Welcome!
We’re looking forward to working with you and wanted to provide you with some information about how we typically work so that we can work well together.
Keys for Good Communication
- Communication is trust. Speak clear. Communicate regularly. Avoid assumptions. Avoid surprises.
- If you’re not sure, ask. Otherwise, no news should be good news, meaning things are going according to plan.
- Work order matters. It creates better outcomes. Wrong work order creates delays and reworks.
- Bad news is better delivered sooner than later. If something comes up, bring it up ASAP.
- We pay electronically (CashApp, PayPal, Zelle) or by mailing checks (5-7 business days).
Contractor Agreement
There are a few pieces of information that we will need to gather in order to get started. Please stop by our office or coordinate with the property manager to get these taken care of:
- Signed Contractor Agreement
- Preferred payment method is included in this.
- Copy or photo of your legal ID
- Selfie or photo of you
Confirmations & Payments
Payments are typically weekly for ongoing work, or for one-off items or whenever a stage of a project is done, within 24 hours. Please don’t contact us expecting to be paid immediately after completing a project. Work will likely need to be inspected before being paid, especially for new relationships. Photos sometimes suffice, but some things require the local property manager to inspect it. Please communicate accordingly so that we can inspect it soon after completion and get you paid. We are not looking to withhold payment, but we do have a process to ensure completion. We request that our team not have to deal with unexpected inquiries outside of their normal business hours. Expect that they will NOT be available outside of business hours, unless previously scheduled.
Standard Work Week
Our standard work week for contractors is Thursday to Thursday, NOT Friday to Friday. All work should be completed on Thursday to be paid on or by Friday. If you’re working on a multiday or multiweek project, the maintenance coordinator will typically reach out to you Wednesday afternoon to schedule an inspection with you and the property manager so that we can review progress and agree on completion. If you do not hear from the maintenance coordinator, please reach out to our office to schedule an inspection if you have completed work to be inspected for payment. The property manager will send a group text at the end of that meeting confirming the findings so that we are all on the same page and you can know what to expect for payment. Please do not contact us Friday for an inspection, expecting for it to be inspected and paid that day. That is the whole reason we schedule inspections on Thursday.
Material Purchases
We expect contractors to have their own tools. Do not include tools in material purchases.
For ordering materials, the more advanced notice the better usually with reason. Our business hours are generally 8 to 5 Monday through Friday. If you need to have approvals or purchases done outside of those hours, please plan accordingly. Communicate that in advance, especially for evening or weekend purchases. Most of our general materials come from Home Depot or Lowe’s. We also use a few local or regional specialty stores.
Home Depot – There are a few ways that we can pay for or order Home Depot materials. For general maintenance items, it is usually easiest for you to go and get what you need, go to the ProDesk area to check out, and they will text us for approval. They can also call, but text is preferred. Please be sure to make arrangements before you go so that the property manager or someone from our office is available to make the payment in real time. An hour notice is recommended. For larger projects, especially ones that require a lot of lumber, we can pre-order those materials and have it available for pick up or even have it delivered onsite if necessary.
Improvements & Suggestions
If you have improvements or suggestions, please let us know. We’re always looking to improve our properties, our operations, and ourselves. However, if it is a change to a project that we’re working on, please be sure to have that discussion BEFORE making any changes. If you make an unwanted change to the scope of an agreed upon project, then that can lead to rework and delays in payment. Nobody likes that. So please, if you have a suggestion for an improvement, let’s talk about the idea before you do it. You share the idea. We’ll share any background information that you might not know. Then we’ll agree on how we want to move forward. Usually that will be followed by a text confirmation, just to have it in writing. Always a good idea to get changes in writing, so everyone is on the same page.
Item Security
You are responsible for the security of your tools at all times and we recommend not leaving anything onsite overnight besides the materials. Do not leave excessive materials onsite. Just purchase what you need, as you need it. When you leave for the day, be sure to secure the unit. Turn off all lights. Lock all windows. Lock all doors. Leave key in lockbox if available.
Utility Disconnects
If you need to turn off a utility (water, electricity, and/or gas) temporally for work:
- Single Unit – Communicate that directly to the affected resident.
- Whole Building or Community – Coordinate that in advance with the maintenance coordinator, so that residents can be given ample notification.
At least a few hours is preferred in either case, but less of an issue with an individual unit. When communicating with the maintenance coordinator, please convey:
- The utility affected
- Who will be affected (community name, building number, and/or unit number)
- The expected disconnect time
- The expected reconnect time
The maintenance coordinator will convey that information to the residents.
Please give yourself ample time. It’s always better to have it reconnected early then to miss the reconnection window.
Maintenance Emergencies
For maintenance emergencies, turn off any utility that is the source of the problem (water, electricity, and/or gas), and then call our main maintenance line.
361-377-RENT (361-377-7368) option 3 for maintenance.
Referral Bonuses
If you want to refer a new resident to us, you can send us their contact info and we will follow up with them. Or you can just send them a link to our website and if they apply, they can put your name on the application, and we will happily pay you a finder’s fee. Please be sure they include your name when they apply so that you can get credit.
More Questions?
If you have any other questions, please reach out the property manager or maintenance coordinator so that we can assist you.
We look forward to working with you!
