August Newsletter

Solve Our Puzzle

Thank you for participating in the July Newsletter Puzzle.  After a random drawing amongst all of our correct responses, Kendra Border is our July winner, who won a $20 Visa Gift Card.

Find the answers to our crozzword puzzle in this month’s reminders and newsletter! Correct answers will be entered into a drawing for this month’s prize of a Trader Joe’s Gift Card. Please remember to help out local small businesses 🙂

Read this month’s reminders and newsletter below for clues.  And don’t forget to read next month’s newsletter to see if you won! Good luck!

COVID-19 UPDATE

Important Reminders

3)   If you have perennials plants in the planter beds, please keep up with deadheading dying flower heads and cut back spent perennials.

4) It’s barbecue season, and with light evenings it’s easy to lose track of time when you have friends over, and noise levels can rise as the evening progresses.  Please be considerate of your neighbors and be mindful of COVID precautions.

5) If your community has a pool, please be sure you are aware of the pool/clubhouse rules and abide by them. 

6) Speaking of pools…… please remember that inflatable pools, trampolines or other recreational yard equipment requires the permission of your landlord to be erected in your back yard.  Anything that covers the lawn will kill it, and there are also insurance liability concerns that would need to be addressed.

7) A monthly reminder to please keep your lawn mowed weekly and weed planter beds. We are about half-way through the mowing season – hang in there!

8) Another monthly reminder – have you changed filters recently?  Your lease requires you to change them every two months.  Clean filters improve the performance of your furnace and air conditioner and keeps your air quality free of allergens and dust.  If you don’t know where to find your filters, or how to change them, please reach out to our maintenance department for guidance.

If you have any maintenance concerns for your yard or home, please CONTACT US! All maintenance concerns should be submitted through property meld, accessed on our website, under the Tenant Tab – Maintenance Request – Submit Work Order. Also, there is a “Maintenance Request” link on the dark blue bar at the top.

Beware of the Lock Box Scandal – Avoid This Common Scam!

By Athena Savoglou

You might ask how they pull this off.  Well, KTVB reported that the scammers are “exploiting technology and acquiring electronic lock box codes.”  First, they photograph the house just like any property management company would, (or simply duplicate the real listing onto another advertising platform, often Craig’s List), copy and paste the lock box code link from the legitimate property manager, to their fraudulent listing.  Then, they advertise it, but list their contact information instead.  Next, they tell the tenant to click the lock box code link and send them the code.  So, they go into the lockbox, make a copy of the keys, and show the house as if they were a property manager.  Then, once a tenant decides on the property and sends them the security deposit and rent, they disappear. Read more here

When It Hits Close to Home

Sadly, we have personal knowledge that this scam is circulating around the Treasure Valley.  A few weeks ago, we received a call from someone who was the victim of an attempted scam on one of our properties.  In this case, the criminal scammer pretended to be a pastor to elicit trust from the would-be victim.  He advertised the home way under value ($1,000, when we rented this unit for $1,550).  Luckily, the target of the scam was smart enough to call us and verify the legitimacy of the listing, so he escaped fiscally unharmed.

In conclusion, please beware of the scammers! (And tell your friends who are looking for housing to be aware of these scams.)  Renting from a professional property management company is the best way to avoid potential scams and allows you to more easily identify the legitimacy of a rental.

Here are some red flags to watch out for:

• If the agent only wants to communicate by text
• If the agent is available for communications in the evenings and weekends
• If the agent asks for deposit money or rent in advance of a signed lease
• If the rental seems to have a “too good to be true rent price”

Lastly, all professional property managers place a rental sign on the property.  Call that number to verify the person you have been speaking with is an employee of the company. In sum, if you ever have a question as to the legitimacy of a property, please remember to double and triple check before you write any checks.

August Puzzle