Empire Properties’ clients benefit from continuous marketing of our rental inventory:

Each available property is listed on our web page.
An availability list is distributed by fax, mailing and hand-outs as needed.
A yard sign is placed on the property.
Flyers are posted.
Advertisements are placed in local newspapers as needed.

Pre-leasing is used extensively to minimize vacancy losses to our owners.

The prospective resident must meet certain minimum criteria. An extensive background check is performed on each applicant:

Verifiable income must be at least three times the monthly amount of rent or a responsible party (typically a parent) must co-sign the lease. A similar background check is performed on the co-signor.

Criminal & credit reports are pulled for each applicant and must meet a minimum standard.

Personal references are interviewed.

Previous and current landlords are contacted and asked how the applicant kept their property and if there were any payment problems.

Employers are interviewed to verify income and to determine work habits.

A refundable security deposit is collected. It is retained in a non-interest bearing escrow account on your behalf and the amount held is reported to you each month on your Owner’s Statement.

Residents sign one lease agreement together, making all parties jointly and severally responsible for all terms and conditions.

Rent is due on or before the first day of each month. A five-day grace period is allowed before charging late fees. If rent is unpaid on or about the sixth day of the month, a Three-Day Notice is delivered. The tenant and lease guarantor are contacted and asked to send payment. By the fifteenth, if rent is still delinquent, an eviction may be initiated.

Maintenance work that cannot be performed by Empire Properties personnel at a lower cost is performed by independent contractors who have qualified for our approved vendor list. Empire Properties does not have any financial interest in these independent contractors.  Due to the large amount of work that Empire Properties provides to our vendors we often receive discounted rates. All discounts are passed on to our owners.

If maintenance requests are due to damage done by the resident, or neglect, they will be charged accordingly. The charge will be placed on their account, due and payable with the next month’s rent.

A minimum reserve of $100 is maintained for each unit. This reserve belongs to the owner and is accounted for each month. The owner is requested to approve any item of maintenance more than $100 except in an emergency.

Copies of all invoices are maintained in each property’s file and are itemized on the monthly Owner’s Statement.

When a new resident takes occupancy, they fill in a Property Inspection Form. Upon move out, any differences in condition, beyond normal wear & tear, will be repaired as necessary and charged to their security deposit.

Typical expenses to the owner for a unit turnover will be a re-key charge, and possibly painting (often a touch up). Empire Properties does not charge owners for move-out inspections.

On the third week of each month owners' statements and distribution checks are generated. Each owner receives a full account of the property’s activities during the month.

At the end of the year an annual Income statement is provided summarizing all income and expenses plus documents necessary to prepare your taxes.