Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers for rental property owners and residents across Greater Portland. How long a home takes to rent, how repairs and rent are handled, what happens at renewal, how to apply, and what counts as a maintenance emergency. If your question is not here, call us at (971) 270-2600.
Own a rental? Start with the owner questions. Renting from us? Skip to the resident questions.
For Property Owners
- What guarantees do you offer?
- What happens when my tenant’s lease is up?
- How much will my property rent for?
- How long does it take to rent a house?
- How do you advertise your properties?
- Should I accept pets?
- How do you handle repairs?
- How do rent payments work?
- What happens if my tenant stops paying rent?
Asking about cost? Full fee schedules for all three plans are on our pricing and fees page. For everything the management fee covers, see our management services.
For Residents
- How do I apply, and what are the qualifications?
- How do I pay rent?
- How do I give notice to move out?
- What happens to my security deposit?
- What is considered a maintenance emergency?
- Who is responsible for repairs in a rental?
Renting from us already? Everything you need is in your tenant account.
Property Owner FAQs
Guarantees and Renewals
Gold and Platinum plans include our Rented in 30 Days Guarantee and Steady Eviction Protection, which is available on Silver for an additional $50 per month. Every Real Property Management office also operates under the Neighborly Done Right Promise. Specific terms are set out in your management agreement.
We start the renewal conversation early, well before the lease creates time pressure, because keeping a good resident is almost always worth more than the increase you would chase by losing them. We price the renewal against the current market, calculate any increase inside Oregon’s SB 608 cap and Portland’s city overlay where it applies, and bring you a recommendation. The decision is yours.
Leasing and Marketing
Three things set your rent: what comparable homes nearby are currently renting for, how your property’s condition, features, and location place it inside that range, and how much marketing exposure the listing gets. We run a comprehensive market analysis on real current comparables, then review every vacancy weekly and adjust when the market response calls for it.
Several factors move the timeline, and season weighs more heavily in the Portland metro than most owners expect. We break down each one, and how we work the timeline from both ends, on the dedicated page.
We launch your listing on Zillow and more than 30 nationally popular rental sites, plus the other marketplaces where renters in this market actually search. Listings get a well-photographed ad built to stand out in the same submarket, and we respond to inquiries quickly, because speed is what keeps the applicant pool full.
Over 50% of renters have pets, so allowing them widens the pool of qualified applicants competing for your home, which usually means a shorter vacancy. You can still set limits on size and type. If you would rather not accept pets, we advertise the home as no pets and screen accordingly. Service animals and emotional support animals are not pets under the law, and we handle those requests in line with Oregon requirements.
Managing Your Property
This is the question owners ask most, and the answer has enough moving parts to deserve its own page: how residents report, how we assess and dispatch, which vendors do the work, and the spending limit you set above which we come to you first.
More than 80% of residents under our management pay electronically through their secure portal. Rent goes into an FDIC-insured trust account kept separate from operating funds, and once it clears we deposit the month’s rent, less our fee and any expenses, into the account you designate. Every disbursement comes with an itemized owner statement.
Prevention comes first. Thorough criminal, credit, and rental background checks before placement are the single most effective protection against nonpayment. If a resident does fall behind, we notify them quickly, take the earliest action Oregon law allows including late notices and fees, and begin the eviction process when the lease and the situation call for it.
Resident FAQs
Applying
Choose the home you want from our available rentals, click Apply Online on that listing, complete the application in full, and pay the application fee. A PetScreening profile is required for every applicant, with or without a pet. Outside the City of Portland, combined monthly gross income must be at least 2.5 to 3 times the rent. Inside Portland, the requirement follows the Portland Housing Bureau median family income.
Rent, Deposits, and Moving Out
Pay online through your tenant account. It is the fastest and most secure method, and it gives you a timestamped record that rent arrived on time. Setting up a recurring payment is the best protection against a late fee. Every resident who signs a lease with us gets an account, so you already have one.
Submit your notice to vacate in writing through your tenant account, which timestamps it and puts it on your file. Your lease sets how much notice you owe, so read that section first and call us at (971) 270-2600 if the wording is not clear. A verbal heads-up to a maintenance tech is not notice.
The hold deposit you pay when your application is approved converts into your security deposit once you sign the lease. It is not an extra charge. At move-out it comes back to you less any deductions for damage beyond normal wear, unpaid amounts, or cleaning. The move-in condition statement you fill out at the start is what those deductions are measured against, so complete it carefully.
Maintenance
A maintenance emergency is any condition that causes injury, threatens your health, or causes serious property damage: fire, a gas leak, a broken water line or flooding, no heat, or a lockout. Do not submit an online request and wait. Call (971) 270-2600 right away, 24 hours a day. Non-emergencies such as appliances, mild-weather heating and cooling, or a water heater go through the portal.
The landlord or property manager handles structural integrity, the roof, major systems such as plumbing, electrical, heating and water, habitability and code compliance, and wear-and-tear repairs. Residents handle cleanliness, light bulbs and smoke-detector batteries, yard work when the lease assigns it, prompt reporting, and any damage beyond normal wear caused by the household or guests.
Still Have Questions?
Whether you own a rental in Greater Portland or you are renting from us today, we are happy to help. Call (971) 270-2600 or reach out online and a member of our team will get you a clear answer.
