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Rental Qualifications & Policy

READ ALL POLICIES PRIOR TO CHOOSING TO APPLY.

Colonial Property Management IS NOT responsible for misleading or incorrect information on 3RD party sights such as Zillow, Realtor.com, Apartments.com, or any source other than;

www.colonialrepm.com 

POLICY

Colonial Property Management has been providing Property Management Services since 1988. In conducting business, we retain the right to make periodic policy changes. As allowed in your TR Lease; item 18 on older leases and item 19.1 on newer leases, we are allowed to make policy changes, to include fees as long as the amounts on pages one and two are not changed. 

PROPERTY VIEWING

We give "the month" of viewing, not a specific date a rental will be available. We have no idea of a hard date, due to not knowing the property condition once the tenant turns in keys.

Some properties are available for immediate rental, some require tenant related repairs/cleaning.  Applicants will be notified on the day of viewing with a viewing time. Property is secured first come, first serve. Day of showing the website is updated for the public with the viewing time.

QUALIFICATIONS

Colonial Property Management follows strict standards. Tenants must make 3 times the rent individually or as a married couple, pass a criminal background check and credit check. The credit check is not your traditional FICO score driven check, we are primarily looking for rental related history and debt to income ratios.  Criminal History must not reflect violent felonies or Registered Sex Offender status. NO Evictions newer than 5 years. Couples must provide a marriage certificate. Qualifying income provided will be verified. Income must be local employment. As of 01/01/2023 we are no longer accepting offer letters due to the high levels of fraud in our area. All provided income will be verified.

AS PER TEXAS PROPERTY CODE SEC. 92.352 

"A landlord's rejection of one co-applicant shall be deemed as a rejection of all co-applicants."

Application fees are a non-refundable

$55 per adult.

Applications do not hold the property.

 Properties are viewed on a first come first serve basis to approved applicants initially and the general public, first come first serve. Applications are taken until a lease is signed. Properties are held by placing the "Application Deposit" in guaranteed funds after viewing in person. The Application Deposit holds the property for only up to 14 days. 

  

ALL applicants must provide all required documents; Valid state issued ID (Not military ID), verifiable income from the last 30 days (90 days if self-employed with bank statements), marriage certificates and if you have pets, current shot records. If your application is received 1st and you fail to provide the documents needed for approval, we will move on to the following application. You are sent an email confirming our having received your application, this email reiterates what is required. It is up to the applicant to provide what is required to qualify them. If you miss out on your property of choice you may move it to another property. Please know in moving your application, you may not line jump in front of another applicant. We perform rental verifications. If we are unable to perform a rental verification you will be denied.

Colonial Property Management DOES NOT allow sight unseen leases. 

Application Deposits that HOLD the property are equal to the Security Deposit. Once placed, it holds the property for 14 days. At lease signing it turns into your Security Deposit. If for any reason the applicant changes their mind, as per Texas Property Code, the Application Deposit is liquidated by the property owner. 

 

Colonial Property Management is an agent to the owner and works for the homeowner to qualify and secure tenants.

Once the home is ready to view, you will be contacted for viewing at least 24 hours in advanced, via the email you provided on your application, first come first serve. If an approved applicant does not secure the property, it will open for viewing to the public on the same first come first serve basis. 

ANY INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WITHOUT SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS WILL BE DENIED AND NOT REVISTED. ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS ARE EXPLAINED ABOVE.

 

Only legally married couples may qualify incomes together. Roommates must qualify independently.

 

A $400 refundable roommate deposit applies per added roommate.

If caught with unauthorized roommates, you would be subject to both fines and eviction.

All renters are required to maintain renters' insurance, in some cases liability policies. Failure to maintain renters' insurance is a violation of your TR Lease and our policy.

Occupants over the age of 18 years are subject to a criminal background check, NO exceptions. 

 

All Properties are rented "As Is". Prior to move in, your rental property has undergone multiple inspections, to include a Quality Control inspection within 48 hours of your move-in. These inspections include time stamped photos. Prior to move in, each property has been professionally cleaned, carpets clean pest control and maintenance.

Please understand, this inspection is subject to meeting our standards, not the tenant's personal standard. All properties at the time of move-in are accepted "As Is". This is why Colonial does not allow for Site unseen leases.

 

Availability

All of our properties may be viewed at our website. If your property of interest is still available, it will state that in the description. If it has been placed on hold, the “apply online” option will no longer be available, and it will state a hold or deposit has been placed in the description. Homes available for "walk in" views will state so in property descriptions under that particular property.

Inspections

Colonial Property Management works for the homeowner. In effort to care for their property, we conduct both drive by and 90 days tenant lead walk through inspections. If during a routine inspection, you are found in violation, a lease violation will be sent out via email through your tenant portal. A photo of the violation is generally provided. You will be given a timeline to comply. If scheduled appointments are not kept by the tenant, a rescheduling fee will apply.

Utilities

Tenants are responsible for maintaining utilities. Within 24 hours of your lease signing, Colonial will turn utilities off from our name. We have a free market, visit www.powertochoose.org

Tenants are responsible for all utilities through move-out inspection.

Copy of your TR Lease

A full copy of your TR Lease and addendums are provided at key pick up. We also maintain a PDF copy in your tenant portal. We cannot deviate from the written word of the legal binding contract. In the event that you have questions, review your lease. Still have questions? Contact our office to have a qualified member of our staff help your review and explain. 

Unauthorized Pets/Pools/Trampolines/Roommates

 As per your TAA Lease and Tenant Contract, if caught with any of the above items, it will result in tenant fines and possible eviction.  

Renewal

Tenants MUST requalify at the end of each lease term to renew.

Payments

Colonial Property Management provides our tenants with a convenient online portal. Your rental payments may be made via our portal with an electronic check for $7.50. We also have a drop box for drop off payments. If you elect to pay with a paper check, cashier's check, or money order in house, there will be a $7.50 payment processing fee applied. 

Tenant Occupied

We do not require our tenants to show their homes. Anyone taking it upon themselves to stop and view a property by asking the tenant to gain entry, will NOT be allowed to declare having seen the property or be able to place an Application Deposit ahead of others.

 

Colonial Property Management is a Broker/Agent to your homeowner. We do not own your rental property. We are simply a "middleman" to facilitate the renting of a property on behalf of the owner, for whom we work.

Pet & Other Policy

Both Dogs and Cats are welcome in most properties! If a particular home has restrictions, it will say so in the listing.

If you have pets, our pet policy states that you may not have amphibians, reptiles, or rodents. You are allowed two pets (on most properties), there is a $200.00 non-refundable pet fee (per pet); this is due at lease signing. You will also have a $300.00 refundable pet deposit (per-pet); half of the deposit will be due at lease signing, and the other half would be due the following month.

Restricted Breeds

Our restricted breed list includes Pitbull's, Rottweilers, Chows, Great Danes, German Shepard's, Belgian Mal, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino and Bullies.

 

 In some cases, certain homeowners will allow restricted breeds with the purchase of liability renters insurance.

Colonial Property Management conducts drive by inspections. In the event an unauthorized pet is discovered, fines to include $5 a day from the day you signed you lease will apply, in some cases you may face eviction. Honesty is always the best policy. In an effort to help our pet loving tenants, we allow deposits to be broken into payments during your first 3 months of tenancy.

Each property with pets will have the yard treated at move out for fleas, contracted by Colonial Property Management. 

SERVICE ANIMALS

Colonial Property Management strictly follows the guidelines of ADA. Under Texas law and the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), we have a strict criteria we follow. You are welcome to come in office and pick up a Service Pet brochure. 

Colonial Property management reserves the right evaluate the service dog in our office.  Under Texas's Human Resources Code, a service animal or an assistance animal is a dog that is specially trained to assist someone with a disability and is actually used by a person with a disability. These conditions count as a disability: deafness or another hearing impairment

  • a visual impairment

  • a speech impairment

  • a mental disability

  • a physical disability

  • an intellectual or developmental disability

  • post-traumatic stress disorder, or

  • any health impairment for which the person needs special ambulatory services or devices.

Under the ADA, a service animal is a dog (or, in some cases a miniature horse) that is individually trained to perform tasks or do work for the benefit of a person with a disability. The tasks or work the animal does must be directly related to the person’s disability.

Neither law covers pets or what some call “emotional support animals”: animals that provide a sense of safety, companionship, and comfort to those with psychiatric or emotional disabilities or conditions. Although these animals often have therapeutic benefits, they are not specially trained to do particular types of work for their owners. Under the ADA and Texas law, owners of public accommodations are not required to allow emotional support animals, only service animals that fit the definitions above. (Psychiatric service dogs are, however, covered by both Texas law and the ADA. These are dogs that are trained to provide services such as responding to an owner's panic attack by initiating contact to comfort the owner or alerting an owner who is exercising poor judgment due to bipolar disorder that he or she is driving dangerously.)

There is NO national registration for Service Pets. Cards stating such are a clear indication of fraud.

PERIODIC INSPECTIONS

Tenants are required to conduct every 90 days walk through inspection using portal driven software. This is a simple process and gives you, the tenant more privacy in conducting it yourself. In the the even you fail to do so in the time allowed, a $55 fee will be charged to your ledger and an inspector will come do the inspection using our key. Annual inspections are also required, these are conducted by our Inspections Team.

 

VIOLATIONS

All of our properties are Non-Smoking. In the event you are caught smoking on the property, a fee of $100 will be applied to your ledger. 

Lawn Violations ~ In the event we are contacted by Code Enforcement or drive by and notice an unkept lawn, vehicles parked incorrectly, or any other City Code Violation a fee of $75 will be applied to your ledger as well as being served with a TR Lease violation. Time stamped photos of proof of the lawns condition are available upon request. Painting the home without written permission $100 fee.Repeated or duplicate work orders $75.00 fee

All policies are posted in both our lobby and leasing offices. 

Payments

Colonial Property Management provides our tenants with a convenient online portal. Your rental payments may be made via our portal with an electronic check for $7.50. We also have a drop box for drop off payments. If you elect to pay with a paper check, cashiers check, or money order in house, there will be a $7.50 payment processing fee applied. There will be a $30.00 dollar fee per household for renewal as we must re-run your background, credit, and financials

Roommate Removal

When more than one adult share the position of lease holder, each have equal rights to the property. In order for one roommate to be removed, both must come in together to remove the other party.

Notice To Vacate

As per the TR Lease, agent may require your Notice To Vacate to be on their form. Colonial Property Management requires that your NTV must be placed in our office, in person, on our form; prior to the 1st day of the month you are vacating.

Late Fees

Late fees include 10% of one months rent. Due to changes in Texas Property Code Section 92.019 as of September 01, 2019, In regards to Late Payment of Rent, we can no longer allow grace period in late rents. Once payment is not received by midnight on the 3rd, eviction notices will be tagged on the 4th; giving tenants 24 hours notice to pay prior to filing evictions in court. Once late, a $15 mailing fee will apply to process your late payment documents and tagging your door. If we must initiate court proceedings, a $100 eviction processing fee will also apply. Once filed, tenants are subject to court filing fees.  If total balance due is paid prior to court, court may be canceled however, an eviction processing fee of 100.00 will be charged and due immediately.

Work Orders

All work orders MUST be placed in writing, through your tenant portal between the hours of 7AM to 7PM for non-emergencies. Work orders are NOT accepted over the phone or direct email. Your tenant portal maintain record of your work orders throughout your tenancy, even after the work orders are closed out. After hours, your portal work orders are monitored and processed by an on~call agent, 24/7 for emergencies. Placing a non-emergency work order Before 7AM or after 7PM may result in a $75.00 non-emergency processing fee.

The VENDOR makes the call as to if the item is a tenant or owner charge. Tenant charges will be placed on your ledger. 

Understand, in the State of Texas, your property owner IS NOT required to address cosmetic issues.

 

Code Enforcement

As per your TAA Lease and Tenant contract, you must maintain your lawn. Each city has a list of violations on their municipal website. If we receive a code violation during your tenancy of any kind,

you will be immediately sent a violation via your tenant portal and a fee of $75.00 will be placed on your tenant ledger.

If not addressed, we will send a vendor to rectify the issue and the vendors invoice will be attached to the tenant's ledger.

Move~Out

Once you place your Notice to Vacate you will be provided a "Key Turn In" sheet. You must provide this sheet with keys and a forwarding address. Please provide all cleaning receipts and label keys. In office this form will be reviewed, signed, and dated by staff. If you place the keys in the dop box after hours, you must label keys and place on a ring. Colonial will go by the date of key retrieval (Drop Box is checked daily) If you fail to label keys or provide the form given, we will have to wait until all keys are turned in to figure out which property the keys belong to. Buren falls on you, the tenant to provide keys, receipts, and all documents/forwarding address. Inspections take place within 48 hours of key turn in, tenant must maintain utilities for move-out inspection. Failure to maintain utilities will result in a $55 re-inspection fee. If damage is caused, there will be a 39.95 Digital damage report fee. This report will include all moveout details. There will be a 15% up charge on all tenant related vendor work.

Hours

Our office is open Monday ~ Friday

9:00AM to 5:00PM by appointment.

Rent and Keys due during off or holiday hours may be labeled and placed in the drop slot at the front of our office. Our drop slot is manned by a timestamped video camera, 24/7

REMINDER

Colonial REPM does not own your property and rental rate increases are made at your owners’ request. Your owner is not lawfully required to renew your lease.

This does not conclude all of Colonial Property Management Policy, merely a selection of the most commonly asked.

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