With the change in our season Lava Ridge Property Management would like to provide you with some helpful tips and remind you of some rules and regulations. Please understand that the purpose of this letter is to simply be informational and help us help you!! Any rule or guideline listed below is subjective to the property and may not be the full extent of the renters responsibility and can be changed without notification. As always, if you have any questions regarding this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to call us.
LANDSCAPING & IRRIGATION
Please refer to your rental/lease agreement for clarification of ‘who’ is responsible to maintain the landscaping at your dwelling.
If your rental INCLUDES landscaping services, you should not have to do anything to prepare or maintain the landscaping or irrigation of your dwelling. The landscapers will arrive on the same day each week to perform landscaping services, unless factors of weather or circumstances out of their control keep them from working.
- It is your responsibility to ensure that all toys, furniture, trash, cigarette butts and feces from your approved pets have been removed from the grass areas. If the landscapers need to remove any of these items they will charge us a minimum of $50 per occurrence and this charge WILL be passed onto you for payment.
- Please make sure the all locks have been removed from the gates and landscapers have full access to your front AND backyards.
- If any irrigation/sprinkler breaks or water is leaking, please contact our office immediately. An irrigation water leak is not only wasteful but can cost your property owner quite a bit of money, which can result in rent increases to cover costs.
If your rental DOES NOT INCLUDE landscaping services, it is your responsibility to:
- Provide basic maintenance to sprinklers i.e. proper coverage of irrigation, repair or replace sprinklers that are broken or clogged, turn on and program any irrigation timer boxes. If you have difficulty programming your timer, find an irrigation line broken, leak in a valve or controller box, or find a sprinkler head break that is extensive, please contact our office for assistance.
- Water all lawn and shrub areas regardless of irrigation systems. Grass areas should be green and shrubs should be watered enough to provide proper growth. Aerate and/or thatch as needed.
- Mow and edge all lawn areas weekly or as needed. Lawns should NOT get over 6 inches tall. Tenants are responsible for lawn/weeds all the way to the asphalt.
- Trim and prune shrubs and hedges as needed. Tree trimming will be conducted by Lava Ridge as needed. It is your responsibility to ensure that shrubs and hedges are not touching the house exterior or blocking irrigation from proper coverage.
- Pull all weeds as they grow
- Dispose of all grass clipping and trimmings from the property. You CANNOT store or pile this on site. Compost areas must be preapproved by Lava Ridge.
- Clean up pine needles, leaves, pine cones, trash or any other material that may fall onto or around the property.
- It is YOUR responsibility to turn on and set your timers and keep an eye on coverage of the irrigation.
*** Please note that we drive by all properties we manage a minimum of once per month. If at any time we notice the landscaping is not being properly cared for we will send notification to you for corrective action. If the necessary corrective measures are not resolved and/ or failure to properly maintain the yard is repeatedly noticed... we will be forced toincrease the monthly rental rate, regardless of the lease term, and hire a landscaper to maintain the property.
PLANTING FLOWER OR PLANTS
We love to see our renters’ plant flowers or plants to the yards. Please make sure the plants, flowers etc are designed for our climate and area and get proper water and will not cause any damage to the property. Basic planting of flowers can be done at your discretion, anything that may be more extensive or change the look or care of the property should get approval from our office.
Please DO NOT remove any plant, shrub, hedge or tree from the property without approval. Adding grass seed and fertilizer as needed to green up the lawn is recommended.
AIR CONDITIONING
If your rental does NOT come with air conditioning and you would like to use a window a/c, we do not have a problem with that. We would simply like to point out that any damage caused from the removal of blinds, windows or screens will be charged back to you. Any damage to the structure from condensation or installation will be charged back to you. It is your responsibility to ensure that the installation of your window a/c is done in a safe and proper manner. Lava Ridge Property Management and/or the owner are NOT responsible for damage or injury due to the window a/c. We highly suggest using a licensed contractor to ensure proper installation.
Replace furnace filters as needed in HVAC units. Furnace filters – Changing furnace filters is what will provide the most energy efficient use of your HVAC and will help keep your air clean. Rule of thumb for how often to change your furnace filter when dirty ... but to help guide you;
Vacation home or single occupant w/o pets or allergies: 6-12 months
Average suburban home w/o pets: every 90 days
Add a dog or cat: every 60 days
Add more than one pet or have allergies: every 30-45days
Remove any foam blocks or raise covers to the crawl space underneath the house. It will help keep your home cooler and breathe
PESTS, BEES, RODENTS AND CRITTERS
Basic pest service is NOT provided. If you have trouble with ants, small bugs etc... it is your responsibility to treat properly. If you have trouble with bees, wasps etc... it is your responsibility to prevent and remove any small wasp hives. Please do not let these problems get out of control. If you are nervous or do not know how to take care of this problem, please contact us for helpful hints.
If you find that you have a severe problem or infestations...contact us immediately.
REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE
Basic maintenance is a renter responsibility. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Light bulbs
- Basic sprinkler repair
- Air filters
- Tightening screws where needed, adjusting doors, oiling tracks etc
- Garbage disposal and clogged sinks and toilets – If your disposal stops working, have you tried to troubleshoot this yourself first. Use a disposal allen wrench on the base of motor to manually move the blades and un-jam it. If we find that the cause for the repair is tenant caused (bottle cap, starch peels, seeds or pits etc), the repair will be charged back to you. Sink or toilet clogs – have you tried any liquid plumber, plunger or sorts... again, if the clog is tenant caused (hair, paper etc) the repair will be charged back to the tenants.
- Reset any tripped breakers or reset GFCI
Please understand that owners try to minimize costs of their investments so that we can keep rents from rising. Multiple requests for basic and simple maintenance items increase expenses and force owners to raise rents. So if your door bell box falls off the wall and just needs a screw... help yourself out and take a minute to reattach it. In no way are we saying to NOT contact us for repairs... just try to trouble shoot these things yourself and keep costs down for everyone.
THINGS TO LOOK FOR AND REPORT
- Decks and/or fences that are worn and should be re-stained or have nails/screws missing or backing out.
- Loose railings or fence slats etc
- Leaks on any irrigation or around toilets, sinks, hose connectors or any plumbing source
- Caulking at the base of all tubs and showers, around toilets, backsplashes etc.
Again, these are simply guidelines and helpful hints to ensure a smooth and easy spring/summer for us all. Specific details or clarification should be referred to our office. If you have any questions regarding this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.