner's policy doesn't extent to the tenant, and has the tenant initial that advice in the lease. We assume the tenant is an adult and can make good choices when they are informed with the facts. 77th Meridian, LLC offers professional property management for residential property in Anne Arundel, Prince George, Baltimore counties, and Baltimore City. Let us manage yours.  Sometimes a water bill can be high due to usage: Doing a lot of laundry, watering the grass, filling a pool. But most times it’s a leak that you can find and fix yourself. Slow drips can waste gallons of water a day where a running toilet can waste hundreds of gallons a month!
There are typically seven sources of leaks in the common household: Disintegrated rubber of the flapper at bottom of toilet tank, a stuck flapper or valve, the kitchen faucet, the bathroom faucet, the shower faucet, the outside hose bib, and the dreaded of all, the underground leak. To determine the source of the leak simple tests can be performed: Flapper at bottom of toilet tank: Remove the cover from the toilet tank and place a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Wait about 15 minutes. If the water in the bowl changes color you have a leak. To check without food coloring, flush the toilet and wait 5 minutes. Place your fingers at the back of the bowl and if you feel water running past them then there is a leak. Stuck flapper or valve: Flush the toilet and wait for the bowl to fill. If working properly, you should hear the valve shut off and the “rushing” sound will stop. If the rushing continues you have a leak. If unsure, remove the cover from the tank and look at the pipe coming up from the bottom of the tank. If water is washing into this overflow pipe then you have a leak. Kitchen faucet: Turn off the hot and cold water with the knobs. Look for an occasional drip or dripping. If the knobs are turned all the way off and the dripping persists then you have a leak. Shower faucet: See Kitchen faucet above. Outside hose bib: See Kitchen faucet above. Underground leak: If you have tried everything above and found no other leaks call your property manager. You must be home or allow a plumber to enter the house to perform the test. During the test no water can be used inside the house. The water meter, usually located near the sidewalk, is watched for water usage. If it shows usage then there is an underground leak. Now that you have determined the source of the leak, the next step is the fix or a contact to the property manager. Attempt all repairs that are within your skills and save a maintenance charge. Otherwise contact your property manager. The following is a guide to making that decision: Flapper at bottom of toilet tank: Save the cost of a maintenance visit and simply replace the flapper. You can get a new flapper for a few dollars at a hardware store. It’s best to take the old flapper with you but be sure to first turn off the water at the wall beneath the tank. Read the directions on the package. Stuck flapper or valve: If the existing flapper looks good it may just be an adjustment needed to the length of chain that connects the flapper to the handle. Lift the handle and watch the flapper rise. The chain may be too long and is getting wedged under the flapper. Too short, and the flapper can’t close all the way. Kitchen faucet: There are so many kinds of faucets it’s best not to try this repair. Call your property manager. Shower faucet: See Kitchen faucet above. Outside hose bib: Don’t even try this one! Call your property manager. A qualified plumber is typically needed to re-pack the valve or replace the valve entirely. Underground leak: If your property manager determines that there is a leak then a licensed plumber must dig up the front yard and install a new pipe between the house and water meter near the street. A permit is required for this work. For more detailed instructions, go to the 77th Meridian “Tenants” web page and download the Checking for Water Leaks. 77th Meridian, LLC offers professional property management for residential property in Anne Arundel, Prince George, Baltimore counties, and Baltimore City. Let us manage yours. |
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