Kitsap Country Homes
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The following policy and procedure highlights are guidelines under which we operate our full service property management program.

Locating a Suitable Tenant
Office & Staff. Our office is open seven days a week. This enables prospective tenants to view your home at their convenience and to insure prompt response to maintenance requests. Each member of our full time staff is experienced and trained to favorably promote your home on the phone and during showings.

Promoting Your Property. Because of our stringent screening of prospective tenants, we must rely on a comprehensive marketing program to attract as many good quality prospects as possible. Within the first week a number of important actions are taken to expose your home to a large number of prospects. These include:
  1. The largest and most supportive real estate and relocation agencies receive details about your home. We offer a finder's fee to any real estate agent or current tenant who provides us with a lead that results in a signed lease.
  2. Information about your property is sent to the Naval Housing Office.
  3. We send information to many prospective tenants weekly who have asked to be placed on our "Homes For Rent" mailing list.
  4. "For Rent" signs posted on the homes that are currently on the market.
  5. The largest employers in the area are provided availability information about your home.
There is no additional charge for any of the above advertising and promotion. In the event the home is not rented within approximately fourteen days before it is due to become vacant (or as determined by market conditions), we place an ad in the local newspaper until a tenant is found.

Vacancy. Our vacancy rate is consistantly lower than the Average. Nonetheless, we are continuously exploring new strategies to help reduce vacancy time without sacrificing quality.

Screening & Approving the Tenant
Landlord, Employer and Credit Verification. Once an application is received, we immediately begin verifying address and employment information. Current and previous landlords and employers are contacted and interviewed by experienced property management staff members. we have the ability to verify credit information immediately.

Homeowner Approval. Tenants are approved by the Homeowner. After an application has been received and all verifications have been completed, a call is made to the Homeowner. Information about the applicant is conveyed to the Homeowner along with a recommendation. The Homeowner then decides whether to accept or reject the applicant.

Results. Thorough screening procedures helped us place quality tenants. For the past several years our eviction rate was 0.

Leasing & Occupancy
The Lease. Our lease is undergoing continuous review to insure that it provides the most effective and comprehensive protection to the Homeowner. In addition to the lease, tenants sign a document containing our rules and regulations. These rules and regulations have been developed over the past years in management to insure that Tenants are fully aware of their responsibilities.

Preserving Property Condition
Video Camera Inspection. Before a tenant occupies your home a two-part inspection is conducted which includes a video film of the property as well as a written report. Tenants acknowledge the written report by signing it following move-in. This inspection procedure is repeated between all future tenants.

Periodic Inspections. During occupancy we periodically conduct drive-by inspections. Any deficiencies are noted and the tenant is notified in writing. An interior inspection can be conducted when considered appropriate.

Neighbor Watch. The owners of homes near yours are notified by letter that we are managing your property. We have asked them to keep our name and phone number handy so that in the event they see anything they feel might need our attention they can call us. This provides additional security for the home.

Maintenance
Maintenance Personnel. Kitsap Country Homes coordinates the maintenance and repair on the properties we manage. Over the years we have developed relationships with tradespeople in various fields that we rely on for high quality, low cost work. Whenever possible we rely on several "handymen" that we contract to perform routine maintenance and repair work at very reasonable prices. Bids are taken when considered appropriate or requested by a Homeowner.

Documentation. Copies of invoices for all work performed are included with the owner's monthly statement. Kitsap Country Homes does not add a "surcharge" or "handling fee" to invoices. You pay only the invoice amount.

Homeowner Selected Repair Personnel. As an alternative we are happy to accommodate owners who prefer that we contract with maintenance and repair personnel they choose. The only thing we ask is that these personnel respond in a timely manner when we call them. Responding quickly is very important to good tenant relations and to the maintenance of the home.

Lock Changes. Due to the great risk involved, it is our policy to re-key the locks between each occupant. The Homeowner and our staff share a responsibility to protect the tenant's health, safety and well being. Re-keying the locks between each occupant of your home is considered essential. Furthermore, an unforced entry that involves the loss of property or the injury or death of a tenant is almost certain to result in litigation.

Finance and Accounting

Our Property Managers collect rent on a monthly basis. Typically rents are due on the first or the fifteenth of each month, held until cleared and Checks are typically mailed to our clients on the tenth or 25th.

Management Fee
Our management fee for full service property management is ten percent of the rental income. There are no hidden fees.

Our policy is to collect no fee until the rent is received. Unlike many other management firms we charge no account establishment fees, no over-ride on maintenance work.

Tax Advantages. We have written our management agreement and designed our service to allow you to claim your property as one in which you have an "active" participation for tax deduction purposes. This is considerably more advantageous than if it were a "passive" participation. As a result our management fee as well as mortgage interest, insurance, taxes, repair costs and depreciation are tax deductible for most of our Homeowners. To insure that you are entitled to these benefits you must contact your tax preparer for verification.

Internet Access
Web Page. We have established a web page on the Internet to market our services to prospective landlords and tenants. This page will include up to date rental home information for prospective tenants from around the world, as well as updated services to our clients. Please visit our web site at: www.rentkitsap.com

E-Mail. We have established an E-mail address that is accessible directly or through our web page to give our tenants and homeowners an additional source of communication. E-mail can be sent to mailto:%20AHP@rentkitsap.com or through our web site www.rentkitsap.com

Contacting Us
We realize the importance of accessibility being in this service-oriented industry. The following have been developed as means of communicating with us:
206 780-1013 Office number

360 598-5882 Fax

mailto:%20AHP@rentkitsap.com E-mail address

Our office is open 7 days per week 9am-5pm Pacific Time with a 24-hour emergency service.

Since we are continuously upgrading and improving our services, this information is subject to change without notice.