Residents

Move In Process

Every lease is negotiated and signed. Once the security deposit is received, the property is taken off the market. Keys are made available once the first month’s rent is paid (certified funds only). For your convenience, Efurd Properties maintains an account with Chase Bank strictly for the purposes of expediting receipt of deposits and first month’s rent for new residents. You are provided with a list of utility companies and pertinent information on our procedures and requirements.

We require the move-in inventory form to be completed and returned to our office within two (2) days after move-in. Utilities are required to be in your name the first business day after move-in. It is important to meet this requirement as utilities will be taken out of Efurd Properties’ name when the lease commences.
 

How to Pay Rent

RENT IS DUE ON 1st of EACH MONTH
NON-PAYMENT OF RENT RESULTS IN LATE FEES AND EVICTIONS

1. NO CASH ACCEPTED.
   
   
2. MAIL RENT PAYMENTS ONLY TO THIS ADDRESS:

   Efurd Properties, CRMC^®
   P. O. Box 383198
   Duncanville, TX 75138-3198

3. OVERNIGHT DROP BOX: Located at 102 N. Main Street, Duncanville, TX 75116. Payments in sealed envelope with property address clearly marked on the outside.
   
   
4. DELIVERY DIRECT TO EFURD PROPERTIES: With advance notice, Efurd Properties will accept rent payments during normal work hours Monday-Friday (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.).
   
   
5. VIEW YOUR ONLINE STATEMENTS AND PAY THROUGH PAYPAL: After setting up your online account at EfurdProperties.com Tenant Logon » rent payments may be made through your account via PayPal by credit card or e-check. Note: PayPal’s convenience fees will be added to outstanding statement charges.
   
   
6. STARTING MAY 2010 - NEW PAYMENT OPTION IS AVAILABLE - PAY ONLINE VIA PAYLEASE: After set up of your online account at EfurdProperties.com-PayLease » pay with a credit card or an e-check. You can also set up autopay, reminder notices and so much more. Note: PayLease fees will be deducted at the time of payment..
    

Repair Requests

All repair requests are to be submitted in writing. For your convenience, use our online form to submit your request ». Our maintenance department will contact you regarding your request and provide updates.

Emergencies. If you experience an emergency (threat to life or safety), call 9-1-1. If you experience an emergency maintenance problem (adversely impacting health or safety), please call our emergency maintenance line 972-765-6633, then follow-up with the written repair request. Do not call the emergency number for non-emergency requests.
 

Move Out Procedures/Deposit Returns

The move out process begins by your submitting written notice 30 days in advance of the end of your lease term:

1. Turn in proper notice a minimum of 30 days in advance of end of lease term, in writing (not by email), with a signature
2. Make sure all rent is paid in full
3. Provide a forwarding address, in writing (not email), with a signature
   Once you turn in proper notice you will receive instructions on what you can do to maximize the opportunity to receive 100% of your deposit back after you leave.
   Proper notice means you provide a written letter (not email) with a signature stating:
   
   1) The date you intend to surrender the property. Surrender means turning in all keys and other access devices (garage door remotes)
   2) The names of the tenants on your lease
   3) The address of the property

If there is no date of when you will surrender the property we do not have proper notice.
What if you want to leave before your lease is up? Most leases require you to pay for the full term of the lease even if you leave early. Please read your lease for the exceptions. The specific requirements of the exceptions may change as the laws change, but the exceptions are generally:

1. You receive military change of station orders, in which case there are specific obligations. You must present the change orders to your landlord or landlord's representative and you must provide notice before the next rent is due. If you provide the proper documentation you can leave thirty days after the start of the next rental period and you will have 100% of your security deposit available for refund with no penalty for leaving early.
2. You have a domestic violence situation. You must provide proper documentation in the form of a restraining order issued by a judge.
3. In most cases Landlord will allow a new tenant to be found, but is not obligated to do so under the terms of the lease. If the Landlord allows a new tenant to be found, you will be responsible for all costs associated with securing a qualified tenant, including but not limited to advertising costs, leasing fees, lawn service, utility costs and all rent due until a suitable tenant is secured.

All outstanding balances are reported to collections and you may be liable for all expenses related to collecting any past due debts.
 

Under what circumstances might you not receive your full deposit returned?

The lease requires you to do more then just pay your rent, so if the landlord has to pay to have someone do something you were required to do, then you must reimburse the landlord. The landlord cannot charge you for expenses related to "normal wear and tear". Normal wear and tear is measured against 1) how long should a thing normally last and 2) what was the intended use. Example: a privacy fence is intended to provide privacy; it is not intended to be a chew toy for a dog. Even if it is "normal" for your dog to chew a fence, you would be charged to repair any damage caused by the dog because the fence was used for something other than its intended use. Also, as a tenant you are responsible for anything caused by negligence, carelessness, accident or abuse. This responsibility is yours even if you did not cause the damage. Please remember there is a difference between fault and responsibility. If you rent a car and some stranger dings the door in a parking lot, the damage was not your fault but you are responsible for the cost to repair even if you were not around when the stranger dinged the door.
 

The most common deductions are for:

1. Lawn care. Please read your lease. You are responsible for more then cutting the lawn and edging. You must treat with fertilizer, you must treat with weed killer, and you must maintain flower beds in a weed free manner and maintain an adequate level of mulch. If the yard is not properly maintained then any expense the landlord incurs to fix this negligence may be charged back to the tenant. The lawn should look better than when you moved in, if you do what is required in the lease a better looking, more mature lawn is the result.
2. Cleaning. Your lease requires you to keep the house clean and to leave it clean. If it is not left clean then the landlord will hire someone to finish the cleaning and the expense will be assessed back to your account. Unless you had extraordinary circumstances the carpets were cleaned prior to your move in. The carpet was either done by the previous tenants or done by the landlord and the expense charged back to the previous tenant. Efurd Properties can refer you to cleaning firms for your house and carpets which have had great success in removing even those most stubborn stains.
3. Touch up paint. This can be the most painful. If a tenant touches up and uses the wrong type or color of paint the cost to repair can be more then if just left alone. If you are not 100% confident in your ability to provide a proper touch up job, then you should hire the work done by a professional who will guarantee their work or let the landlord hire their own painter and let the expense be paid from your account. Anything more than a couple of small nail holes per wall is not considered normal use or normal wear and tear. Children drawing on walls may be normal in your family but it is not considered normal use of a wall. Grease on walls, hand prints on walls or painting odd colors on walls are not considered normal use and may require special (expensive) treatment to repair. Damage to the walls from moving your furnishings in or out of the house is not considered normal wear and tear. On the other side of this, a landlord has an expectation of periodic painting, so if you live at a home for five years, and paint but no repair is required when you leave the landlord must depreciate the expense and can only assess their tenant a smaller amount of the expense they incur.
4. Missing garage door remotes, mismatching light bulbs or missing smoke detector batteries. These costs can be larger then you might think. If a garage door remote is missing then the landlord has to pay someone to deliver and program a new remote. A $30.00 remote ends up costing $90.00 by the time you reimburse the landlord for the service call by a garage door company.
   Remember your obligations are to reimburse the landlord for the damages they suffer and damages are generally any bills the landlord pays to make things right.

How are damages determined? A physical inspection is completed before you move in and compared to a physical inspection after you leave the property with an average of 75-125 photographs taken to complete our records. The survey results are compared with the condition of the property when you moved in as noted in the move-in condition form you completed when you took possession of the house. Any landlord make ready expenses are reviewed to determine if they qualify for reimbursement.

How do I schedule the move out inspection? A move out inspection is made without the tenants present. If you are concerned about having proper documentation then you need to make your own records of the property condition at move out before you surrender the keys. The move out inspection is completed usually within two business days of the time you surrender the property.

When do I get my deposit returned? We are required by law to provide you with an accounting of the deposit and any monies owed thirty days after you surrender the property. If assessments exceed your deposit you will receive a statement of the amount you owe. Should this occur, please pay promptly in order to avoid collections procedures and expenses.