By: Christina Starmer, Instant Tenant-Instant Landlord

So you are about to rent the apartment of your dreams. But before you take the keys, you will be asked to sign on the bottom line. Not so fast Sparky! Below are a few items, that you might actually want in your lease if you don’t find them during your initial run-through. (Extra Tip! Ask to get a copy of the lease prior to signing so you can review it and read over 24 hours before signing).

Appliance Repair:

Who is responsible for an appliance repair if the appliance simply breaks because of ordinary wear and tear? Is there a co-pay on the tenant’s part and if so, when do they pay?

Is renter’s insurance required? This one does not have to be in the lease, but it may be well worth the money to get.

Lawn Maintenance:

When renting a house, it is often the responsibility of the tenant to maintain the lawn. If it’s not spelled out in the lease already, be sure you get it in there. And if you are responsible, be specific as to what you are expected to do. For instance, a typical resident will mow and blow when needed (approximately every two weeks). But some “tenant maintains the lawn” clauses presumes the tenant will be mowing, blowing, edging, mulching, weeding and possibly trimming hedges.

Painting and Basic Puncture Holes:

Typical wear and tear should not be taken out of your deposit at the lease end date, but you can bet your bottom dollar that walls or those full of nail holes will be assessed for charges. If you want to paint an accent wall or the whole place, get it spelled out in the initial lease. Know what it is that you are and are not allowed to do.

Bugs:

This is no laughing matter. If you move in a duplex and one month later, a bunch of roaches, ants or spiders start to show up, who is responsible? Or what if you get eaten up by fleas every time you walk through the lawn, but you don’t even own a dog? Even wasp nests have a tendency to show themselves under the eaves and corners of homes in the summer. Will you be removing them? Will your landlord?

Basically, it comes down to the fine print. When entering into any contract, be sure to pay close attention to the details. As it never fails that something left out will cause one of the signing parties to say “I just assumed…” And that almost never has a good outcome for the tenant.

As a general rule, an emergency is anything relating to the property under lease that is threatening to life, health or the property and cannot wait until the next business day to be addressed.

The following guidelines will assist as to what constitutes as a maintenance emergency:

Clogged Toilet:
This will be considered an emergency only when the toilet clogged is the only toilet in property and the resident has made every effort to clear the stoppage themselves. Upon submitting your maintenance request, either emergency or not, turn off the water valve behind the toilet to prevent further over flow or flooding.

Broken Pipe:
This is considered a maintenance emergency. Turn off the water valve that is associated with the broken pipe or the exterior water main until our maintenance professional arrives. Do everything within your reasonable power to contain the leak to prevent flood damage.

No Hot Water:
This will be considered an emergency only if there has been no hot water for at least 12 hours. Typically this will be handled in a timely manner during normal business hours.

Heater Repair:
This constitutes an emergency only if the outside temperature is falling below 50 degrees. Before reporting this as an emergency, please check all fuses and circuit breakers.

AC Repair:
This will be considered an emergency only if the outside temperature is above 89 degrees and in the summer. Normally this will be handled in a timely manner during normal business hours.

Gas Odor:
This constitutes an emergency. If you suspect leaking gas, turn off the gas appliance(s) and the gas supply to that appliance immediately. The shut off handle should be relatively easy to find on the supply line. Call your gas provider and our office to report the situation right away. Check to see if there is a danger of using a phone where there is a gas leak.

Broken Doorknob, Lock, or Window: 
If it prevents the resident from properly securing the property, it is considered an emergency. If it’s determined that temporary measures can be taken until normal business hours, please do so and contact CenterBeam Real Estate the following business day. Do not jeopardize you safety.

Lock Outs:
CenterBeam Real Estate is not responsible for furnishing keys to residents who have locked themselves out of their home and this will not be considered an emergency. It is the resident’s responsibility and obligation to ensure we are provided a copy of the new key.

No Electricity:
This will be considered an emergency only if the electricity is out in the entire property and the resident have checked with the local electric company to confirm there is not an area outage; the circuit breaker has been checked and reset along with checking the fuses. Partial electrical outages do not constitute a true emergency and will be addressed in a timely manner during normal business hours. If an outlet begins to smoke or it smells like something is burning, turn off the circuit breaker and contact us right away. Leave the circuit breaker off until our maintenance professional arrives.

The following maintenance issues are not generally considered emergencies and will be addressed the following business day at top priority:

• Appliances not working
• Clogged garbage disposal
• Roof leaks (steps should be taken to minimize damage and loss)
• If you are experiencing a situation that was not mentioned above and seems immediately dangerous, damaging or detrimental, please call our office to report the emergency without delay.

ISSUED APPOINTMENTS AND NEGLECT
The resident is responsible for the payment of any invoice for which the repair was made for damage, etc. caused by their misuse or neglect. The tech will report this information to management. The resident is also responsible for the payment of any service call charged by a vendor for a missed appointment. Please remember Residents are responsible for moving any personal items a sufficient distance away from the area to be repaired or item/equipment to be serviced. CenterBeam Real Estate Leasing Solutions and/or our maintenance professionals will not move personal items and are not liable for any damage incurred from this policy not being abided by. Although your request may constitute an emergency, CenterBeam Real Estate reserves the right to postpone or reschedule repair due to acts of god, forces of nature, emergency closures for safety or any other acts beyond our control.

Our company manages residential properties ranging from $500 per month to $3500 per month. Our residential properties include single-family homes, duplexes, apartments, small to medium apartment communities, condominiums and penthouses.

We manage properties in the Duval county, Clay County and St Johns County area of Jacksonville, Florida.

From the home page, click on Available Rentals. This accesses a fully searchable list of our available rental properties. By clicking on the thumbnail photo, you can enlarge the photo and see additional information on the property. The property page is also printable as a flyer.

We aim to give you all the details you need! Our web page, MLS and online search advertising typically all feature around 12 photos of the property, along with the address, rental rate, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and details about heating, air conditioning, and utilities. While pet restrictions may not always be listed, they’re often included. Our web page and printed lists are your go-to for property info, and each agent’s contact details are provided for easy booking. And remember, you can always give our office a call if you have any questions!

Typically the properties on our web site or list of available properties are immediately available. Sometimes we may begin marketing a property before the previous resident has moved or before it is available for rent. In such cases, we try to note the available date on the property information. We strive to keep our web page updated daily so generally rented properties are removed within 24 hours.

The nature of our business is that we often experience a very high call volume. We regret the inconvenience that reaching voicemail may cause you. Please do leave a voicemail on the appropriate line and we will return your call in a timely manner. For the convenience of our customers and clients, each member of our staff has a direct phone line and a direct email address. This is the most efficient way for you to reach the party you need. Typically, our customers and clients know the name of the Property Managers and Customer Service Representatives who directly handle a specific property. We request that you make every effort to use these direct contact lines to contact our staff. If you call through our main lines each staff member also has a direct extension. We hope the use of email and of our direct phone lines will make your customer service experience with CenterBeam Real Estate as smooth and efficient as possible.

Our company generally manages non-furnished properties. However, from time to time we may offer a furnished home, apartment or condominium.

We do manage a number of homes and apartments for which a Section 8 voucher may be used. This is a homeowner’s choice. You may check the Section 8 Accepted Option on the Residential Listings page or come into our office for a list of Section 8 properties.

Awesome! We’re thrilled you’re interested. Here’s the scoop:

Step One, make sure you’ve checked out the property firsthand. We don’t lease properties unless you’ve seen them, unless there are special circumstances.

Step Two, fill out an application and provide your leasing agent with a binder in the form of a cashier’s check or money order (no cash, please). You can complete applications at www.honeycombrealty.com or in our office—just let your agent know.

Step Three, wait for approval (usually within 24 hours). Then, it’s document time! Your personal leasing agent will give you a list/form with everything needed to complete your application.

Step Four, we’ll be checking your Credit and Criminal Reports, and verifying your income and rental references. Our checking service is super speedy, but delays can occur if your employer or previous landlords take their time verifying information. Due to these potential delays, it might take up to 3 business days to approve or deny a Rental Application.

24-48 hours

• Copy of two pay check stubs or W-2’s to future employment confirmation letter
• Landlord references (there is a specific form we have that you can give them)
• Photo ID or Driver’s License
• Pet Photo(s) if applicable
• Documents supporting other sources of income including Social Security, disability, child support, etc.)
• Two years tax returns if self employed

ONCE APPROVED, we will then need:

• Confirmation letters from all utility companies proving that you have applied and been accepted for the transfer of utilities. No keys will be given on move in day without this information-that is how important it is.

Security deposit, water/sewer fee (if any), pet fee (if any) and pro-rated rent (if any)

Your move in costs will consist of:

• An application fee of $89 for each applicant
• Lease creation fee of $100
• First month’s rent and security deposit
• Any pet fees if applicable
• Any pro-rated or utility charge due (if any)

Your lease will be sent to all email addresses of all parties to the lease through echo-sign (our digital document management system). Please sign electronically. If you do not have access to a computer or email, then simply make sure that your agent makes arrangements for you to come in to the office to sign a hard copy. A copy of your lease will be given to you automatically.

At Honeycomb Realty, our leasing agents are your local experts, ready to guide you through property viewings with a personal touch. And here’s the best part: this service is entirely FREE for you! We pride ourselves on offering top-notch properties and treating our tenants like part of the family. Need assistance at any hour? We’re here for you, 24/7, especially for emergency maintenance repairs. Plus, rest assured that any deposits held by us are securely kept in a Valley National bank and returned in accordance with Florida Law guidelines.

All of our properties are offered in accordance with Federal Fair Housing Laws. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap.

At HoneyComb Realty, we assess applications based on verifiable income, rental references, and court records, alongside recommendations from our trusted application processing vendor. This vendor utilizes a credit-risk scoring system, estimating an applicant’s likelihood to fulfill lease obligations. If your application is declined or requires additional conditions due to your credit-risk score, we’ll provide details on the factors influencing this decision. You can also request a copy of the consumer report to address any inaccuracies.

We also conduct criminal background searches on all applicants. We adhere to a policy of not accepting individuals with certain felony or misdemeanor charges. Upon discovery of such records, we compare them to our acceptance policies. If your application is rejected based on an unacceptable criminal background, you’ll receive information on the consumer reporting agency used for the background check. You can request a copy of the report and address any errors with the agency. Please note that application refunds are not offered after completion of credit and background checks.

Good credit is important to our application approval process. It is not however our only criteria. Strong income and rental references may help counter poor credit in our approval process. If your credit is marginal but your income and rental record is strong, we may approve your application with special conditions, such as paying a higher security deposit. Your agent will need to get approval from the homeowner in many cases as their approval is required to move forward on any application that can not be approved in house.

Most often the properties we manage are not available for purchase. From time to time we may offer a rent-to-own opportunity. If a property is being offered as rent-to-own it will be noted in the information for that property. If it is not noted, you can also inquire directly to our lead property manager for that property as to whether a purchase or lease-to-own is a possibility.

We do not “hold” properties and a property is not considered rented until a Residential Rental Agreement has been signed and a Security Deposit has been paid. If you application has been approved you will need to schedule an appointment to sign the lease and post your Binder Deposit (which is equal to the first month’s rental price) before other interested parties do so.

Our standard lease is for one year. There are some situations under which we might consider a shorter term lease. If you are interested in a short-term lease on a specific property, please inquire directly to our lead property manager for that property. We reserve the right to charge a higher rent for leases under one year.

We generally do not measure or provide square footages for our rental properties. For newer construction we do sometimes provide the as built square footage.

We strive to provide properties that are clean and ready-to-rent. When you view one of our properties, and have questions on it’s condition or cleanliness, please ask your agent directly so he/she can find the answer for you. It may be that scheduled work has not yet been completed. Also, please keep in mind that we manage properties ranging from brand new construction to homes over 75 years old. Brand new homes sometimes have “punch list items” which need attention. Older homes can often have their own issues, some of which just go with older homes and cannot be reasonably cured. (Some of these issues give older homes their character!) We cannot guarantee that every item you request will be replaced or repaired. When viewing the property, feel free to get answers to these questions from your rental agent before deciding to rent. If you find anything that is in need of repair after you move in, please bring any items of concern to the property managers attention by placing it on your “Move In Condition” Form that will be supplied to you at move in by your leasing agent. It is mandatory that this form is returned within 7 days of move in. After that date, we cannot accept any move in forms and the any issues found at move out will be charged towards the renter’s deposit. So you can see how important it is to turn in this form. We suggest you keep a copy for yourself as well.

Our rents are set based on the fair market rental for the property which has been agreed upon by the homeowner and the management company. Generally speaking, the rents are not negotiable.

The Security Deposit on all properties for rent is equal to one month’s rent unless a Security Deposit Special is noted. We also reserve the right to charge a higher Security Deposit depending on factors such as credit report findings and income.

Security deposits are required and held until after move out and a thorough walk through by management staff. They are to cover the landlord for any damage that might happen to his/her property during a tenant’s stay. That being said, the management will compare your move in condition form with the photos and move out condition when they walk through the property once keys have been returned. Any items agreed upon to be taken out of your deposit at lease signing (i.e.: a cleaning fee) will be deducted from your original deposit along with the cost of materials and labor to fix any damages to return the home back to its original condition (i.e: paint, carpet cleaning, drywall repair, stove pans, light bulbs, etc…). If all is good, then you could expect a security deposit return (within 30 days of move out) minus any originally agreed upon deductions at lease signing. If repairs are needed, then once the work has been completed and invoices have been received (within the 30 days), then the amount owed back to you will be sent along with a statement of charges. If you contest any charges, then management will request a written dispute asap.

Because we manage a variety of properties for a variety of clients we do not have one policy that applies to everyone. If at all possible we would like to accommodate prospective tenants with pets, unfortunately that is not possible for every home or apartment. Here a few general guidelines: If a pet is allowed, all pet records and shots must be provided and up to date prior to move in. If the property information states “yes” to pets then we allow certain pets with a pet fee or a pet deposit. There may still be restrictions as to the type and size of pets and indoor vs outdoor pets. If the property information states “no” then we do not allow pets at that property. If you absolutely want one of our “no pets” properties and believe that an exception should be made for you and your pet, please provide us with a written petition as to why and we will present it to our client, the property owner. These parameters are set by the homeowner prior to management taking over the property and we must abide by their wishes. Please do not get mad at your agent showing you the property or the property manager should you decide to get a pet mid-lease, as we cannot change the homeowner’s decision if they say no. Specific pet references from previous landlords can be very beneficial in the pet decision process. Pet Fees are non-refundable and do not apply to specific damage caused by your pet. Pet Deposits are non-refundable. Your regular Security Deposit will also be applied towards any pet damage. And proof of flea preventative medicine and current shot records will be requested prior to move in.