FAQ

There are various reasons why a certain work order you place at one time may take longer to become fully resolved than another work order you place at a different time.

Sometimes this is due to processing by order of emergency. Or it may be due to the time of the month when you placed the work order – tenants tend to put in work orders along with paying rent, so at the beginning of the month we are given a high volume of maintenance items to schedule.

Some solutions for work orders may require ordering parts and waiting for their arrival.

Sometimes it has to do with a response time from a homeowner if their contract requires us to contact them before scheduling work at their property. (For some contracts with homeowners, we are authorized to make any repairs without prior approval, while with others we need to have permission from the homeowner in each or certain non-emergency cases). And some homeowners currently reside overseas.

Your time and tenancy are valuable to us. Therefore, we make every effort to resolve your concerns and meet needs in the timeliest manner, while maintaining a high level of communication for your peace of mind throughout!

To place a work order, please submit the work order in writing, or by email to workorders@pettitpropertymanagement.com.

Please refer to the copy of your lease. If you have further questions on this matter, in order to best assist your unique situation in needing to vacate the rental, we ask that you contact our office and speak to an agent right away. They will be able to indicate how to give proper notice directly.

Once you give notice to vacate the premises, we send you a move-out packet as a courtesy which contains detailed information outlining all cleaning and procedural specifics to follow in order to receive the maximum security deposit refund. If you have not received this packet yet shortly after giving notice to vacate, please contact us. Also feel free to consult the copy of your lease at any time for assistance in determining what “normal wear and tear” is for a property, and for all our listed cleaning and vacating expectations as well. Our Maintenance/Cleaning staff can be hired to return your property to meet all lease requirements, too!

There are numerous reasons why move-out expenses can add up quickly. The following are some important items to note about move-out costs.

If tasks are left behind for us to coordinate finishing, we are required to use licensed, bonded, and insured vendors or maintenance crews which have overhead costs and charge at contractor rates to complete these things. Prior to deciding to leave items or tasks behind, please inquire regarding expected rates. Vendors typically charge for their time to do the work, including their trips to pick up the product necessary to finish the job or time spent searching for and ordering parts. You can save money by tracking places down in advance, and frequently we can assist with pointing you in the right direction.

It might feel easy to overlook maintenance tasks that seem small, but specialty cleaning areas can be costly when done by a vendor or crew. For instance, the average cost of blinds cleaning can be $15 – $25 per window. Also, we only use truck-mounted, professional cleaning services for carpet cleaning – no “hand-held” companies. We require tenants to hire only these types of services as well, but sometimes tenants might find approved service providers and use a one-time coupon or book with one of their seasonal specials. Tenants hiring directly may possibly save money on the carpet cleaning.

Utilities are owed until the last date of the lease, not to the last date of occupancy if you leave before the lease is up. Therefore, if any utilities are turned over to the owner’s name prematurely, the cost for these additional days will be taken out of your security deposit. Final water bills are frequently withheld from the security deposit because, if left unpaid, they stay as a lien on the property.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with questions or concerns! We want your experience with Pettit to be excellent from start to finish, and one that you remember fondly.