Tenant Guide

If there is a fire and you can’t immediately put it out with water or a fire extinguisher, then call 911. Once the fire has been put out, please notify Stott Property Management, LLC of the fire so that we can notify the owner and check out the damage to the property.

Burst Pipes and Sewage Backing Up into house: Water shut off valves are located under each sink, toilet, and by the dishwasher. There is usually a shut off valve for the entire house or unit outside the dwelling. Please become familiar with the location and operation of these valves.

Three plumbing issues are considered emergencies and should be dealt with immediately:

1. Burst water pipe or water heater and no water shut off valve is present to stop the leak.
2. A leak that requires water to be shut off to the entire house, townhouse, or condo.
3. Main sewer line clogs and sewage is backing up into all the sinks, tubs, and toilets.

In either case, call Stott Property Management, LLC immediately at 254-5558 during normal working hours or 808-254-1515 x109 after hours and on weekends. If no one answers, then leave a brief message about the problem and call one of the emergency plumbers listed (see Important Numbers on the last page) to come out and fix the problem. Please call Stott Property Management, LLC back with the name of the plumber that is coming to fix the problem once arrangements have been made.

Roof leaks are a unique problem because they are difficult or impossible to fix during heavy rains and windstorms. It is critical that you notify Stott Property Management, LLC immediately at 808-254-5558 during normal working hours or 808-254-1515 x109 after hours and on weekends if you have a roof leak so that the leak can be fixed when a break in the weather occurs. During heavy rains and windstorms, the only thing that can be done immediately is to place a bucket at the point of the leak and to empty it when it is full until the weather passes.

Rent must be received by our office on or before the due date as written in your rental agreement. Stott Property Management, LLC provides a variety of payment options for your convenience:

• Direct Payment: Stott Property Management, LLC will electronically withdraw funds from your account on the 5th of every month or the following business day if the 5th falls on the weekend or holiday. All you need to do is make sure you maintain sufficient funds in your account.
• Tenant Portal: You can pay electronically via the Tenant Portal once it is activated. Contact us if you would like to activate your portal.
• Mail Personal Check or Money Order: You can mail a check made out to Stott Property Management, LLC. Payment must be received by the rent due date specified in the lease.
• Hand Deliver Personal Check, Money Order, or Cash: Do not mail cash or slip cash under the door. Stott Property Management, LLC is not responsible for cash payments until we provide you a written receipt.

If you have a problem paying your rent, please call us and explain the circumstances. If you are late and we can’t contact you, then we may be forced to start eviction proceedings and those costs will be passed on to you.

If your check or electronic payment is returned to us for insufficient funds, you will be charged $25. Repeated returns may result in the requirement that all future payments be made by money order, cashier’s check, or cash.

Stott Property Management, LLC applies late fees and interest to all tenants as stated in the lease. Those fees will be detailed in a letter and are due by the 5th of the following month. Failure to pay in full can result in further charges, damage to your credit history, refusal to renew your lease, and difficulty in finding a new rental. If you have any questions about the fees, please contact us.

Your security deposit is held in a separate account while you are renting from Stott Property Management, LLC. You may not use the security deposit to pay the last month’s rent or prorated rent under any circumstances. If we don’t receive the last month’s rent by the due date described above, then you will be charged the applicable late fee.

When you check out, any broken or damaged items not noted on the inventory and condition form will be considered damage caused by you unless a defect in the property caused the damage. Normal wear and tear is not your responsibility. You have ten days from the date of your occupancy to change or amend the inventory and condition form. If you find any problems in your residence, please let us know within the ten-day period.

The owner’s insurance does not cover your belongings. We strongly encourage you to obtain renter’s insurance to cover any damage to your personal property including but not limited to loss from fire, theft, flooding, or water damage caused by plumbing problems.

We will be making periodic inspections at least once per year to protect both you and the owner. The inspection will take about thirty minutes to one hour. We are looking for signs of wear that could lead to more serious problems (water leaks, wood rot, etc.). Photos and video may be taken during the inspection. This inspection does not eliminate your responsibility to call us if you notice any problems with the property that require attention.

If something in the unit breaks, call Stott Property Management, LLC at 808-254-5558. If you call after hours or reach our answering machine, please leave your name, address, valid daytime phone number, and a brief description of the problem. We will get back to you no later than the next business day if you call after hours.

In most cases, clogs and disposal jams are tenant caused and therefore your responsibility. If the damage is not tenant caused, then the owner will pay to fix the appliance or fixture.

General maintenance (Replacing light bulbs, removing lint from the dryer filter, cleaning, etc.) is the tenant’s responsibility.

Occasionally, some tenants will want to handle simple repairs themselves rather than schedule an appointment with a repair-person. Any reimbursements MUST be approved prior to starting the work. Please do not start any home improvement projects or repairs without getting our approval FIRST. Most owners will reimburse tenants for materials but rarely will tenants be paid for labor.

The circuit breaker and fuses are designed to protect you in case of an electrical problem. Become familiar with the location and operation of these switches.

If an appliance or outlet is not working, please make sure that the circuit breaker has not tripped before asking for a service call. Try resetting the breaker if it tripped. If the breaker continues to trip, then there could be a problem with the appliance, the electrical circuit could be overloaded, or there could be a problem with the breaker itself. Check to make sure that you have not plugged too many electrical devices into any of the outlets.

If we send an electrician out to fix the problem, and it turns out that a breaker just needed to be reset or if there were too many devices plugged into an outlet, Stott Property Management, LLC will send you the bill. If it is a true electrical problem, then the owner will pay the electrician bill.

Call Stott Property Management, LLC at 808-254-5558. If you call after hours or reach our answering machine, please leave your name, address, valid daytime phone number, and a brief description of the problem. We will get back to you no later than the following business day if you call after hours. If an appliance or fixture provided by the owner requires repair and the damage is not caused by the tenant, then the owner will pay the bill.

Please refer to the Emergency Procedures if you think the problem needs immediate attention to prevent further damage to the property. Please note that a broken appliance is not considered an emergency.

You may also submit a service request using your tenant portal. Please include a description of the problem, the room location, person to call, and the best number to call for additional questions and scheduling the repair.

In most cases, the repair-person will schedule a time with you to fix the problem. If it is an emergency repair and you can’t be there, then Stott Property Management, LLC may be able to meet the repair-person at the property.

Call Stott Property Management, LLC and request a lease extension. If you have paid your rent and bills and proven to be a reliable tenant, then there is a good chance the owner will approve a lease extension.

You are responsible for the rent through the length of your lease. Call Stott Property Management, LLC and we will work with you to find a qualified tenant as quickly as possible. You will be charged for the time the unit is vacant, any difference in rent through the end of the lease if we can’t rent it out for the amount specified in your lease, advertising costs, and credit report fees.

If you are in the military and receive orders to leave the island, then you must give Stott Property Management, LLC 28 days written notice and a copy of your orders.

If you are a month-to-month tenant, then you must provide 28 days written notice.

If you have just moved in, then call Stott Property Management, LLC at 808-254-5558 and we’ll discuss remedies. If you have been living there for a while, then it is your responsibility to take care of the problem.

If you suspect that the bugs are termites, please call Stott Property Management, LLC at 808-254-5558. We will have someone check out the problem and if it is termites, will coordinate remedies with you and the owner.

The lease requires that you notify us if you are going to be out of town for more than five days.

If you are going to be out of town for a few weeks, please make sure you mail your rent check ahead of time if you plan on returning after the due date. Traveling is not a valid reason for paying your rent late.

Please note that you don’t have to worry about paying your rent on time if you have signed up for Direct Payment. You can also pay on-line anywhere that you have internet access if you have activated your Tenant Portal.

Stott Property Management, LLC’s check-in and check-out procedures are fairly extensive. You must clean the property thoroughly and leave the property in the same condition that it was in when you moved in minus “normal wear and tear.” Please note that dirt and stains are not “normal wear and tear.”

Your signed inventory and condition form is an excellent checklist. Stott Property Management, LLC will provide you a copy of the report if you misplaced your copy. Stott Property Management, LLC will be using this same report during the checkout.

No.

The lease specifically forbids you from using the security deposit as last month’s rent. If we don’t receive the last month’s rent by the due date, then you will be charged a late fee. Stott Property Management, LLC will hire a collection agency if the security deposit is insufficient to pay all bills and fees and you fail to pay the outstanding amount specified in the security deposit letter.

Most Property Managers run credit and background checks and will not rent to prospective tenants that owe previous landlords.