Tips for Tenants
Apartments for People, LLC provides constructive tips to our tenants in order to help them enjoy the very best living experience.The following topics are areas important to each tenant.
1. Smoke-Free Policy: All our buildings are smoke-free. That means nobody is allowed to smoke within ten feet of the building. Studies have demonstrated that smoking of any kind is not healthy. Plus, smoke smells and stains the walls and ceilings of the apartments. Tenants that ignore the smoke-free policy could forfeit their security deposit as we may have to clean and repaint the walls to get rid of the smoke stains and smell.
2. Leaky Toilets and Pipes Policy: Excessive water usage increases our water and sewage bills. Eventually, this increase could result in an increase in everyone's rent. To avoid this increase, tenants should immediately contact management if they discover a leaky toilet or pipe.
3. Hoarding Policy: Hoarding is unacceptable for a number of reasons. First, the clutter created by hoarding blocks passage areas which are important if a fireman or ambulance worker shows up to render help. Second, the clutter is a fire hazard as it is generally flammable and fuels a fire. Third, hoarding creates places for bugs, mice , rodents and other creatures to live and hide. Finally, hoarding creates an area for bacteria, mold, mildew and other unsanitary things to grow and create a very unhealthy environment.
4. Trash Bins versus Transfer Station Policy: Trash bins are provided to our tenants to help them get rid of normal every day kitchen and bathroom trash. The trash bins are not provided to accept furniture, old televisions, excessive project waste, old appliances and other large items or large quantities of items. For example, if you are doing Spring Cleaning and generating a lot of trash, it should be taken to the Transfer Station. Large items and large quantities of items should be taken to the Transfer Station.
5. Moisture, Mildew and Mold Policy: Moisture is a problem since, over time, it turns to mildew and eventually mold. Tenants should clean and dry their bathrooms, kitchens and other areas that are exposed to moisture in order to avoid mildew and mold. Each tenant should have their own cleaning program to keep their apartment moisture-free. It is each tenant’s responsibility to keep their apartment clean and sanitary. if, however, a tenant becomes aware of a leaky pipe or broken faucet that is creating moisture, mildew and mold, they should report the occurrence to manage.
6. Clean and Sanitary Apartment Policy: The apartment is the home of each tenant. As such, tenants should work to keep their home clean, organized and sanitary. It is the responsibility of each tenant to create their own daily, weekly and/or monthly cleaning schedule in order to maintain a clean, organized and sanitary apartment.
7. Brooms, Rags and Cleaning Accessories Policy: The tenant is responsible to maintain a clean, organized and sanitary apartment. Their apartment is their home. As such, it is the tenant’s responsibility to buy the required items to help keep their apartment clean and sanitary. Typical items that our tenants buy to clean and sanitize their apartment include a broom, a mop, a vacuum, bleach, Windex, ammonia detergent, rags, oven cleaner, Mr. Clean and sponges. It is up to each tenant to determine the specific items they need to keep their apartment clean, organized and sanitary.
8. Guests and Bedbugs Policy: Bedbugs travel through the luggage or cloths of people. Bedbugs are not limited to a certain economic class of persons. As a result, it is important to know who you admit into your apartment as a guest. At a minimum, tenants should inspect the luggage and clothes of their visitors to reduce the risk of getting infected with bed bugs from a visiting guest.
9. Bedbug Policy: Bedbugs can infect all types of properties – i.e. homes, apartments, hotel rooms, motel rooms, furniture, luggage, etc. If a tenant discovers the existence of bed bugs, they should immediately contact management. Management maintains an ongoing relationship with a number of professional pest control companies and management will take immediate action to help remediate the bedbug problem.
10. Lengthy Staying Guests Policy: The lease permits tenants to host a guest for up to a total of seven-days within a calendar year. After seven-days, if you want the guest to remain, they must complete a tenant application and, if they are approved, they have to pay extra rent to compensate for the extra water and sewage consumed the extra wear and tear on the property as well as the extra parking. If a tenant does not submit an application for their guest that has over extended their stay, then the guest will be viewed as a squatter and a 30-day eviction notice to quit will be submitted to the tenant and everyone that occupies the apartment.
11. Common Area No Storage Policy: Common areas – such as a hallway, stairway, lobby, etc.- have to remain clear of any items by order of the Fire Marshall. Tenants may not store any items in the common areas as they restrict access of fire personnel, ambulance personnel and other people that may have to visit the building to respond to an emergency.
12. Landlord & Tenant Communications Policy: It is important to maintain an ongoing communications between the landlord and the tenant. Management makes every effort to listen to the needs of tenants while striving to maintain our standards for acceptable living behavior. It is the policy of Apartments for People, LLC to always work to keep the ongoing communications process with our tenants constructive and positive.
13. The Eviction Process Policy: Every effort is made to cooperate with tenants and to work to avoid the eviction process. However, if a tenant refuses to respect the contractual rights of the landlord, they will be evicted. Apartments for People, LLC works to avoid the eviction legal process. However, in the event a tenant does not respond to constructive conversation, our legal team will follow all the legal steps to evict the tenant.
14. The Common Courtesy Policy: Everyone should be treated with respect. Everyone should be treated with courtesy. There will be a zero tolerance rule on anyone that is disrespect of any tenant or a member of the property management team.
15. Too Much Noise Policy: People have to understand that when you live in an apartment building, you are living in a community of people. Some people work in the day and sleep at night, while some people work at night and sleep in the day. Everyone should work to keep the noise level down.
16. Rent Payment Method Policy: Apartments for People, LLC works to make the rent payment process easy and to conform to the needs of our tenants. As a result, tenants are provided with a number of payment options – mail a check to the office, deposit the payment at the bank, automatic bank payment process, credit card payment and cash payment at our bookkeeping office.
17. Late Payment Processing Fee Policy: As a rule, rent is due on the first of each month. Our bookkeeping department is able to batch process all the payments and deposits together in order to cost-effectively process the receipts. However, when payments are received after the 7th of the month, our bookkeeping department has to process each payment individually – i.e. go the post office, prepare the deposit ticket, go to the bank and post the payment to the ledger. Individually processing a payment is very expensive and, as a result, tenants will be charged a $25.00 Late Payment Processing Fee in order to support the additional bookkeeping and administrative costs associated with the late payment.
18. Late Payment Finance Fee Policy: The laws of the State of Maine allow a landlord to charge a finance fee to tenants on rents paid after the 15th of the month and for the outstanding balance on their account. Management complies with the law and will charge a late payment finance fee on payments received after the 15th and on all outstanding balances in a tenants account.
1. Smoke-Free Policy: All our buildings are smoke-free. That means nobody is allowed to smoke within ten feet of the building. Studies have demonstrated that smoking of any kind is not healthy. Plus, smoke smells and stains the walls and ceilings of the apartments. Tenants that ignore the smoke-free policy could forfeit their security deposit as we may have to clean and repaint the walls to get rid of the smoke stains and smell.
2. Leaky Toilets and Pipes Policy: Excessive water usage increases our water and sewage bills. Eventually, this increase could result in an increase in everyone's rent. To avoid this increase, tenants should immediately contact management if they discover a leaky toilet or pipe.
3. Hoarding Policy: Hoarding is unacceptable for a number of reasons. First, the clutter created by hoarding blocks passage areas which are important if a fireman or ambulance worker shows up to render help. Second, the clutter is a fire hazard as it is generally flammable and fuels a fire. Third, hoarding creates places for bugs, mice , rodents and other creatures to live and hide. Finally, hoarding creates an area for bacteria, mold, mildew and other unsanitary things to grow and create a very unhealthy environment.
4. Trash Bins versus Transfer Station Policy: Trash bins are provided to our tenants to help them get rid of normal every day kitchen and bathroom trash. The trash bins are not provided to accept furniture, old televisions, excessive project waste, old appliances and other large items or large quantities of items. For example, if you are doing Spring Cleaning and generating a lot of trash, it should be taken to the Transfer Station. Large items and large quantities of items should be taken to the Transfer Station.
5. Moisture, Mildew and Mold Policy: Moisture is a problem since, over time, it turns to mildew and eventually mold. Tenants should clean and dry their bathrooms, kitchens and other areas that are exposed to moisture in order to avoid mildew and mold. Each tenant should have their own cleaning program to keep their apartment moisture-free. It is each tenant’s responsibility to keep their apartment clean and sanitary. if, however, a tenant becomes aware of a leaky pipe or broken faucet that is creating moisture, mildew and mold, they should report the occurrence to manage.
6. Clean and Sanitary Apartment Policy: The apartment is the home of each tenant. As such, tenants should work to keep their home clean, organized and sanitary. It is the responsibility of each tenant to create their own daily, weekly and/or monthly cleaning schedule in order to maintain a clean, organized and sanitary apartment.
7. Brooms, Rags and Cleaning Accessories Policy: The tenant is responsible to maintain a clean, organized and sanitary apartment. Their apartment is their home. As such, it is the tenant’s responsibility to buy the required items to help keep their apartment clean and sanitary. Typical items that our tenants buy to clean and sanitize their apartment include a broom, a mop, a vacuum, bleach, Windex, ammonia detergent, rags, oven cleaner, Mr. Clean and sponges. It is up to each tenant to determine the specific items they need to keep their apartment clean, organized and sanitary.
8. Guests and Bedbugs Policy: Bedbugs travel through the luggage or cloths of people. Bedbugs are not limited to a certain economic class of persons. As a result, it is important to know who you admit into your apartment as a guest. At a minimum, tenants should inspect the luggage and clothes of their visitors to reduce the risk of getting infected with bed bugs from a visiting guest.
9. Bedbug Policy: Bedbugs can infect all types of properties – i.e. homes, apartments, hotel rooms, motel rooms, furniture, luggage, etc. If a tenant discovers the existence of bed bugs, they should immediately contact management. Management maintains an ongoing relationship with a number of professional pest control companies and management will take immediate action to help remediate the bedbug problem.
10. Lengthy Staying Guests Policy: The lease permits tenants to host a guest for up to a total of seven-days within a calendar year. After seven-days, if you want the guest to remain, they must complete a tenant application and, if they are approved, they have to pay extra rent to compensate for the extra water and sewage consumed the extra wear and tear on the property as well as the extra parking. If a tenant does not submit an application for their guest that has over extended their stay, then the guest will be viewed as a squatter and a 30-day eviction notice to quit will be submitted to the tenant and everyone that occupies the apartment.
11. Common Area No Storage Policy: Common areas – such as a hallway, stairway, lobby, etc.- have to remain clear of any items by order of the Fire Marshall. Tenants may not store any items in the common areas as they restrict access of fire personnel, ambulance personnel and other people that may have to visit the building to respond to an emergency.
12. Landlord & Tenant Communications Policy: It is important to maintain an ongoing communications between the landlord and the tenant. Management makes every effort to listen to the needs of tenants while striving to maintain our standards for acceptable living behavior. It is the policy of Apartments for People, LLC to always work to keep the ongoing communications process with our tenants constructive and positive.
13. The Eviction Process Policy: Every effort is made to cooperate with tenants and to work to avoid the eviction process. However, if a tenant refuses to respect the contractual rights of the landlord, they will be evicted. Apartments for People, LLC works to avoid the eviction legal process. However, in the event a tenant does not respond to constructive conversation, our legal team will follow all the legal steps to evict the tenant.
14. The Common Courtesy Policy: Everyone should be treated with respect. Everyone should be treated with courtesy. There will be a zero tolerance rule on anyone that is disrespect of any tenant or a member of the property management team.
15. Too Much Noise Policy: People have to understand that when you live in an apartment building, you are living in a community of people. Some people work in the day and sleep at night, while some people work at night and sleep in the day. Everyone should work to keep the noise level down.
16. Rent Payment Method Policy: Apartments for People, LLC works to make the rent payment process easy and to conform to the needs of our tenants. As a result, tenants are provided with a number of payment options – mail a check to the office, deposit the payment at the bank, automatic bank payment process, credit card payment and cash payment at our bookkeeping office.
17. Late Payment Processing Fee Policy: As a rule, rent is due on the first of each month. Our bookkeeping department is able to batch process all the payments and deposits together in order to cost-effectively process the receipts. However, when payments are received after the 7th of the month, our bookkeeping department has to process each payment individually – i.e. go the post office, prepare the deposit ticket, go to the bank and post the payment to the ledger. Individually processing a payment is very expensive and, as a result, tenants will be charged a $25.00 Late Payment Processing Fee in order to support the additional bookkeeping and administrative costs associated with the late payment.
18. Late Payment Finance Fee Policy: The laws of the State of Maine allow a landlord to charge a finance fee to tenants on rents paid after the 15th of the month and for the outstanding balance on their account. Management complies with the law and will charge a late payment finance fee on payments received after the 15th and on all outstanding balances in a tenants account.