Leasing Process

Please remember, that we produce every lease individually for you, for the specific property you applied for. Always review the specific terms of your lease before signing and contact us with any questions. The below terms however, are typically the most important terms of your lease:

• LEASE DURATION: Your first lease will be for a maximum of 12 months but may be slightly shorter or longer than that if you are moving in after the 1^st of the month as all our leases only end at the end of a month. We also do not have leases terminate in November or December.

• PRO-RATED RENT: A full 1 months’ rent will be required even if you are moving in after the first of the month. The reduced, pro-rated amount of rent will always be due the first of the following month.

• RENT PAYMENT: Rents are promptly due the 1^st day of each month. If rent has not been received by the 3^rd day, a late fee of $75 will be charged. 3-day notices are posted no later than the 8^th of the month, and evictions are filed no later than the 20^th of the month.

• HOW TO PAY RENT: Rents may be paid online via eCheck for free, via personal check, money order or other certified funds at our office, or via PayNearMe kiosk/service (additional fee may apply, contact us for a payment slip if needed). Cash is never accepted for rent payments.

• MAINTENANCE: Leasing a single-family home is not like leasing in an apartment community with on-site maintenance. Residents are expected to maintain certain specific items listed below as well as most general repairs/maintenance that are of no danger for a resident to handle themselves and may cost less than $100 to perform.
  • Specific items residents are responsible for are: A/C filters and condensation drain line maintenance, oven rings/drip pans, smoke alarms, smoke alarm batteries, pest extermination, screens, light bulbs, water filters, water conditioners, hot tubs, Ice Makers, Built-In vacuum systems, Jetted Tubs, Intercoms, Pool Heaters, Window A/C Units, Speakers, Keyless lock Functions, video door bells,  and Fireplaces.

• INSURANCE: Tenant Liability insurance is required. Minimum coverages can be viewed HERE. If you do not obtain your own policy, you will be automatically enrolled in our Liability Only program for an additional total of $12 per month.
  • If you have a pet, you will need to provide us with a full copy of your policy. Be sure to check with your agent and confirm they do not exclude liability related to them.

• INSUFFICIENT FUNDS: Funds returned for NSF will be subject to the greater of 5% of the check amount or $40. NSF will also be subject to late fees, additional posting fees, and your ability to pay online or via personal check may be revoked. Requiring all future rent payments to be made with certified funds.

• LAWN AND POOL CARE: Unless specifically mentioned in your lease, lawn care and pool maintenance are resident responsibilities.

• UTILITIES: Unless specifically mentioned in your lease, all utilities are a resident responsibility.
  • We do not release keys until we receive confirmation you have opened power and water accounts in your name.
  • Water and Power are required to be kept on through the last day of your lease.

• AS-IS ACCEPTANCE: Unless otherwise disclosed to you in writing the property comes as it is, in the condition it was in when you viewed the home. We perform an extensive move-in assessment prior to your move-in to document any issues and the condition of the home. You are provided a 7-day window to document any conditions you also wish to be included in your move-in file. For any functional or repair issues, you may submit a maintenance request via your tenant portal and we will work with you to determine which issues require attention.

• SMOKING: Smoking and Vaping are never allowed inside the property.

• GUESTS, OCCUPANCY, SUBLEASING: Only those individual’s names as occupants on the lease may occupy the property. Guests staying more than 2 weeks at a time require you to notify management, and sub-leasing the property or use of Air BnB or other service is strictly prohibited.

• PET ADDENDUM: If you have a pet, a pet addendum will be part of your lease. There will be a pet fee of $200 (per animal) and a pet rent of $20/mo for the first pet + $10 each additional pet. On occasion you may also be asked for an additional security deposit of up to $250 per pet , dependent on your pet profile(s). Only the specific pets identified on the pet addendum are authorized to be on the property. Pets are a privilege that may be revoked at any time. Keep your pets on leashes outside the home, clean up after them inside and outside the home (pet “business” left around kills lawns!), abide by all association restrictions, and in general, be a good neighbor.

• UNAUTHORIZED PETS: Only authorized and approved pets and animals are allowed inside or on the premises of the property. There is a strict violation fee for unauthorized animals and may be cause for eviction. Even if just “pet sitting” for a day or even an hour, will be considered an unauthorized pet. Most of our properties are pet friendly, so please be up front so we can all avoid the strict penalties required if you do not inform us of any animal.

• DEPOSITS: Security deposits and pet deposits are refundable upon move-out and under the terms of the lease.
  • There are minimum deposit claims upon your move-out including a $150 cleaning fee, as well as a $150 carpet cleaning fee (if applicable). See your lease for details.

• PROPERTY ALTERATIONS: You are not allowed to alter the property without prior written consent. This includes painting, changing or installing fixtures, etc. You also do not have permission to hire contractors for any work without prior written consent.

• NOTICE OF RENEWALS AND NON-RENEWALS: Tenants must give notice of intent to move out the month prior to the end of their lease, or the lease will continue as a month to month tenancy at an increased rate of +5% or $100/mo whichever is greater. Landlord is also required to give you at least 1 months’ notice of their intent to non-renew your lease, to allow you time to move-out at the end of your lease term, or to offer you to renew at whatever new lease terms there may be, if any. Please note that these are minimum notice periods and we will likely be giving you notice at least 45-60 days out of an offer to renew or non-renew and will have a deadline for response 35-45 days from your lease expiration date.

• VACATING AND MOVE OUT: Once you give proper notice to us, we will send you a helpful move-out checklist that can also be found HERE. You will be required to fill out a forwarding address, sign a confirmation of vacate form, and provide a key to our office no later than 3pm the day of your move out. Be sure to keep utilities ON through he last day of your lease (DO NOT have them scheduled to turn off until the day after your lease ends)

• SHOWING COOPERATION: We may require access to the property during the final month or your residency for the purposes of re-leasing the property. We will work with you to make the process convenient and unobtrusive as possible. But we will require your cooperation to allow regular showing windows, so we do not have to interrupt you during un-planned times.

• EARLY LEASE TERMINATION: Optional. As default you are bound to all terms of the lease and if you must leave before your lease end date, you will be responsible for paying rent until the lease ends or we are able to secure a new tenant (plus costs). Or, if you opt-in, you will be given the option to pay a fee equal to two months rent plus re-leasing costs and be allowed to break your lease, with at least 30 days’ notice.

When your application has been approved, you will be emailed an approval letter with offer to lease along with an accounting of what move-in funds will be required and by when to hold the property until your move-in date.

We will need you to acknowledge receipt of the approval and your intent to move-forward before we order your lease from our attorneys.

Typically, you will receive a copy of the lease the same day you are approved and will be given 2 business days (including the day you received the lease) to review it and electronically sign it. BlueHome Property Management will only countersign the lease upon receipt of your move-in funds.

Remember, we reserve the right to lease the property to anyone until move-in funds and the lease has been fully signed by both parties, so be sure to be ready to move quickly once you are approved.

Move-In funds are required to be delivered to our office in the form of certified funds (cashiers checks). Personal checks, cash or credit card will not be accepted for move-in funds.

Move-in funds will consist of TWO separate checks. One for your security deposit between 1 to 2 times the monthly rent (specific dollar amounts will be in your approval letter), and a second check for your first months rent, pet fees (if any), and a $150 lease processing fee.

You will be sent the lease via electronic signing solution to your email. There you can review the lease in it’s entirety and sign at your convenience. If you had any questions about the lease, not answered here, you can contact us via email or phone for clarification.

All adults that will be living in the home must sign the lease. BlueHome Property management will not counter sign the lease until move-in funds have been provided.

Once your move-in funds are received and lease signed, we set you up with our online systems. You will be sent an email and text message with instructions on how to set up your online portal. From the portal, you will be able to pay your rent via free eCheck, submit maintenance requests, view your rental ledger and any amounts due.

We require proof of water and power being transferred/turned on into your name before we will release keys to you on your move-in day.

Power and water is required to be kept on for the entire duration of your lease. Do not turn these utilities off under any circumstances as the lawn needs watering and the AC must be kept running to remove the Florida humidity and moisture from the home.

A combination lockbox will be placed on the property with a key inside to access the front door, once we have completed our move-in assessment. Other keys and devices, if any, like garage remotes, gate devices, amenity access devices, etc., will be left inside the property; either on the kitchen counter or in a kitchen drawer.

The day of your move-in you will be provided the combination for the lockbox. This code will not be given unless all move-in conditions have been met. Typically including: Proof of utility transfer, proof of insurance/pet liability coverage, the lease has been signed and all move-in funds have been collected.

We conduct a thorough property assessment before your move-in. We do not however perform walk-thru’ s of the home with you prior to move-in. Properties are taken as-is from the date you viewed the home or made application with the sole exception being pending items disclosed to you in writing or terms you wrote into your application that were agreed to.

You are given 7 days from your move-in date to document any conditions you wish. Any repair requests however should be submitted via your tenant portal as a maintenance request and we will work with you to determine which issues require attention.

Tenant Liability insurance is required. Minimum coverage requirements are found below. If you do not obtain your own policy, you will be automatically enrolled in our Liability Only program for an additional rent total of $12 per month.

If you have a pet, you will need to provide us with a full copy of your renters insurance policy and you will need to confirm with your agent that liability regarding your pet(s) are not excluded from coverage.

Full Requirements can be found HERE, a summary of required coverages:

• Liability equal to or greater than $100,000
• Coverage for Fire, Smoke, Explosion, Backup or Overflow of Sewer, Drain or Sump, Water Damage/Discharge
• BlueHome Property Management must be named as an “Additionally Interested” party
• Deductible must be less than the security deposit amount or $1,000 whichever is lower.
• ALL adults living in the property must be named on the policy as additionally insured.

The resident handbook contains lots of useful information on what to expect during your time with us, as well as what we expect working with you. The most up to date handbook can be accessed HERE.

We pride ourselves in quick response to all maintenance requests. To ensure quick response though, we prefer all requests be made through your tenant portal so that it is automatically included in our system and it ensures that the request never “falls through the cracks”.

Please understand however, that some issues can be fixed quicker than others and we appreciate your patience when needed.

Emergencies are handled 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If an issue is truly an emergency, the police or fire station should be called first. Fires, electrical arcing, property damage, flooding or immediate safety issues are emergencies. All other requests submitted outside of business hours will be handled as priorities but may not be handled until the next business day.

Our company policy is to report all noncompliance's with terms of your rental agreement or failure to pay rent, or any amounts owed to the credit bureau and/or a collection agency and if the amount is disputed, it shall be reported as disputed in accordance with law.

By default, you will be required to continue abiding by the terms of the lease by paying rent until we approve another tenant and they take possession of the property. In addition to the costs of preparing the property for the new tenant and to lease the property. Once possession is transferred, your security deposit will be processed as normal.