Upcoming Summer Season
As we enter the Spring/Summer season, historically recognized as the peak period for tenant turnover, we would like to provide some important reminders regarding your lease obligations. This time of year typically sees a significant number of leases concluding between May and August, necessitating careful attention to certain procedures should you be considering vacating the premises.
First, it is imperative to adhere to the terms outlined in your lease agreement regarding the provision of notice to vacate. We kindly remind you to review your lease document thoroughly to ensure compliance with the stipulated time frame for delivering a proper notice, typically set at 60 days prior to the expiration of your lease term.
Furthermore, in accordance with your lease terms, it is required that essential utilities such as water and electricity remain active until the conclusion of your lease period. Failure to maintain these utilities throughout the entirety of your lease term may result in administrative fees, along with the reinstatement costs associated with utility services.
Regarding the cleanliness of the property upon your departure, we emphasize the importance of adhering to the Move Out Cleaning Policy as outlined in your lease agreement. Professional cleaning services, including carpet cleaning, are mandated, with self-cleaning deemed unacceptable. It is imperative to engage a reputable vendor to ensure the property, including all appliances, is cleaned to the required standard. In the event that the property does not meet our cleanliness criteria, we reserve the right to arrange for additional cleaning services at your expense, with receipts required as proof of compliance.
Finally, upon vacating the premises, please ensure all keys, including mailbox keys and garage door openers, are returned to our office by your lease end date. Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Should you need to return keys outside of these hours, a secure dropbox is available for your convenience. Please place the keys in an envelope clearly marked with only the tenant’s name(s). Do not put the address of the property on, or in the envelope in case the keys fall into the hands of someone who shouldn’t have them.
We appreciate your attention to these matters and your cooperation in ensuring a smooth transition. Should you have any further inquiries or require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Holiday Hours
We will be closed on Monday, April 8th for the Solar Eclipse. Our holiday schedule can be found here.
Solar Eclipse
This is our last post before this historic event takes place. If you’re in the Central Texas area, or anywhere within the path of this eclipse, it’s not an event to miss.
We are giving our staff the day off work to enjoy the event and avoid the expected traffic from the anticipated travelers coming to town. Travis County has issued a disaster declaration to have resources available to deal with the anticipated crowds, and other counties in the path are taking action in various ways as well..
We hope that you are able to enjoy this historic event! It will be 20 years before the United States experiences this again.
Free Shred Day
We all know that our personal info is constantly being traded on the internet because of various data breaches, mail theft, or other ways the wrong people get our data. There is an opportunity to protect yourself by not throwing away/recycling sensitive paperwork and mail by having it shredded. Every year there are a few events where you can do this for free, and one of them is coming up. The next free shredding event is Saturday, April 13 from 8am to 130pm. We found another one happening on the same day in Cedar Park at the United Heritage Credit Union from 9am to 11am. These occur a few times a year sponsored by different companies or government entities, so keep paperwork with sensitive info on it in a box separate from other trash/recycling, and take it to one of these events to make sure that info isn’t floating around where the wrong people can get their hands on it.
Lease Reminders
We are heading into the beginning of the busiest time of year. That means more annual inspections. Please note the following important lease reminders:
We have found a number of properties that have either a trampoline or an above ground pool which are not permitted. See section 12 D of your lease. If you have one of these items, please remove them to remain in compliance with your lease.
Something else we are finding are unauthorized pets. Even if your pet is an emotional support animal or service animal, you are required to register your ESA via PetScreening.com. If you find yourself having a pet that has not been added to the lease, we are happy to help with the process of adding your furry friend. The link below will take you to the pet screening site to being the process of adding your additional family member to you lease agreement to ensure you remain in compliance with the requirement of documenting any pets or service animals. The link to begin the process is referenced below if needed.
https://stoneoak.petscreening.com/
Annual Inspection Reminders
If an annual inspection is scheduled, we do require a minimum 24 hour notice to request cancellation or reschedules. Tenants may be charged a $75 missed appointment fee for cancellations or failing to make the property accessible for any regularly scheduled appointments.
HOA Compliance
Many of you are in an HOA with very strict rules on lawns. Please be sure to keep your lawn mowed, edged, and weeded. Get rid of any dead vegetation that may have died over the winter, trim shrubs away from the house, remove weeds from flower beds, etc. Also, PLEASE bring your trash cans in when it is not your trash day.
From all of us here at Stone Oak we wish you a Happy New Year and thank you for being a resident of a Stone Oak rental property! Please don't hesitate to contact our staff if we can help with anything.
Routine Maintenance Reminders
- Maintenance Requests: We still receive a lot of maintenance requests that state something vague like "washer" or "AC" without any other info about the actual issue. We cannot act on requests like this and will require that you provide more info, so any request like this will only delay a resolution to the issue. Make sure you provide as much info as possible in your request including pics if possible.
- Maintenance Portal: Please make a list of any items you want to submit, and then list all issues together as one request including as much info as possible and attach photos if applicable. We will then evaluate whether they should be split up or not.
- Smoke and CO Alarms: As a reminder don't ever unplug and remove smoke detectors because they are beeping. Change the batteries and if that doesn't work please notify us. We find a lot of tenants unplug them and bury them in a closet or drawer instead of replacing batteries.
- A/C Filters: Make sure to check and change every month or as required by the type of filter. If any HVAC systems in your home have a reusable filter you are still required to clean them periodically, so please make sure they are kept clean.
- Toilets: "Flushable" Wipes CANNOT be flushed. Do not put anything down the drain except water, human waste, and regular toilet paper. Food, toys, feminine products, wipes, towels, wrappers, condoms, and other objects do not break apart and go down the drain. Clogs of the plumbing system may be charged back to you, so it is best to avoid this by not putting anything down any of the drains aside from water and human waste.
- Disposal Systems: This includes using the sink disposal as a garbage chute. These appliances are not meant to dispose of large quantities of food and should only be used as a last resort after all food items are scraped off dishes into a compost bin or trash can.
- Drainage: Shower, bath, and sink drains can get clogged up over time with hair and other organic matter. Do not use Draino-type products as they are extremely acidic and will do more harm than good by damaging the pipes while usually failing to fix the drainage issue. The best way to address this is to use a disposable drain snake that can be obtained from any hardware store for a couple of dollars. Please note that if we send out a vendor for this and it turns out to be this very issue you may be charged back for the cost. Here is a video on how to use those - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOb4MJ6widg
- Emergency Maintenance: This extension should not be called unless you have an issue involving Flood, Blood, or Fire. Do not call the emergency line to follow up on existing work orders or submit a new request that is not an emergency. In case of an emergency call 911 if needed and then contact us after everyone is safe. Remember that we do not monitor emails after hours, so if you submit something considered an emergency online and do not call we may not know until the next business day.
Other Maintenance Notes:
If you'd like to inquire about, or update an existing request, submit the form at stoneoakmgmt.com/maintenance or call 512-617-6766 ext-5.
Maintenance time frames continue to be extended due to the pandemic. Please allow at least 5 business days before requesting an update from our team unless it is an emergency.
For basic DIY tips and tricks to solve some issues quickly, visit our DIY rental property maintenance page.
Your Tenant Portal & Electronic Statements
The system will generate a statement even if you're moving out, so there is no need to contact us if you receive this and are moving. All charges, including any prorated rent, will be adjusted as needed when the deposit is processed.
If you are not using the portal app that keeps you logged in please take a look at the linked flyer for more info. This can eliminate forgotten passwords, and help with easy updates/access to maintenance requests and all other account details.
AppFolio Tenant Portal Information
