Q: Are individual applications required for each resident?
A: Each adult (age 18 or older) applicant for tenancy must submit a completed and signed application along with an application fee of $75 per person. Application fees must be in cash, money order, or certified check (no personal checks) and are non-refundable. An application form is available for download on the Realty1One web site.
Q: Is a "first and last" month's rent required?
A: In most cases, no. Rent is structured on a "pro-rated" basis, which means you start paying rent the day you accept the keys to the property. For example, if your rent is $1,000 per month and you accept the keys to the property on the 10th of January, the rental amount due at signing would be $710 ($1,000 ÷ 31 days in January = $32.26 per day × 22 days occupancy = $710). If the initial rental amount is less than a full month's rent, the subsequent month's may also be required at signing.
Q: Why must my security deposit and initial rent be paid in separate amounts by bank money order or certified check?
A: By Florida law, your security deposit must be held in escrow in a Florida bank for the duration of your lease, while the rent is forwarded to the property owner. Paying by bank money order or certified check speeds the processing and guarantees the security of all funds. Note that failure to provide separate money orders/certified checks for the security deposit and rent may delay the signing of your lease, and your access to the rental property, by one or more days.
Q: Will bad credit stop me from being able to rent a property?
A: Not necessarily. We consider three factors when evaluating applicants; the ability to pay (income level and credit history), your employment status (verification of continued employment), and your rental history. We recognize anyone can have a credit crunch. If you have a good rental history and the ability to pay, a bad credit score can be overcome with an additional security deposit. Depending on how serious the credit difficulty, double or triple the security deposit may be required, although in most cases it is considerably less.
Q: I want to rent one of the properties, but not for another two months. Can you hold the property for me until I'm ready to move in?
A: The only way a property can be "taken off" the market is for a rental contract to be signed, which requires payment in full of each month's rental amount. The only way to "hold" a property is to rent it, even though you might not be moving in until a later date.
Q: What happens when two or more parties desire to rent the same property?
A: Rentals do not take place on a "first-come, first-served" basis. Each party seeking to rent the property is evaluated based on the stated rental criteria and all applications are ultimately submitted to the property owner for a decision. We will make a recommendation to the property owner with regard to our findings, but the final decision rests with the owner. Because of this, it is possible to be the first party to submit an application, and then have another party also apply with the rental decision going in favor of the latter applicant. Such decisions are based solely on the outlined criteria, and NOT on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability (mental or physical).
Q: How does the "deposit to hold" work?
A: If you find a property you desire to rent, you may execute a "deposit to hold". This involves the payment of a deposit of $200 showing your serious intent to rent the property. The deposit temporarily removes the property from the market, usually for a period of 5-7 days while your application is being processed. During this period, the property will not be shown to other potential applicants. If your application is denied, the $200 deposit is refunded to you. If the application is approved, the deposit amount is applied toward your security deposit amount. Should you be approved but then decline to rent the property, the deposit is forfeit.
Q: What services or amenities are included in the rent?
A: This varies from property to property. For properties supervised by a homeowner's association (HOA), the rent usually covers those fees and any services the HOA provides (lawn and pool maintenance, etc.) For single family homes, only those services specified by the landlord are included. In all cases, you are responsible for utilities (water, sewer, electric, gas, etc.) and are usually responsible for lawn/shrub upkeep and pool maintenance, unless otherwise specified.
Q: Can I rent a property for six months instead of a full year?
A: In virtually all cases, our rental agreements are for a minimum of one year. While there can be exceptions in some rare instances, the final decision rests with the property owner. Florida does impose significant taxes on properties rented for periods of less than seven months.
Q: Is my e-mail address that I provide on the rental application released to any third party?
A: No. We ask for your email address only to facilitate contact with you during the application screening process. We do not rent, sell, or give away e-mail addresses supplied to us on any application or submitted to us through the contact page on our web site. See our privacy policy for more information.
