Frequently Asked Questions for MoveZen SC Residents & Those Considering Our SC Rental Homes

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Our proprietary FAQ, containing hundreds of expert responses, is an excellent resource for resolving any additional queries and enhancing your overall rental experience.

Move In & After Application Acceptance Questions

Move In & After Application Acceptance Questions

Application & Acceptance Process, Qualifications, Credit

SC Application & Acceptance Process, Qualifications, Credit

Occupied Home Visits, Re-rental Showing & Access Questions

Occupied Home Visits, Re-rental Showing & Access Questions

Security Deposit, Normal Wear & Tear, Depreciation

SC Security Deposit, Normal Wear & Tear, Depreciation

Accounting, Payment, Charge, and Other Money Related Questions

SC Accounting, Payment, Charge, and Other Money Related Questions

SC Lease Renewal, Extension, Negotiation

Occupied Home Visits, Re-rental Showing & Access Questions

Yes. Dog bites are statistically the most likely way for our staff to get injured and animals are unpredictable in their own homes.

It’s very clear in the lease this is always required, but we are mainly concerned with the time we are in the home.

We’ve also had cats slip out. Our staff, and especially vendors who are often in and out grabbing tools, simply cannot be relied on to keep your pet safely in the home. While work is being done cats can get injured.

Other types of pets are even more unpredictable and at risk of those issues and more.

Do your pet a crucial favor and keep them safe while we knock out what is usually at most a twice-a-year owner requirement, and of course, during those maintenance inconveniences we all deal with.

Before the door is opened to invite a vendor or staff member into your home, all pets should be safely crated.

It’s imperative to understand a crate is always required. The nature of these visits means a door could accidentally be opened, and we cannot have our staff’s safety, nor the safety of your pets in a position to be so easily compromised.

All pets should stay safely crated until the vendor or staff member has communicated that they are complete and leaving. They may miss you, and you’re welcome to text for confirmation. Also, our third-party vendors will be less drilled and trained on this method, so again to be certain in the face of any doubt please text / call them.

We use a three-part management system to deal with the added complexity since COVID.

Your account manager is your customer service expert, advocate, and the person best suited to help you with any problem aside from something physically on site.

Our operations, or field division handles home visits and most of our various in-the-field tasks. As you might imagine that adds efficiency and expertise at both phases of the process.

We note in the question on rescheduling that operations will first try to schedule a simple quick visit by text and email. They attempt twice and if that doesn’t work out for any reason they send it back to the account manager to handle from there since that is their primary role.

It’s much easier and smoother though if you’ll let operations run through this process on their schedule. Ironically the residents who are most concerned with how this process plays out are the ones who end up making it a legitimate hassle for themselves.

All of our staff are background checked at hire and deeply committed to being an important part of a company that tries hard to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience.

We also have a technical support division you may hear from at times for something like say a portal reset or a general email to the company.

No problem! Our policy is to have our operations division try to schedule the first two appointments with simple text and email. 95% go smoothly in this manner and are completed with all sides happy within a few weeks. If that doesn’t work we pass it to your account manager to handle.

We will always report to our owners on the condition of their homes whether you’re moving out or not. They need to know about how much a re-rental process will cost them.

If we haven’t completed our inspection within 30 days of our first attempt you will be sent a notice to vacate when your lease ends, which is usually 90 days away at this stage. There will be a sizeable added fee to renew after that, and the odds of it happening decline dramatically. We don’t let concern about move-outs affect how we handle much because we’re exceptionally good at filling our homes. If you are making this process a pain you risk not having the option to renew, and we use this approach for a very small but vocal subset of our residents.

No one likes to change their oil but they do it without complaint. This is the same thing. We will report to our owners, it is expressly allowed without exception in your lease, and we have aggressively enforced it in the past with ease.

Let’s not play a fruitless game and instead make it low-stress with a speedy usually very convenient and discreet process.

No, you don’t have to be home, but you can be if you require. We do them all the time with a key. It’s possible we don’t have a key, that was a big issue during COVID and if not we’ll throw you a $10 credit to provide us with one. You can hide it and we’ll pick it up on arrival.

Our staff are background checked at hire. We also train them from day 1 to assume they are always on camera, and they do. That alone is a powerful safety mechanism.

We discussed the actual inspection policy and how we usually don’t go in bedrooms (not a guarantee see why might my inspection be expanded) in other questions and that is also an effective method to make this process less of a pain, or risk. There’s no reason for our staff to linger in any home unless we find an active water leak or something clearly obvious in photos that need to be immediately addressed, and they are required to notify the general office channels if that occurs.

We also have a great team. Still, you can never be too safe so before anyone ever steps foot in your home please safely lock up and hide valuables and heirlooms. You want to be safe and discreet, especially with the most important things.

Yes, $75.  More importantly there’s a good chance that will end up with a notice to vacate. To reverse a notice to vacate, if possible, requires a much larger fee.

You can reschedule with a text message.  Use it please.

A no show includes less than 1 hour advance notice of cancellation.See how we handle multiple cancellations in other questions.

No.  This process is already one of the most resource intensive that we do, and limiting miles driven is truly one of the top focuses for our operations division.

In an inflationary environment, you have to be efficient and minor inconveniences in the field cannot pile up or they become major, relentless costs.  We finalize our task on arrival no matter what.

You should therefore always be prepared that a home visit will be completely expanded. We outline a multitude of ways to prepare for or completely head off that happening and most do.

If you aren’t caring for the home though there are no options and we will limit discussion completely.

Yes! That is one of the best benefits of how we do things.

See the question on reporting normal wear and tear for more details. That is a less clear issue.  

Your lease specifically says you must report full maintenance items to us immediately. If you don’t we don’t take it personally, but the owner probably will.

The main reason people don’t report maintenance is to “not be a pain” and that often stems from not wanting to have your rent increased.

That is admirable, and we try very hard to point that out when this issue arises, but at that point, their emotions are running high and it is too late.

We can have our cake and eat it too. If you keep a solid dialogue with your account manager (or submit a help ticket if you feel they may not be hearing you) we can report minor wear and tear and maintenance in a favorable light when it is completely on our terms. Again the emotion is not running high, and the process goes smoothly.  It’s usually in the context of a whole home report, which is why we spend most of our time looking for costly exterior issues like rotten wood and pest problems when we do home visit reports.

Not demanding repairs will help motivate owners not to jack up the rent, but that is not the same as not reporting them. That’s the key point. If you don’t care about having it repaired tell us, and that will completely disarm the owner.  Some owners insist on repairing things. We know that is often not your favored outcome. Let us know and we’ll try, but it is ultimately not in our control.

We are not implying you should not have things repaired but it’s common sense that a large amount of trivial costs will always motivate an owner to raise the rent.

Another aspect of cost is frequent visits. If we send a vendor to your home three times a year for a multitude of needs versus 8 for that same number of needs, the cost will be much lower. Not only that the estimates, approvals, and repair discussions that tend to stress owners out and make them less willing partners also increase dramatically.You’re right to think that maintenance is a touchy subject, but take our guidance on how to best handle it and things go much more smoothly. This method we’ve outlined is effective at both limiting your inconvenience as well as renewal and move-out challenges.

Yes! That is one of the best benefits of how we do things. We try to make these home visits a benefit to you, and very few things are a bigger benefit to you than documenting normal wear and tear. We’ve had decent owners lash out (legally very hard for us to control) at great residents who’ve been in place for years because there was a fair amount of maintenance at move-out.

Despite the fact they reported almost no maintenance the entire time they were there. We try to explain that isn’t the worst thing, but the move-out process is so emotional for some owners that it’s a lost cause.

We need to make sure we’re legally covered, but also emotionally prepare owners long before the move out occurs. The issue of wear and tear is a relatively clear-cut and well-documented matter. The problem arises when owners are forced to deal with “the whole picture” after move out, and the costs to rectify them all in a short period.

Also if we send photos after several visits of something wearing down quickly over time, it completely disarms their ability to complain and especially levy charges.

This is a service a lot of residents fail to take advantage of. Move-outs and deposits are the worst part of our business without question. We build these procedures specifically to try to limit that for you (and us).

Take advantage of it. Even if you aren’t going to be there direct us to it when you confirm the visit.

While not as effective, you can always send us reports and photos of something you consider to be wearing down more quickly than expected.

Let us send photos of broken or worn things with every visit report and your move-out will go much more smoothly, bottom line.

See the question “why might my home visit be expanded?” for a lot more detail.To summarize, if we arrive and the home is in great shape, 99% of the time we snap a few very general photos of the interior, do a thorough exterior report because that helps tie the owner to the reality of normal wear and tear, and then we’re on our way.

A very convenient process for all.  In offices where we have a full operations division they’ll even be offering small free services like an HVAC filter or bulb change. That will one day be standard procedure and is being tested now.

All home visits run the risk of being expanded if we find photographable problems in the initial areas we check.  For example a wet spot in the living room ceiling is often coming from the primary bathroom sink, and we would need to go through that room and spend time in the bathroom cutting off the water.  Or simply hunting for whatever is above the water spot so we know what vendor to dispatch.

A good way to avoid a surprise is to thoroughly report anything along those lines to your account manager, with great photos, well before the scheduled day.

A lot like bread crumbs we follow issues if we find them. If we find water damage on the first floor, it might be from the ceiling, attic, a bath, or more and we would have to hunt that down immediately. Of course, it should have been reported on your schedule and still can be.

If we see clear issues in the common areas that are clearly pictured and will lead a reasonable owner to demand more information, we will have to expand the scope.

The most important point is that you must be prepared for a full inspection to happen as it could with no additional notice.

If we see one minor stain on a living room floor for example, that probably won’t be an issue. If we see several that would be and we’d need to know the overall carpet condition throughout the home. If there are drawings on several walls, we’ll have to know if there are drawings on other walls. (If they’re washable just mention that in advance, and you can leave a note as well).  We’ll have to check every room, including bedrooms and bathrooms. Essentially the whole home including closets for particularly bad situations which rarely occur.

We avoid closets in particular as much as possible and you are welcome to keep them closed.

We will photograph any room with visible issues. Paint, carpet, pest, windows. All water damage and pest issues in particular, and that at times requires us to go inside cabinets and closets.

We’ll have to check every room, including bedrooms and bathrooms. Essentially the whole home including closets for particularly bad situations which almost never happen. We avoid closets in particular as much as possible.
We will photo any room with visible issues. Paint, carpet, pest, windows. All water damage and pest issues in particular, and that often requires us to go inside cabinets and closets.

We tend to spend more time outside since privacy isn’t in play, and rotten wood, roof issues, and pest issues are some of our biggest concerns.

The most important point is that we specifically inspect windows and door frames for water intrusion, so close blinds before we arrive.

When possible we knock and meet with you before doing our exterior report, but it’s possible you might miss the knock / bell and should be prepared to see someone poking around outside around the scheduled time.

We spend a lot of effort on the exterior portion of the home visit.  Water intrusion, wood rot, erosion, and pest access can all get very costly fast, and that stresses owners out which is bad for us both.

This also allows us to report an interior report which is usually glowing, alongside an exterior report that almost always shows a consistent decline in condition because the outdoors are hard on materials.

The idea here is to juxtapose how great their resident is maintaining the interior, while the exterior which is well outside their control (usually and for the most part) marches toward inevitable costs.

Of course, there are interior costs but they are usually minor and a lot less likely to stress owners out when provided with the perspective that things degrade with time, and that is part of being a rental investor.

Since privacy is rarely a concern around the yard, we are more likely to poke around and linger. If there’s a concern with that please let us know in advance.  Please be aware though that they will be walking by first-floor windows and inspecting them for water intrusion.

As with the interior of the home, pets must be safely crated if outdoors as well.

We’re an extremely safety-conscious company. To be clear your lease makes this your responsibility since we don’t want to rely solely on any one person, including our staff.

We feel redundancy is important with such a high-stakes issue, and we like to test the system out as well.

We understand that due to sleep patterns and pets that can be a major inconvenience and that is fine. In those instances, we require that you do your own test and report the results to us before we arrive.

Not typivally no. We especially want to avoid closets but a crucial point is that any inspcction, could result in a full housing condition report if we find problems.  Water damage in particular is often coming from under a sink, and obviously we  would need to investigate that and take photos.

No. If water appears to be originating from a closet (almost unheard of) we would still enter the closet. We don’t need to look in them for problems though in large part because they are rarely the source of problems like water leaks etc.

If there’s some water damage under the sink it would be a great idea to leave it open. That’s very common, and probably already documented so we just want to keep reminding the owner with a quick photo.

We don’t want to infringe on anyone’s privacy. We have a proven track record on that topic.

However, if we can’t competently keep an owner informed regarding what is often their biggest investment by far, we are not doing our job and they will find someone who does every time.
So rather than let it be a pain, we try to outline a very convenient process.

For those who still push back, obviously, we explicitly outlined our right to “reasonable notice right of entry” and you can find it in your lease along these exact lines (states and years vary a bit but not materially).

There are no exceptions noted, which means no matter what your situation may be, we have a legal right to know the situation in the home. Bottom line. While we often get a lot of pushback on this, no one has ever actually tested us in court because it’s such an obvious issue, so let’s just save the push back and it is a much more pleasant process.

If you delay our home visit process more than 30 days our company policy is to issue a notice to vacate for the end of your current term. That is not your account manager’s decision.

We don’t renew leases ever without a relatively recent home visit report to the owner. This means we must have created a reasonable report while there, not just dropping by and not a vendor visit.

We don’t negotiate or handle minor maintenance if we are struggling for reasonable access and it will eventually end in eviction if extended past 60 days at most.

SC Security Deposit, Normal Wear & Tear, Depreciation

If your agreement with the landlord is to rent his property on a week-to-week basis, your
deposit may not exceed the equivalent of two weeks’ rent. If you’re renting on a month-to-month basis, your deposit cannot be more than 1 1/2 months’ rent. And, if your rental period is greater than month-to-month, your deposit cannot be more than two months’ rent.

Yes. In addition to the security deposit, your landlord may also charge you a non-refundable fee if you plan to keep a pet in the property or on the grounds. The “pet fee” can be any “reasonable” amount that the landlord wishes to charge. If your pet damages the property, the landlord may also keep all or a portion of the security deposit as necessary to repair the damage in addition to keeping the pet fee.

To ensure that your security deposit is safe during the period of your tenancy, State law requires the landlord or property manager to keep it in a “trust account.” A trust account is simply a bank account designated as “trust” or “escrow” that does not contain any of the
landlord’s or broker’s personal funds. The trust account must be maintained in a licensed and insured depository institution authorized in South Carolina. Within 30 days following the beginning of your lease term, the landlord or agent must notify you in writing where your security deposit has been placed (typically, this notifcation is given in the lease). If your security deposit is moved to a different bank or savings and loan during your tenancy, you must be notifed in writing of the new location.

If you stay for the entire lease term and you have paid all rent due, the landlord (or agent)
may deduct from your security deposit only the actual cost of repairing any damage which
you have done to the property. You cannot be charged for damage caused by “ordinary wear and tear.” What constitutes “ordinary wear and tear” must be determined on a case-by-case basis. For example, if you are the most recent tenant in the property, the landlord
cannot charge you to replace such items as carpet, plumbing, or appliances which need
replacement because they are old and worn out. In fact, you cannot be charged for even
contributing to the normal wear and tear of such items. On the other hand, if you caused the item to wear out because of your mistreatment of it, you may be charged for the amount of unusual wear which you caused (but not the entire cost of replacement). Ordinarily, costs for routine cleaning and maintenance (painting, carpet cleaning, etc.) may not be deducted from your security deposit. However, if you leave the property so filthy that unusual or extraordinary measures are necessary to clean or restore the premises, the landlord may deduct the cost of such cleaning from your security deposit.

To ensure that your security deposit is safe during the period of your tenancy, State law requires the landlord or property manager to keep it in a “trust account.” A trust account is simply a bank account designated as “trust” or “escrow” that does not contain any of the
landlord’s or broker’s personal funds. The trust account must be maintained in a licensed and insured depository institution authorized in South Carolina. Within 30 days following the beginning of your lease term, the landlord or agent must notify you in writing where your security deposit has been placed (typically, this notifcation is given in the lease). If your security deposit is moved to a different bank or savings and loan during your tenancy, you must be notifed in writing of the new location.

If you fail to fulfill your obligations under the lease, including your obligation to pay rent,
the landlord or agent may evict you from the property.

The court proceeding is known as “summary ejectment.” In addition to having you removed from the property, the landlord or agent may recover from you any unpaid rent, late fees, and, of course, the cost of repairing any physical damage which you may have caused to the property—but not damage due to ordinary wear and tear. In addition, if you leave behind any of your personal property (furniture, clothing, etc.), the landlord may also recover from you the cost of storing your property.

If your security deposit will not cover the landlord’s damages for unpaid rent, physical damage to the property, and storage of your personal property, you will be liable for payment of any remaining costs. If a civil judgment is entered against you by the court, it could adversely affect your credit rating.

Within 30 days after the termination of your tenancy, the landlord or agent must send you
either a full refund of your deposit or a written itemized accounting of any deductions along with any remaining refund amount.

Where the full amount of damage cannot be determined within 30 days, the landlord or agent must send you a written interim accounting of deductions claimed, followed by a final accounting no later than 60 days following the end of the tenancy.

So, it is important to give your landlord or agent a full forwarding address. If you cannot be located, the landlord or agent must hold any refund due for at least six months in their trust account.

If the landlord or agent fails to refund your deposit or make the required accounting, you can sue for recovery of the deposit and reasonable attorney fees. The failure to make the accounting as required under the Act is a forfeiture of the landlord’s right to retain any portion of the deposit.

If the landlord who collected your security deposit transfers ownership of the property to
someone else during the term of your lease, they must either refund your security deposit to you, or transfer your deposit to the new owner (after making any allowable deductions) and notify you in writing of the new owner’s name and address. In either case, your deposit must be refunded or notice given to you of the new owner’s name and address within thirty days of the transfer.

Likewise, if you have paid your security deposit to the landlord’s agent and the agent discontinues managing the property during the term of your lease, the agent must either transfer your deposit to the landlord/owner or, with the owner’s permission, transfer your deposit to the new manager. In either case, the agent to whom you paid your security deposit must notify you of the new location of your deposit and, if your deposit is being transferred to the owner, advise the landlord of their responsibilities to you under the landlord tenant act.

(1) The tenant’s possible nonpayment of rent and costs for water or sewer services provided.

(2) Damage to the premises, including damage to or destruction of smoke alarms or carbon monoxide alarms.

(3) Damages as the result of the nonfulfillment of the rental period, except where the tenant terminated the rental agreement, or because the tenant was forced to leave the property because of the landlord’s violation of the General Statutes or was constructively evicted by the landlord’s violation

(4) Any unpaid bills that become a lien against the demised property due to the tenant’s occupancy.

(5) The costs of re-renting the premises after breach by the tenant, including any reasonable fees or commissions paid by the landlord to a licensed real estate broker to re-rent the premises.

(6) The costs of removal and storage of the tenant’s property after a summary ejectment proceeding.

(7) Court costs.

(8) Any fee permitted by state law.

Tenant Security Deposit Act

Common examples of “Damage Due to Ordinary Wear and Tear” includes:
Worn or dirty carpeting
Faded or cracked paint
Dirty windows
Dirty walls
Frayed or broken curtain/blind strings
Leaking faucets or toilets
Small nail holes in walls (from hanging pictures)
Worn lavatory basin
Burned-out range heating elements

https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/HSG-06-01GAPP5GUID.PDF

As noted in the North Carolina Real Estate Manual, common examples of “Damage Not Due to Ordinary Wear and Tear” includes:
Crayon marks on walls
Large holes in walls
Broken windows
Burned spots or stains on carpeting
Bizarre or unauthorized paint colors
Broken countertops
Filthy appliances requiring extraordinary cleaning
Exceptionally filthy premises (in general) requiring extraordinary cleaning
*note that this is not a full list of damage beyond normal wear and tear!

NC Real Estate Manual Damage Beyond Normal Wear and Tear

https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/HSG-06-01GAPP5GUID.PDF

MoveZen Property Management would review the photos taken prior to the move in date, move in inspection form completed by the tenant at the time of their move in, and the move out inspection photos. Any documented pre-existing damage would not be charged to the security deposit at move out. We highly encourage all tenants to completely fill out their move in inspection form and return it to us within 10 days of their move in date for us to keep on file!

MoveZen Property Management has a ‘ Most Common Security Deposit Charges’ document that you are welcome to review that may provide insight into approximate charge amounts for various items. Please note that repairs are completed by independent vendors, therefore exact charge amounts may vary and would be dependent on the vendors charge to repair.

Most Common Security Deposit Charges Guideline live.pdf

Dear Residents, 

This checklist is so that you are aware of the move-out policy that will ensure your security deposit is returned in full, and we can quickly conduct an inspection and authorize the release of your security deposit post-move-out.  MoveZen will conduct an inspection using the original inspection report that was provided when you moved in.   

We do not profit, enjoy, or desire to charge tenant security deposits.  We are however legally and ethically bound to see that the homeowner receives their property in the same condition it was given to us and you.  If we determine a charge is necessary, it will be with much distaste, we assure you.  However, as a renter, you accept the responsibility to return the home in the same condition that it was provided to you. 

If there is damage you are unsure of how to rectify, please ask us and we will assist you!  We often have great tips for problems that could help.

Before returning keys on your move-out date, be sure to complete the following:
 
Balance per Tenant Ledger 
All rent and other account fees MUST be paid in full as of your move-out date.
Renters Insurance
You must have an active renter’s insurance policy through the last day of your lease but don’t forget to cancel or transfer your insurance policy to your new home on your lease end date.
Utilities
Do not disconnect utilities without notifying our office first.  Busted pipes will be your responsibility.
Debris
All personal property, including furniture, motor vehicles, and all other items not on the property when you moved in, must be removed from the home and surrounding property. Anything left behind shall be regarded as abandoned and may be destroyed, hauled away or otherwise disposed of at your expense.
All trash must be removed from the property, and trash receptacles must be empty.
Any debris present in a fireplace (if applicable) must be removed.
Appliances
The refrigerator ice bucket must be emptied, and the ice maker must be turned off.
All appliances must be clean on the interior and exterior, defrosted and plugged in, and running at normal settings.
Stove drip pans (if applicable) must be replaced.
If a washing machine was not provided with the property, the hot and cold-water hookups must be shut off before your machine is removed.
Dryer vents must be cleaned.
HVAC
Set thermostats to 60 degrees if you are vacating October-March, and 78 degrees if you are vacating April-September.
Replace all HVAC filters in the property.  If any excessively dirty HVAC filters are present, it will warrant an HVAC service call to remediate at your expense.
Drywall/Paint
Do not attempt to touch up paint on the interior or exterior of the property.
Any unauthorized paint colors at the property must be returned to the original paint color prior to move-out.
Do not attempt to patch any small nail holes.  Only professionally patch repair holes larger than a small nail hole such as holes from TV mounting, shelving, etc.  Unprofessional wall patching jobs will be repaired at your expense.
Window Coverings/Window Screens
Any drapes/curtain rods/blinds present at the time of your move-in are required to be present at move-out and in good repair.  They must be firmly fastened and properly hung.  Any broken window coverings will be replaced at your expense.
Any damaged window screens present at move-out that were not documented as being present at move-in must be repaired or replaced.
Light Bulbs
Replace any burned-out light bulbs.
Plumbing
All plumbing drains must be free of clogs and flowing properly.
Garbage disposals must be free of debris.
Cleaning
The entire property must be clean and all trash removed.
Carpets MUST be professionally cleaned, and a receipt provided to MoveZen.
The property must be free of pest infestations.  If there are pests present at the property after your move out, the pest service will be charged to you to remediate.
Doors/Windows
All windows must be locked at the time of move-out.
All doors must be locked at the time of move-out.
Exterior
Outside hoses must be disconnected and stored.
Grass, flower beds, and hedges must be in decent condition and mowed/trimmed.  
All leaves/debris must be removed.
Concrete surfaces must be free of oil/spill stains.
Forwarding Address

Please provide your forwarding address if you have not done so already no later than your move-out date.  Also, be sure to set up mail forwarding with USPS to ensure you continue to receive all mail addressed to you.
Key Return
ALL keys/passes/remotes MUST BE returned to MoveZen on your move-out date, including but not limited to house keys, pool keys, mailbox keys, parking passes, etc.  If you will be returning items outside of business hours via our dropbox, please ensure all items are properly labeled with the property address.
 
Once keys are returned, you will not be allowed to take additional steps to avoid a charge.  Owners expect us to move quickly on addressing these items and relisting, so waiting on a tenant to have them taken care of is not an option.  We will document extremely well with photos, and report within 30-60 days if there are issues. 

If you received a partial security deposit refund, we require that deposit correspondence take place in writing. Please submit the following form:

https://forms.office.com/r/Q3LTTjKXHd

Your security deposit refund will be mailed to the forwarding address you provide at the time of move out. If there are deductions to the deposit, an itemized accounting statement will be included with the refund check.

Lawn damage, drywall damage, and flooring damage are frequent damage we see at the time of move out. Remember that we utilize independent contractors to complete repairs, and these items can be very costly to repair! It is important to always adhere to the lease agreement and return the property in the condition it was provided to you!

When your security deposit is finalized by MoveZen Property Management, an itemized accounting and security deposit refund check (if applicable) will be sent out by mail. It is important to provide us with your forwarding address timely so we can be sure to mail these items to you at the appropriate address!

Great question! After the move out inspection is conducted, we would then need time to thoroughly review any pre-move in photographs, the tenant’s move in inspection form, as well as the details from the move out inspection. We will then secure a vendor to quote repairing any tenant caused damage beyond normal wear and tear, unless the property owner will be securing quotes/repairing the items themselves. After our review and retrieval of the estimates, a broker in charge will finalize any deposit charges (if applicable) and then we will discuss those amounts with the property owner. This process does take a bit of time when there are damages present beyond normal wear and tear! Rest assured we will work to complete this process as quickly as possible!

Great question. There are some gray areas as lifespans of particular items are different, and the pre-existing damage must be taken into account. We always adhere to generally accepted property management principles and in this case, we would do our best to have our vendor calculate the cost to repair the damage you caused only, not including the damage that was pre-existing.

SC Lease Renewal, Extension, Negotiation

Renewing our great residents, or as we call it “doubling down on your proven winners” is one of our company’s biggest priorities. We invest heavily in the process, including non-stop nudging to get our rental owners to understand how being reasonable and flexible with this approach is not only a win-win, but highly profitable for them in the long run since MoveZen considers turnover of any kind (staff, great residents etc) to be one of our biggest challenges to consistently delivering amazing service and results.

We are 100% in your corner on this, but it isn’t our decision. It’s a negotiation with the owner plain and simple, and we’re your advocate both because we will go to bat for great residents, and because it’s smart business. We’re in this together, work with your account manager to work out a mutually beneficial agreement.

If we aren’t honest with you, you will know. If we aren’t honest with our owners, they will too. So we give them our honest opinion regarding what a home would likely get on the open market. Then, we launch into a major accounting and faq response to outline that market rents mean little if you already have a great resident. You always renew them at a reasonable discount if they are willing, and we leave no doubt that’s our recommended policy. We hope to have you back and being helpful, not just cooperative at this stage, especially regarding our ability to report the housing condition to the owner is crucial. See our FAQ on home visits here.

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Our leases require 60 days notice to end, and we don’t do a lot of month to month. We like long-term consistency and plenty of time to operate. It’s not always easy delivering exceptional service so the more lead time you have to prepare for a unit turnover (an extremely costly event and one of our toughest challenges), the better. It’s really only 30 days sooner than the most common notice period.

However, we begin this process 120 days before your lease end date. Why? Because we first have to get a few photos of the home. We call this a home visit, and we are as respectful as we can be about your privacy. Those details can be found here. As you might imagine though, an owner in Northern Virginia will want to be confident their home in Greenville South Carolina is being well cared for before they extend the lease for a longer period. The good news is that this is normally a very simple process where we take a few photos of the common areas and we’re done. We also need to be able to give them a rough estimate on the cost of turning the home over and putting it back on the market because as you might imagine wtih every move out they consider selling the home. If they have a costly turnover on the horizon they need to know that. In fact, that usually motivates them to renew at better rates if the issue is simply that you’ve been in place a long time. Many owners will take a good bit less to avoid that process.

That puts into perspective what a major decision this is. Add to it that residents often take their time before getting us in to see the home even though we make it clear that delays tend to lead to less appealing offers from the owner and you start to see why 60 days can blow by fast. We need that time to make sure you’re happy with the pace, and the owner is too and that’s a delicate balance.

It’s the owners decision and most likely their direct offer but we can try to negotiate it more on your behalf. Give your account manager details that might help them to convince the owner. As we note above, we want you back and will try hard if we have something solid to present. Very few owners though will take a rate way below market rent and inability to pay is usually not the kind of what’s in it for me explanation that will change their minds. Bashing the property or their repair decisions will backfire also. We normally need to point out some economic reason such as you will sign a two year lease and that will save them the cost of a hefty turnover for quite some time.

Or, if you find homes on the market that are cheaper we can show the owner that you have very viable options, and that even if we relist the home we still probably won’t get much more rent. Both of those approaches can be very effective.

Yes but not with us, we’re just your advocate. The owner is legally 100% entitled to make all of their own decisions. We negotiate on your behalf, but you aren’t negotiating with us. Help your account manager present the best possible case.

If we sent a formal notice to vacate because the deadline passed (often for other reasons also) then there will be a $395 charge included if we are to renew the lease. That’s not optional. Renewal offers simply won’t be sent if that charge isn’t included. We call this one of many fees we have that no one ever has to pay.

We had to enact this policy because post-COVID it became nearly impossible to renew our leases in a timely manner. As is usually the case if something isn’t working at all you have to create rules and charges to ensure you can properly function. It got very hard to get cooperation and there are legal contract deadlines in place so we had to ensure that residents knew at first contact that this was serious, and the deadline stands no matter what. Let’s move fast and early instead.

It is not. If the owner isn’t in agreement then they will have to pay it. If you contact the owner on this or any other issue you simply disagree with you will likely not be given any opportunity to renew your lease. Cooperate or find another property manager who doesn’t expend immense efforts to deliver a reasonable procedure you can be happy with. We do, so the bad or loud apples that tend to dominate these days get no exceptions because we can easily replace them. They are about 10x more likely not to get a renewal of any kind though. We stopped playing games in 2022 and for most of our owners and residents that’s a breath of fresh air.

We start this process 4 months in advance, there is no reason to delay such a crucial decision with so many different parties waiting for a long-term outcome.

The simplest way is to use the option inside your resident portal. Our renewal offers also have an option to give notice instead. Finally, any written and confirmed delivered notice method would suffice and a good general email to use is rent at movezen360.com. Be sure to include the address and your name. In some cases we’ll respond back with a more formal, clearly worded notice to vacate to make sure we’re all on the same page.

Great residents have to break leases all the time. We comletely get that and most of our owners do as well. We keep them legally in line either way and the process is very clear in NC. This though is one of the most technically complex issues we have to deal with as you often have prorated rent of varying amounts, multiple people making multiple payments and more. The most crucial point is that you contracted to pay the owner a set amount when you signed the lease (a literal dollar amount can be calculated from those terms) and that is what the owner must receive. So we replace you with someone willing to take over the rest of the balance due, similar to a loan assumption. If they won’t pay full price for the balance due (meaning the market has fallen which is common if you rented in spring but move out in winter) the difference must be made up. Rent must be kept current until we find a suitable replacement and because it is an immense amount of work we do have to charge a small amount for the process which is clearly outlined in state law as a fair and standard procedure.

The whole process is too complex to outline in a single question but here are crucial documents we use.

Lease Break Information for Our Residents.pdf

Yes, it’s a negotiation with the owner. Work with your account manager to present an offer they can’t refuse.

You simply give your notice to vacate and move out on the lease end date. Any changes to the lease are technically a renewal so the only “non renew” option is to move out on the date already listed on your latest lease or renewal.

It will be included in the offer renewal notes, and added to your balance due to be paid the same as rent and late fees. This is for the most part a late fee.

A standard move out is all that happens after that. Nice and simple.

It’s a negotiation with the owner. It’s debatable if now is the time to bring up a maintenance cost, but work with your account manager to craft the best possible presentation. We do not want to bait and switch anyone, so a large costly demand must be handled as part of the renewal, but if you just have a leaking toilet that we would fix anyways, it would be helpful if we address that after the owner has unloaded the stress of a potential costly turnover.

Of course if you “must” have something done, especially major you must disclose that clearly so we can make it part of the renewal offer the owner provides you. Basicallly, the rate will be this, and the kitchen faucet will be replaced within 30 days of signing.

There are very few requirements for renewals. An owner or resident can opt not to renew for any reason or none at all, and they will move out on the last day listed on their most recent lease or renewal. Nothing at all additional is needed. The act of renewing is when legal issues get nailed down, in the terms of the lease itself. Take our missed deadline fee of $345. Even if it isn’t noted in your current lease, we make it a condition of the renewal. Meaning the lease cannot be renewed without adding that term. It’s a negotiation and they don’t have a lot of legal rules.

Yes that’s our simple default process. Can be done written in person also.

The owner is expressely given this right by the state, and our management agreement. It’s how this buiness runs for better or worse. It is their house afterall. We’re your advocate but if we aren’t smart about how we go about that the owner will start to see us as your ally against them, and someone to be circumvented so it’s a delicate process.

A great account manager with negotiation skills can make a huge difference, there’s no doubt about that. Legally though we never have any. Work together with and coach your account manager to help them present the best possible offer.

A great account manager with negotiation skills can make a huge difference, there’s no doubt about that. Legally though we never have any. Work together with and coach your account manager to help them present the best possible offer.

A great account manager with negotiation skills can make a huge difference, there’s no doubt about that. Legally though we never have any. Work together with and coach your account manager to help them present the best possible offer.

A great account manager with negotiation skills can make a huge difference, there’s no doubt about that. Legally though we never have any. Work together with and coach your account manager to help them present the best possible offer.

A great account manager with negotiation skills can make a huge difference, there’s no doubt about that. Legally though we never have any. Work together with and coach your account manager to help them present the best possible offer.

No and if you contact them your are highly unlikely to get the option to renew.

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MoveZen Property Management Help Desk Central