FAQ
The bulk of our business is in the “Urban East Bay” – Oakland, Berkeley, Kensington, Albany, El Cerrito, and Richmond. We also handle the “Suburban East Bay” – Walnut Creek, Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga – but our fee increases to one month’s rent for these cities that are through the Caldecott Tunnel. We cover San Francisco for clients with a $5000 minimum.
The good news is – in the San Francisco Bay Area, your property is going to rent. In our current market, demand exceeds supply and there is very little, if any, reason why a property should sit on the market for 6 weeks and NOT rent, provided it is habitable and ready for move-in.
The bad news is – if your property is ready but sitting on the market. it is, in all likelihood, priced too high. Even with our sky-high rents, there is a limit.
We work hard to create realistic expectations for all of our Rental Service clients. We’re in the trenches every day and have a very good idea of the market value of your home. Our 6 week contract gives us the time to start on the high side, make any adjustments that seem appropriate, and still find a tenant within our contract term. Of course, time is money and perhaps you don’t want to go for 6 weeks without rent coming in! We’ll then advise you as to the best way to get a tenant in place ASAP, and make that happen for you.
That being said, if you are unable to budge on your list price and it’s too high for the market, it’s possible we’d get to the end of the 6 weeks with no tenant. In this case, you’d owe our minimum ($3250) for the 6 weeks of work we completed.
We don’t. Our model is a flat rental fee based on the monthly rent of your property, with no ongoing monthly management fees. We also offer yearly lease renewals for a flat fee. Of course, you can reach out to us for for questions down the line or if you are in need of recommendations for specific vendors.
Our typical client is someone who is comfortable being in contact with tenants if need be. In our experience, if a home has been well maintained, it is quite common for 12 months to go by with little or no contact from your tenants.
We charge a fee to come out to your property and answer any questions you may have about your potential rental. If after that you decide to sign a Listing Agreement and have us rent your property, we deduct the $200 fee from the final invoice.
Sure, we’re happy to handle rentals with a term shorter than 1 year, but our fee remains the same. The work involved is equivalent – or more! – for shorter leases. We don’t handle Airbnb property rentals, sorry.
Yes! Please take a look at our Resources page.
• All persons 18 years of age or older must complete and sign an application.
• A $45 non-refundable credit check fee must be submitted with application (per person).
• Each applicant must submit a verifiable photocopy of a valid government-issued photo ID.
• Applicants must have a minimum FICO score of 650. Applicants with FICO scores below 650 may be considered with guarantor and/or increased deposit.
• Verifiable gross income of 2.5 times the monthly rent. Applicants who don’t meet the income threshold may be considered with a guarantor and/or increased deposit.
• Guarantors must make 8 times the monthly rent.
• Positive references. References will be contacted.
• No prior evictions or unlawful detainer filings.
