Tenant FAQs

As our properties move quickly, we are unable to hold a unit until a holding fee is received.The holding fee is non-refundable, so please be sure you have viewed the property and are 100% certain on the rental unit before placing the holding deposit. Upon move-in, the holding deposit will convert to your security deposit which is refundable at the end of the lease term, as will be outlined in your lease.

We collect a holding deposit to secure the property. The holding deposit will convert to a security deposit upon taking possession of the property. The first month rent is due no later than 10 days before move-in. Last month is not necessary.

18 years of age or older

We collect a non-refundable holding deposit to secure the property. This is to take the property off the rental market, as we will stop showing the property to other perspective tenants. In the event something changes prior to move-in, this deposit would be forfeited due to lost rent and expenses that would be incurred. The holding deposit will convert to a security deposit upon taking possession of the property, and that point it will be refundable at the end of the lease term.

You can apply directly on our website.

Rent Payments are handled through the online tenant portal. Tenants can set up auto-payments and pay via ACH, Debit Card, or Credit Card. There are no fees for ACH Payments, however the payment processor may charge fees for debit or credit card transactions.

Unfortunately, we are generally unable to waive late fees. Due to fair housing requirements, potential liability, and out of a general sense of fairness, we need to treat all of our tenants the same and not give some tenants preferential treatment. It wouldn't be right to charge one tenant a late fee and waive a late fee for another tenant.

There are some very limited circumstances where our policy allows for the waiving of a late fee:

• If your rent is only late due to something caused by us, such as a billing error, then we would agree to waive your late fee.
• If it's the first month on a new or renewed lease, and there are new charges or higher rent, and you simply forgot to update your payment amount, we will waive the late fee if you get the extra amount you owed to us is paid immediately.
• If you're a brand new tenant and have some confusion setting up a payment on the Resident Portal and it doesn't go through, then we'll agree to waive the late fee one time provided the balance is paid immediately.
• If you have accidentally underpaid by a nominal amount, then we will agree to waive the late fee if you pay the remaining amount promptly.

These are the only circumstances under which we will consider to waive late fees. While we sympathize with tenants who are going through financial difficulties, have had deaths or illnesses in the family, or are experiencing other hardships, we simply cannot allow these circumstances to interfere with the enforcement of the lease. Our clients, the landlords, pay us to collect the rent, and we have an obligation to them to do just that.

If you do qualify for one of the above circumstances under which a late fee can be waived. please click here to fill out the form to request a late fee waiver
Please note that even if a late fee is waived, it won't actually be removed from your account ledger until after you've paid the rest of what you owe.

We are pet friendly and and pets are welcome! Please note that in your application. In addition, we require registration at DeSantispm.petscreening.com. Pet fees and pet registration fees through PetScreening are applicable. If you are a current resident and wish to add a pet, please complete this form. https://form.jotform.com/241298401235149

A 60 Day notice is required to be submitted on the tenant portal.

Any routine maintenance will be promptly handled by the owner/property management company. The exception to this is anything tenant caused and those charges would be billed to the tenant.

We must point out the following items:

• Marijuana and many other drugs are still definitely illegal on a federal level. Possession and use of these drugs could place you in legal jeopardy and is done at your own risk.
• No drug growth, manufacture, packaging, sales, or distribution may take place on any property we manage. If we find even a very small marijuana growth farm on your property, we will immediately refer you to law enforcement and begin eviction proceedings.
• You may NEVER smoke anything inside the home. Ever. Under any circumstances. This includes in the garage, on the patio, on the deck, etc. If you must smoke a joint and you’re willing to face the potential legal consequences, then take a walk outside away from the house.

When there is illegal activity taking place in your unit, neighbors are impacted in any way, and/or actions start to risk damage to the property, we will have no choice but to take legal action.

By default, when it comes time for lease renewal, DPM will send you an electronic lease renewal for signature. All you need to do is click the link in the email and type your name and confirm for electronic signature. However, if you want a paper lease for signature, we can do that, although it will result in higher fees.

To request your lease renewal by paper, send an email to support@desantispm.com and let us know. There will be an additional Paper Lease Admin Fee of $25 added to your lease that will have to be paid on the first day of the new lease. Also keep in mind that it will take longer for you to receive and return your paper lease renewal, and lease renewal fees are higher the longer it takes you to renew your lease, so you will likely have to pay a higher lease renewal admin fee in addition to the paper lease admin fee. We strongly encourage everyone to avoid these additional fees by signing the lease electronically.

DPM has a zero-tolerance policy for vulgar or abusive communications. Any tenant who communicates in this manner with any of our employees, agents, or contractors will not be permitted to renew their lease. If a tenant engages in this behavior over the phone, then our staff has been instructed to hang up.

Everyone has a right to go to work in an environment where they are not subjected to such vulgarity and abuse, and DPM stands behind their employees.

This question comes up on occasion. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide any alternative translation leases. Our lease forms and legal notices are written by our attorneys, and they only write them in English.

If you are unable to understand the English language lease, you will need to either use Google Translate or find a translator or attorney who speaks your language to assist you.

Your lease requires you to pay your full balance no later than the 5th of the month. If you have other charges, such as a pet fee, unpaid utility bills, unpaid repair bills, etc. and you only pay the rent amount, then you will get a late fee for not paying your balance in full. Also, if you still had a remaining balance from the month prior, then your payment will be applied to the oldest balance first, leaving your rent this month not paid in full, also causing a late fee. Basically, you always need to pay your full balance no later than the 5th of each month to avoid late fees.

If the weather is going to be below freezing, we recommend you take the following actions:

• Leave your faucets throughout the home slowly dripping. This will prevent the pipes from freezing.
• Keep your cabinet doors open beneath your sinks. This will allow air to circulate around the pipes to keep them from freezing.
• Make sure your thermostat is set to at least 60 degrees with the heat on. In freezing weather, even if you have the thermostat set to an above freezing temperature, the outer walls of the home can be much colder than the inside of the home, and pipes in those walls can freeze. By keeping the temperature inside above 60 degrees, it helps to prevent this.
• Keep your garage door closed. Many houses have water heaters and other plumbing going through the garage, and keeping the doors closed can help to keep the temperate warmer around those pipes. You can also wrap the pipes in insulation if you are worried about them freezing.

We will try to send out reminders if we are expecting freezing weather, but we cannot guarantee it, so please remember that it is always your responsibility to keep up with the weather and make sure your home is safe from freezing pipes. If you fail to do so and the pipes burst and cause damage to the home, you can be held responsible for that damage, so make this a priority during winter.

Generally, yes with approval. Before you can make any changes, even improvements, to the home, you must get approval from us in writing. One person’s improvement is another person’s eyesore, so we always have to make sure the changes you would like to make are acceptable to us and the landlord. Generally we will approve things like painting in a neutral color, but we can’t guarantee it, so you must always get approval first. If you fail to do this, you will be charged for the cost of returning the home to its original condition, so be cognizant of this.

Yes. An absolute minimum of $100k liability coverage and $10k for your personal property coverage is recommended, plus loss of use provisions which cover would cover loss of food if refrigerator does not function, and in the event a hotel room is needed for any reason.

Please note that DPM and the landlord are never responsible for your personal property if it gets stolen or damaged in the home through act of God, so you need to have renter’s insurance to protect your own property. Renter's insurance is required to be obtained either through the company of your choosing or you will be automatically enrolled in landlord to liability insurance, which will not protect your belongings or loss of use, for a nominal monthly charge.

We certainly recognize that everyone has family, friends, etc. who come to visit them on occasion, so we have no problem with you having guests staying with you for short amounts of time. However, if someone is going to be staying with you for more than 14 days during your lease term, then they are no longer considered a guest and will need to fill out an application and be approved as a tenant on the lease. Failure to do this will be considered a lease violation and can result in eviction, so please take this seriously. If someone needs to stay with you for an extended period of time, bring it to our attention so we can get them properly added to the lease.

Please also keep in mind that pets of visitors may not occupy the property unless you get approval in advance in writing from us. An unapproved pet can result in significant charges, so please be mindful of this.

We’re sorry, but no. Unless you are a professional carpet cleaner yourself and are using the professional equipment and chemicals and demonstrate evidence of this, it’s simply a non-starter. The quality of carpet cleaning that is done by a professional service is simply head and shoulders above anything that you can do even with the best rentable machines. We will require you provide a receipt showing that you purchased a professional service, so don’t try to get around this if you want to avoid being charged for a carpet cleaning by one of our vendors, who may be more expensive than someone you could find yourself.

In general, the responsibility for paying for repairs on a rental property is the landlord's. However, there are some exceptions to this:

• Clogged pipes
• Broken windows
• Pest control
• Things the tenant broke
• Cosmetic issues that aren't required by law to be fixed
• Bills for repair appointments that a tenant no-showed
• HVAC filters
• Smoke detector batteries
• Repairs that are only necessary due to tenant negligence (tenant failure to report)

If a vendor goes out to a property for these issues and finds that the tenant is responsible, you will receive a bill on your tenant ledger. If you don't pay the bill by then, you will then receive a late fee, and late fees will continue to accrue monthly until the balance is paid in full. Please note that in addition to the repair bill, you will also be charged a $25 Repair Bill Admin Fee.

Our inspection vendors are instructed to replace any HVAC filters that are dirty, any smoke detector batteries that are low. These are items that are tenant responsibilities, so if the inspector has to perform these items, you will be charged for both the materials and the labor. The way to avoid these charges is to follow your lease agreement and take care of these items prior to the inspection.

If you believe you've been billed for something incorrectly, then you can fill out the Repair/Inspection Charges Dispute Form, and someone from our office will investigate and get back to you. Please note that filling out the form does not extend the 30-day deadline to pay, so if you want to dispute a charge, it's important to do so immediately after notification of the charge, or go ahead and pay the bill while waiting for the dispute to be resolved.

If there is an actual life and death emergency at your home, you need to immediately contact 911. Aside from that, if you are dealing with an urgent maintenance situation after hours, you can either submit a maintenance request on our portal, or you can call us at 412-631-3100 and press Option 9. But keep in mind that a phone call will not be any quicker than an online service request, as the same call center employees are handling both submission methods. Generally, you are always better off using the online form.

Please keep in mind that very few items qualify as emergency repairs. Generally it would only be items that render the home completely uninhabitable (a tree fell through the house, a large fire broke out in the house, the house flooded, etc.) or items that make the home unsafe (no heat when it’s freezing temperatures, no air conditioning when it is over 90 degrees, etc.). The hot water going out at 2am is not an emergency. It can wait until tomorrow. Please keep these guidelines in mind before calling in an emergency.

On move-out, you will be charged for any damage to the property that was not "normal wear and tear;" any unpaid rent, fees, or other amounts from the term of your lease that you did not pay prior to move-out; and a Security Deposit Coordination Admin Fee if we have to withhold any money from your deposit to cover damage or unpaid charges.

There is a dispute process if you think any of the charges on your move-out statement are incorrect. However, please note that we will not be able to accept any dispute that you submit if you do not include actual evidence to support it. For example, saying "the house was better than it was when I got it" will not be accepted unless you have actual time-and-date-stamped photos that prove your claim. We will use our move-in inspection document that was completed prior to your move-in to determine responsibility for damage unless you have other evidence to submit that is more compelling. Please also note that simply claiming that a charge "is not fair" will not be considered if that charge is specifically listed in your lease or standard company policies and procedures. We strongly believe that the only thing that is fair is going by the lease for every tenant and not giving anyone special treatment. Fairness is one of our company's Core Values, and we cannot make exceptions to the lease.

With all of that in mind, if you have anything that you think needs to be disputed, please click here to submit the dispute along with your evidence to support it.

https://form.jotform.com/241478708301153

Generally, if a drain, pipe, or septic system gets clogged in your rental property, it is your responsibility to clear the clog. If you'd like, you can submit a service request and we can send our vendor to clear it, but you will be responsible for the vendor's bill.

There are some limited exceptions to this policy:

If there is some sort of inherent fault with the property's plumbing, and the clog is caused by that, then you would not be responsible. This will obviously have to be determined by our technician, and their expert opinion will be the final word on determining if this applies to your specific circumstances. They are third-party vendors and therefore impartial, so their opinion can be trusted by both parties.

If the clog is caused by a defect in the septic system or a full septic tank that needs to be pumped, you would not be responsible.

If you have been charged for a clogged drain and you believe one of the above criteria applies to the situation, please fill out the dispute form and we will review it as soon as possible. Please note that filling out the form does not extend the deadline to pay a bill, so if you have a pending bill that is almost due for a clog, go ahead and pay that bill while waiting on the decision for your dispute.

Fill out form

If you've already given the notice to vacate, then you may be able to cancel that and remain in the property, depending upon the circumstances. Ultimately, the decision has to be made by DeSantis Property Management based upon whether anyone else has applied for the property already, whether you would have been eligible for renewal anyway, etc.

If your request is approved, however, there is an administrative fee that you must pay. This amount would be due up front before DeSantis could approve your request. The following fees apply:

$100 if you submit the request more than a full calendar month prior to your lease expiring

$250 if you submit the request in the last month of your lease, but more than 15 days prior to expiration

$750 if you submit the request in the last 15 days of the lease

NOTE: there is no fee charged if your notice to vacate was issued well ahead of the due date, and you withdraw that notice more than two full calendar months prior to your lease expiring. This amount is due up front, and DeSantis cannot approve your request before it is paid. This is in addition to any rent increase, month-to-month rent and fees, and other fees that you may owe for the renewal or extension. Once you've requested the cancel your notice and we have approved it, there is no turning back. At that point, you're locked in for at least another two full calendar months and you would have to give proper notice again if you change your mind, so it's very important to not withdraw your notice unless you're certain.

If you would like to request to cancel your notice to vacate, please fill out this form: Fill in Notice to Cancel Vacate Form

In general, DPM policy is that we will not provide a reason for why a lease is not being renewed. We have found over the years that it isn't productive to get into this discussion, because it just leads to arguments. In many cases, the decision isn't even ours. The most common reason for non-renewal is that the property owner has told us not to renew, may be selling the property, and sometimes they don't even tell us why. When they do tell us, frequently the reason is that the owner is moving back into the house due to financial difficulties, or a job transfer back to town, etc. Owners can consider this sort of information to be private and confidential, so they don't want it discussed.

However, if your notice of lease termination/non-renewal does not include a reason, then that means that we will not be able to provide you with one, so please do not ask.

In the same way, we will respect your wishes if you don't give a reason why you have given notice to leave the property.

We will not get into an argument about it, and we cannot deviate from this policy of not disclosing confidential information about why the renewal is not taking place.