Solve Our Puzzle
Thank you for participating the October Newsletter Puzzle. After a random drawing amongst all of our correct responses, Kelsey Dody is our October winner, who won a Door Dash 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 $20 Fred Meyer 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
COVID-19 spread continues to escalate in the Treasure Valley. As reported on October 27: 60,923 cases in Idaho to date, 882 new cases confirmed and probable on 10/27. 585 deaths to date. The case data are based on surveillance system records provided by the public health districts. Governor Little announced on 10/26 due to accelerating cases and healthcare capacity constraints statewide Idaho would revert to Stage 3 stay Healthy Guidelines.
For more information: https://coronavirus.idaho.gov/
For Stage 3 Guidelines, click here.
Rent Assistance Available for COVID related hardship
Have you been affected by a COVID-19 related layoff or furlough and are stressing about making rent or being able to pay your utilities?
Fortunately, here in Idaho, there is help at hand to prevent tenants falling behind in rent. The Idaho Housing and Finance Association has a short-term assistance program in place to support tenants unable to pay their rent and/or utilities due to a COVID-19 related economic crisis. The tenant does not have to be in arrears in order to qualify. Documentation indicating a future inability to pay rent may be sufficient to qualify for the assistance. Typically applicant processing may take between 3-7 days with a further 7-10 days for the assistance to arrive. This program allows 3-months of assistance at a time with a total limit of six months assistance.
There are strict qualifying guidelines, check out the information provided in the links below.
If you are stressed by a COVID related income shortfall and you’re cutting back on essential needs to pay your rent, don’t delay, get help now!
FAQs: https://www.idahohousing.com/hpp-faq/
Application: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/9a22fe31cf6e4c45bfa475bebbca932b
Dedicated phone line for application assistance: 1-855-452-0801
Important Reminders
1)This month our property managers will be driving by your home to check on the status of leaf removal, and general yard preparations for winter. Read the reminders below to inform you of our expectations.
2) Sprinkler turn-off and blow-out started in October and will be completed this month. Please switch your sprinkler control box to off, or unplug by November 1st. You will receive email notification of when our vendor will be working in your neighborhood and remind you to turn off your sprinkler timer.
3) Remember to unhook your hoses from outside faucets. Leaving the hose attached can create an ice dam in the faucet and connecting pipe, potentially causing a split or burst pipe resulting in damage to the property. Tenants will be held responsible for any damage caused due to their neglect in removing a garden hose.
4) This is the time to cut your perennial flowers to the ground and prune back small shrubs, including roses. A generous topping of mulch will keep them toasty in winter and help feed new spring growth. Pick up some free compost from the Boise City compost program if you live in Boise.
5) If your lawn is long, give it one last mow to approximately 2 ½-3 inches. This is the “sweet spot” because it’s not too tall to invite snow mold, but not too short to be stressed out by cold weather.
6) The leaves have been falling for several weeks now and with recent cold temperatures trees are shedding their leaves at an accelerated rate. Boise homes with a green trash cart for composting may dispose of their leaves in that cart. Additional leaves may be left at the curb on trash day in a leaf PAPER bag. Get your rake out and be prepared for weekly rake-ups until the snow flies! Stock up from your local hardware store or grocery store with leaf recycle bags.
7) If you have a wood burning stove or fireplace that you used last winter, get the chimney inspected and cleaned before the onset of winter.
8) Every winter, with the first hard freeze we get calls for broken heating furnaces. In almost every case this is because the tenant has not been changing out the filters on a regular basis as they should have been. Avoid a break down and days of freezing in your home, and change your furnace filters now!
9) Keep a lookout for clogged gutters when it rains. Please contact our office through the Property Meld app if you notice water spilling over the gutters, or growth sprouting from them!
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.
And an important reminder that comes around every four years – please remember to VOTE on Tuesday, Nov. 3!
Lease Extensions Now Available Online
RMA is now able to provide lease extension documents to tenants through the tenant portal. When it is time for your lease renewal, and you receive your lease extension invitation by email, you will be guided to access the document through your portal to sign and complete the lease extension agreement.
The Dish on HOAs
By Athena Savoglou
An HOA is something you have undoubtedly heard of, but do you know exactly what it is or what it does? Do you know if you live in a community with an HOA and what that means for you? If not, you’re in luck. . .
An HOA is a Homeowners Association comprised of board members that make important decisions for a certain group of properties. Many times, the board sets the covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CCRs) for the community. These are rules that everyone who lives in the community must abide by; if they don’t, there may be penalties (usually monetary).
You might ask what these CCRs do. Well, an HOA is put in place to keep the community in order. They usually involve keeping the grounds safe and clean, and/or maintenance protocol for the common areas. For example, there may be a rule stating that the pool is closed after 8pm, or that there is no food allowed in the fitness center.
Within the CCRs, there is usually also a “rules and regulations” section. The “rules and regs” usually consist of guidelines regarding what residents are permitted to do and not do on their own properties or with their own belongings. For example, there may be a rule that community members may not park their cars on the lawn. This serves to aesthetically keep the community up to standards as well.
We hope this informed you of the nature of HOAs, whether you live in an HOA community now or in the future. Regardless, it is always a good idea to maintain your property and be considerate of your neighbors. If you’re not sure about the HOA situation in your community, or if you are a new tenant, please feel free to contact RMA to guide you!
November Puzzle
Complete our November crossword puzzle for a chance to win a $20 Fred Meyer Gift Card! Clues are in this month’s reminders and newsletter above. Good luck!
Please email your responses to athena.rma@gmail.com.
