Election Season Continues
While we don’t want to discuss politics we do want to encourage everyone to vote. Many people don’t know there are two separate elections in May 2024! There are local elections on May 4th, and primary runoff elections on May 28th.
Early voting for the General and Special Elections runs from April 22nd through April 30th, with election day on May 4th.
Early voting for the Primary Runoff Elections runs from May 20th through May 24th, with election day on May 28th.
We encourage everyone to take some time to educate yourselves and go vote! The League of Women Voters issues a nonpartisan voters guide and there are many other resources that can be found with info on the ballot items. The Secretary of State’s online portal is available for voter registration, or to check your registration, and provides a link with more info in the results when looking yourself up. Your county clerk’s website may also have a voter lookup along with sample ballots. To help you get to the right place you can use these links- Travis County, Williamson County, Hays County, or a quick search for your county clerk’s office will get you started.
Did you know that on average less than 20% of eligible voters participate in the primary elections and make decisions on behalf of the other 80+% of the voting population? In presidential election years the participation is around 25% or less, and in midterm primaries participation has been less than 18% for the last few cycles. Less than a quarter of the voting public are determining who will be on the ballot in 2024. Voting makes a difference, especially in state and local elections!
Lease Reminders
We are heading into the beginning of the busiest time of year. That means more annual inspections. Please note the following important lease reminders:
Did you know an unauthorized occupant or unauthorized pet is a lease violation that can put you at risk of being charged fees, having adverse action taken against those listed on the lease, and potentially facing eviction. If you move-in a friend, significant other, family member or a furry friend without first adding them to the lease they immediately become an unauthorized occupant or unauthorized pet. Yes, even service animals need to be documented to live in the property. We are happy to add additional tenants or pets to your lease, when permitted. It does not have to wait until you renew your lease! The process is fairly simple! If you find yourself with the need to add, or an accidental unauthorized occupant or pet, please reach out to your property manager to start the process of adding them to your lease today.
We’re still finding properties that have either a trampoline or an above ground pool which are not permitted. See section 12 D of your lease. If you have one of these items, please remove them to remain in compliance with your lease.
Annual inspections reminders
If an annual inspection is scheduled, we do require a minimum 24 hour notice to request cancellation or reschedules. Tenants may be charged a $75 missed appointment fee for cancellations or failing to make the property accessible for any regularly scheduled appointments.
HOA Compliance
Many of you are in an HOA with very strict rules on lawns. Please be sure to keep your lawn mowed, edged, and weeded. Get rid of any dead vegetation that may have died over the winter, trim shrubs away from the house, remove weeds from flower beds, etc. Also, PLEASE bring your trash cans in when it is not your trash day.
Preparing to Move Out?
If you have an upcoming move-out, please be mindful of the following:
Be mindful of your required notice to vacate! The standard is 60 days but yours may be different, please review your lease for your unique notice to vacate requirement. If you do not provide proper notice, you may still be obligated to pay rent past the date you vacate! Please keep utilities on through the end of your lease regardless of the day you turn over possession* If you shut utilities off early you will be charged back for services plus potential administrative fees.
Please don’t forget to provide a forwarding address! If we do not have a forwarding address, it will cause a delay in you receiving your security deposit refund. Also ensure the address is correct by checking for reversed numbers, spelling, and typos. Please be sure to turn in cleaning receipts. You may email them directly to your property manager or email them to moveout@stoneoakpm.com. If you are leaving keys in our conveniently located dropbox, please be sure to label your keys with the property address. If you do not do this, we will not know which property the keys are for and you will be charged hold over rent.
Thank you for being a resident of a Stone Oak rental property! Please don't hesitate to contact our staff if we can help with anything.
Routine Maintenance Reminders
- Maintenance Requests: We still receive a lot of maintenance requests that state something vague like "washer" or "AC" without any other info about the actual issue. We cannot act on requests like this and will require that you provide more info, so any request like this will only delay a resolution to the issue. Make sure you provide as much info as possible in your request including pics if possible.
- Maintenance Portal: Please make a list of any items you want to submit, and then list all issues together as one request including as much info as possible and attach photos if applicable. We will then evaluate whether they should be split up or not.
- Smoke and CO Alarms: As a reminder don't ever unplug and remove smoke detectors because they are beeping. Change the batteries and if that doesn't work please notify us. We find a lot of tenants unplug them and bury them in a closet or drawer instead of replacing batteries.
- A/C Filters: Make sure to check and change every month or as required by the type of filter. If any HVAC systems in your home have a reusable filter you are still required to clean them periodically, so please make sure they are kept clean.
- Toilets: "Flushable" Wipes CANNOT be flushed. Do not put anything down the drain except water, human waste, and regular toilet paper. Food, toys, feminine products, wipes, towels, wrappers, condoms, and other objects do not break apart and go down the drain. Clogs of the plumbing system may be charged back to you, so it is best to avoid this by not putting anything down any of the drains aside from water and human waste.
- Disposal Systems: This includes using the sink disposal as a garbage chute. These appliances are not meant to dispose of large quantities of food and should only be used as a last resort after all food items are scraped off dishes into a compost bin or trash can.
- Drainage: Shower, bath, and sink drains can get clogged up over time with hair and other organic matter. Do not use Draino-type products as they are extremely acidic and will do more harm than good by damaging the pipes while usually failing to fix the drainage issue. The best way to address this is to use a disposable drain snake that can be obtained from any hardware store for a couple of dollars. Please note that if we send out a vendor for this and it turns out to be this very issue you may be charged back for the cost. Here is a video on how to use those - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOb4MJ6widg
- Emergency Maintenance: This extension should not be called unless you have an issue involving Flood, Blood, or Fire. Do not call the emergency line to follow up on existing work orders or submit a new request that is not an emergency. In case of an emergency call 911 if needed and then contact us after everyone is safe. Remember that we do not monitor emails after hours, so if you submit something considered an emergency online and do not call we may not know until the next business day.
Other Maintenance Notes:
If you'd like to inquire about, or update an existing request, submit the form at stoneoakmgmt.com/maintenance or call 512-617-6766 ext-5.
Maintenance time frames continue to be extended due to the pandemic. Please allow at least 5 business days before requesting an update from our team unless it is an emergency.
For basic DIY tips and tricks to solve some issues quickly, visit our DIY rental property maintenance page.
Your Tenant Portal & Electronic Statements
The system will generate a statement even if you're moving out, so there is no need to contact us if you receive this and are moving. All charges, including any prorated rent, will be adjusted as needed when the deposit is processed.
If you are not using the portal app that keeps you logged in please take a look at the linked flyer for more info. This can eliminate forgotten passwords, and help with easy updates/access to maintenance requests and all other account details.
AppFolio Tenant Portal Information
