Common Property Management FAQ’s (for owners)
1. What do I need to do in order to prepare my rental property?
MAB Realty’s goal is to attract the best tenant for our owners. We advise that you leave your property in a clean
and professional state. Just ask yourself this question: How would you expect the unit to appear if it was yourself
going to rent it as a tenant?
We have prepared the following notes to help you prepare your home for rental. Please contact your property
manager at any time to discuss any questions or concerns that you may have regarding preparation of your
property.
2. About Cleaning
Your property needs to be cleaned thoroughly and all personal possessions and any miscellaneous items
(including garbage, construction debris, new air filters, light bulbs, etc.). The incoming tenants will be paying a
security deposit, which they will expect returned if they leave your property in the same condition in which you left
it.
We urge our clients to let MAB Realty arrange licensed and professional cleaning services so that we can ensure
that cleaning standards are met.
3. About Painting
Many clients ask us if they need to paint their home prior to rental. You do not need to paint simply because you
are renting your home, but we do advise our clients to paint rooms that have dirty, stained, or marked walls.
Neutral colors work best.
4. About Window Coverings
Tenants do expect some sort of window coverings to ensure their privacy and security. We advise our clients to
install mini-blinds. (If you already have neutral window coverings such as blinds, please leave them installed.)
Non-neutral curtains that match a particular bedspread or piece of furniture should be removed.
5. About Appliances
We advise that you have your property in 'Rent Ready' condition; therefore, we urge you to have a refrigerator,
washer,dryerdishwasher.
If you have questions regarding which appliances to leave or have installed, please first discuss this with your
property manager.
6. About Your Yard
Because tenants are requested to maintain the yard in the condition it is provided to them, we advise that you
mow, edge, weed, and trim the yard, and remove any leaves or debris. It is up to whether you would like to
continue maintaining the yard care or include that cost into the rent price. Or, you can specify in the lease that is
the tenants responsible to take care of the lawn.
7. How does MAB Realty procure tenants for your property? What is the typical
time frame?
Once there is a property management agreement in place, we immediately list the property for rent within our own
office and on the North Texas Area Multiple Listing Service and Realtor.com. We then place our sign and lockbox
on the property. We also like to put an ad in rentals.com as well as rentalhomesplus.com to gain maximum
exposure for your property. Realtors® throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area will then have the ability to show the
property.
There is no “typical time frame” to lease a property. Based on the time of year, list price and condition of property it
can be anywhere from 1 day – 6 months.
8. Can I specify that I do not want any pets or smokers in my house?
You certainly may prohibit tenants from bringing pets into your home, or from smoking in your home. Please do
note
that
by
banning
pets
and
smokers
you
are
reducing
the
potential
pool
of
renters.
We have found that our clients have significant difficulty in finding tenants when prohibiting pets, but we do advise
that you require a pet deposit anywhere from $250-500 depending on the size and breed of the pet. Typically 50%
of
the
pet
deposit
is
non-refundable.
Another
option
is
to
only
allow
pets
under
25-30
lbs.
Please know, if you feel strongly about not having pets, MAB Realty will respect your instructions and will not lease
your property to pet owners.
9. Can I specify that I do not want to rent to tenants with children?
MAB Realty performs all its business in accordance with all Fair Housing Laws.
10. When is rent due? When is rent considered late? What happens if the tenant
pays rent late?
Rent is due on the first business day of each month and considered late after the third business day at 11:59 PM.
If a tenant pays rent late (after the third of the month), the property manager takes the first step of the eviction
process, namely, to send a 3-Day Notice to vacate. Typically, the tenant contacts us and the rent is paid at this
point.
If rent is not paid by the tenant following receipt of the 3-Day Notice, MAB Realty files an eviction notice with the
Justice of the Peace precinct and a hearing is set within ten to fourteen days. In most cases, we handle the eviction
without hiring an attorney. As the property owner, you are initially charged for the filing fees, which are later
charged to the tenant.
12. When does MAB Realty pay the owner each month?
MAB Realty collects rents the on the 1st day of every month (and considers rent to be late after the 3rd day of the
month at 11:59 PM). We then wait for the tenant checks to clear, and then begin disbursing statements and funds
to our clients on or about the 10th of the month. Your monthly statement will list all account activity for the month
prior.
13. What happens if the tenant damages the property?
MAB Realty will try hard to find tenants with good credit and references because they rarely cause significant
damage to rental properties. In some cases, it can happen where the tenant will cause damages to your property.
We use a screening company to perform credit, criminal background, employment, eviction, and landlord checks.
MAB Realty collects a security deposit from each tenant prior to their occupying the property. In the event that a
tenant damages your property, the deposit is typically sufficient to cover any minor repairs required.
If a tenant leaves the property owing more than the security deposit covers, MAB Realty will turn over their account
to a collection agency and file a suit in small claims court.
14. What happens if the tenant vacates the property before the end of the lease?
If the tenant vacates your property prior to the end of the lease (either because they are forced to or choose to),
they will be charged the rent until the property is re-rented to acceptable tenants under the same terms and
conditions of the original lease. The original tenant will also be charged the cost of re-renting the property and one
month's rent as penalty. The property manager will attempt to re-rent the property as soon as is possible in order to
minimize the costs that the original tenant incurs.
15. What happens in the event the property needs an emergency repair? Will the
owner need to be contacted in the middle of the night?
Requests for non-emergency repairs are submitted to us by tenants in writing through e-mail or a written letter, or a
direct phone call. Essential repairs that cost less than $250.00 will be made automatically and billed on your next
statement. If a repair is estimated to cost more than $250.00, we will call you as the property owner for direction.
16. Who makes the repairs on the rental property? What if the owner wants to use
their own contractors? Does MAB Realty charge service fees on top of the repair
contractor's bill?
MAB Realty has long-term relationships with reputable, licensed repair vendors in all fields. These contractors are
available 24 hours a day in the event your property requires an emergency repair. If you would like to use a
contractor of your own choosing, we would be happy to use them provided that they meet our Vendor
Requirementscriteria.
MAB Realty does not charge service fees for supervising normal repairs. You will simply be billed the actual
amount that the vendor charges. This service is included in your management fee.
17. I am interested in investing in real estate in Texas, but live out of state. Can you
help me?
Yes, we can. We have experience working with both in-state and out-of-state buyers. We provide property
sourcing, remodeling, and management services as part of our turnkey offerings. In fact, we have some out-ofstate clients who work with us by phone and e-mail exclusively!