Customer Protection Plan
Extra Protection to Ease the Expense of Costly Repairs
As part of your ‘Everything’s Included’ monthly payment, extra protection for
large maintenance items is included to give you peace of mind, assuring your
satisfaction by providing the kind of coverage you need most. The Customer
Protection Plan is there to help you protect yourself from the unexpected,
allowing you to conveniently handle recommended maintenance and ensure
that repairs are performed so that small problems don’t become big
problems.
Your home can’t take care of itself. As recommended by housing experts,
your ‘Everything’s Included’ monthly payment includes 1 to 3 percent of the
market value of the home set aside per year for maintenance and repair
costs. While all of the funds may not be needed each year, the accumulated
amounts will help pay for future expenses, such as re-roofing or replacing a
heating or air conditioning unit.
The Lessee is responsible for the maintenance of the home. At least every
6 months, inspect your home and yard thoroughly to identify items needing
work. If the structure or systems of the home need repair, the sooner-the-
better practice helps prevent further damage and keeps repair costs down.
Contact your Leasing Agent if you are having problems with the following:
• Roof or windows are leaking or need re-sealing; Shingles have blown off, are worn or
warped.
• An appliance is not working properly
• The carpet is fraying, has come loose, or shows excessive wear
• The linoleum is curling or buckling and pulling away from the floor
• The floor has a hole or soft spot
• Plumbing is leaking or water is accumulating on the floor (take immediate action to dry
the floor)
• Faucets, sinks, bathtubs or showers are leaking, cracked or worn out, or are not operating
properly
• The heater or air conditioner is not working properly
• The steps or deck are broken and unserviceable
• Hot water heater is leaking (notify immediately) or isn’t working properly
• Electrical problems (check your breakers first)
Please Note: Failing to inform your Leasing Agent of a problem in your home may be
interpreted as negligence, causing you to become responsible for the repair or
replacement. If you are concerned about something, but unsure whether something
needs fixing, it is best to contact your Leasing Agent.
You are responsible to maintain the home, cleaning and repairing items
including the items below:
• Keep all drains running freely, avoiding putting any grease/foreign object down any
drains
• Clean roofs and gutters
• Pressure wash or paint outside wall surfaces, as needed
• Clean interior floors, walls and ceilings, maintaining these surfaces free of holes
• Vacuum and clean the carpet as needed to keep it clean
• Clean and treat areas where pets have messed on the floors quickly and thoroughly
• Repair any broken stair railing
• Repair or replace skirting/underpinning that may become broken, dented or may have
come loose
• Acquire dirt and fill dips and holes in your yard to keep water from accumulating around
or under the home
• Make sure the ground is sloped so water drains away from the home.
• Make sure the air conditioning condensation drain is extended away from the base of
the home so it does not keep the ground under your home moist.
• Keep the lawn cut weekly, as needed, maintaining flower beds, keeping weeds pulled,
sprayed, or trimmed
• Replace light bulbs and globes as needed; and switch plates and plug covers if broken.
• Trim trees and shrubs so that branches do not rub against the home or overhang the roof
risking damage to a home or vehicles.
• Breakage and damage to the home are the responsibility of the Lessee.
What are Excess Wear and Tear charges and how can I avoid them?
At the end of the lease, breakage, holes and damage to the home's surfaces,
water damage, failure to maintain the home, etc., are generally considered to
be the responsibility of the home's lessee to repair and return to operation at
their expense.
To avoid Excess Wear and Tear charges:
1) Regularly clean your home inside and out.
2) Fix things immediately when they break, are damaged or soiled. Take
immediate action as soon as problems are noticed.
Putting off clean-up and repair after something is damaged or breaks often leads to more
extensive damage, with greater repair costs and a more rapid usage of the funds set aside
for the maintenance of the home.
Once the Customer Protection Plan budget for your lease term is consumed, especially if
additional costs are believed to be resulting from negligence, you may be required to
pay for the cost to repair and replace items from that point forward. While it is true that a
number of systems could, without explanation, fail over a short period of time, repair and
replacement costs exceeding the maintenance budget may be viewed as excessive
resulting from abuse, negligence, and poor maintenance of the home.
When you move out of the home, repair and cleanup of the home will first be charged to
the Protection Plan, but those items needing repair or replacement resulting from
breakage, damage, or poor maintenance will be charged to you, as needed to restore the
home to a satisfactory leaseable condition.
Helpful Suggestions:
a) Ask all smokers to smoke outside. Keep air, walls, carpet and surfaces free from the
dirty, yellow nicotine stains that buildup from smoking in the home.
b) If your water heater, pipes, or toilet leak, repair immediately, as standing water can
cause floor damage that is even more costly to repair.
c) If your roof is damaged in a storm, or windows are broken or left open allowing water to
come in and soak the carpet and floor underneath, take immediate action to get the
window covered, then repaired, and both the carpet and wood floor dry and repaired.
Accidents happen, but failure to take immediate action to prevent further damage is
not normal wear and tear.
d) Avoid putting stickers on windows, cabinets, doors, mirrors, walls and ceilings. These
are often hard to remove and can cause surface damage when removed. This is not
normal wear and tear and all costs associated will be charged to the Lessee.
e) Refer to any manuals provide for additional information on how to repair and maintain
your home and its systems.
f) Be careful to supervise a pet when in the house. Make sure it doesn't chew on corners
of cabinets, doors, or walls or claw or "dig" on carpets. Immediately clean and treat any
floor area where a pet messes with enzyme-type cleaners and odors removers. Regularly
clean up and dispose of pet messes in your yard. Make sure your yard does not take on a
barnyard smell that is offensive to neighbors.
g) Cover traffic paths in your home with area rugs that can be washed as needed. This will help preserve your home in a like-new condition, avoiding wear patterns that make a home looked lived-in. |
|
