While Your Property Is Vacant
Inventory and Condition Form
To establish the condition of a vacant property when our management starts, RPM will order an Inventory and Condition Survey. This survey is a 14-page room-by-room documentation of the condition of the property. When a tenant moves out of your property, we will walk the unit again and prepare a new Inventory and Condition Survey. We compare the original survey to the latest survey to determine the tenant’s deposit refund. When calculating deposit refunds, the law requires RPM to depreciate large-ticket items such as paint and flooring as much as 20% per year. This is considered the “normal wear and tear” allowance. If the property is new to RPM’s management, the Survey may be used to suggest possible areas that need attention. As your property manager we will report potential problems to you and make recommendations for repairs so you can maintain the value of your investment property.
Advertising
RPM advertises in the Austin Multiple Listings, at
- www.LandlordAustin.com
- www.HomeRentals.net
- www.RentalHomesPlus.com
- www.Rentals.com
and other websites. RPM also advertises on the local newspaper’s Internet classifieds website but not in the actual newspaper.
Utilities
Several utility companies have revised their service policies requiring connections under the owner’s social security number or tax ID. They are also billing by tax ID which means the utility company is combining properties and making it almost impossible to figure out individual charges. Consequently, the owner will be responsible for getting the water and electricity turned on. The Move Out Notice letter transmitted to you will include the contact information for your utility providers and a date for turn on. It is very important that service be established by the designated date or it could delay our ability to get started on a make ready. Please note that some utilities may take up to five business days to establish a connection.
RPM will make every attempt to set thermostats at reasonable levels but cannot monitor each vacant property. If you already have these utilities connected when we take over management, RPM will notify you when to disconnect. Typically, if a tenant is moving in on a weekend, we leave service on until that date to make sure there is no interruption in service.
Gas service should be disconnected while the unit is vacant unless your property is offered for Section 8 occupancy. Turning on the gas is complicated because someone usually has to be present.
Keep in mind that summers in Texas can be very hot and very dry causing utility bills to run high. RPM has the thermostats set to 78 but realtors showing a unit will typically turn the thermostat down and forget to turn it back up when they leave. Water service allows the sprinklers to run. If you have an unusually high water bill, please let us know as this could be an indication of a leak at the property.
Once you establish service in your name, RPM cannot change that service or argue a billing error. The utility companies will talk only to person with the tax ID on the account.
Landscape Maintenance
While a property is vacant RPM will mow and edge the yard so that it will maintain its curbside appeal and not incur any HOA violations. We also set any automatic sprinkler systems from June-September and even set temporary sprinkler systems in extremely dry weather.
Lawns are mowed/edged about twice a month except for Dec-Feb when we may get enough cold weather to slow down lawn growth. Even then we still mow once a month to keep weed growth under control for the spring.
In addition to mowing/edging we will also remove any trash/debris from the yard, do bed/weed cleanup and trim trees/shrubs that get too close to the structure.
If you already have a lawn service, please be sure to notify us.
