Tenants FAQs

Tenants' Frequently Asked Questions

How do I contact you if I’m interested in renting a property?

You can call our office line during normal business hours at 817-249-5483. You can also email us if you prefer.

Can I apply for a property that I have not viewed in person?

We generally do not approve applicants who have not viewed the property in person. Viewing the marketing photos alone is not sufficient to gauge if the property would fit your or your household's needs. If you can’t view the property in person yourself, we suggest having a family member or a friend view it in person on your behalf. If you are working with a realtor, ask them what options are available to you.

How do I pay my application fee?

If you are applying online, you can pay the application fee using a credit or debit card when prompted. If you or your agent are emailing your application, then someone from our office will call you to collect the application fee over the phone. Our application fee is $65 per applicant and it is nonrefundable.

When will I sign a lease?

After your application has been approved, we will send your lease to your email address via DocuSign. Using the DocuSign link, you will be able to sign the lease digitally.

When do I pay my move-in funds?

After your application has been approved, we will require the security deposit to be delivered to our office within 2 business days. It can be hand-delivered or sent via priority mail. The pet deposit (if any) and the first full month's rent will be required on move-in day in order to receive keys. Keys will not be released until all move-in funds have been paid.

How do I pay my move-in funds?

The move-in funds are the security deposit, pet deposit (if any), and first full month's rent. Refer to your lease to confirm all amounts. All move-in funds will need to be in certified funds (cashier's checks or money orders) and made payable to Real Estate by Pat Gray. We can not accept personal checks, credit/debit, or cash for the move-in funds under any circumstances. Please make sure the funds are all on separate cashier's checks or money orders and labelled clearly with the property address and your name. We do prefer the move-in funds to be brought to our office, but they can also be mailed to our address if necessary. You can find our office address below:

Attn: Property Management
Real Estate by Pat Gray
9190 Vista Way
Benbrook, TX 76126

Do I need to get a renters insurance?

We require all tenants to maintain renter's insurance throughout the entire term of their residency. 

How do I pay my rent?

The easiest way to pay rent is to use your Tenant Portal to set up autopay using your preferred account. You can set up autopay to draft from a credit card, a debit card, or a bank account. You can also make one-time online payments if you do not wish to set up autopay. If you do not wish to use the Tenant Portal at all, you can mail or drop off your rent payment at our office. We accept personal checks, cashier's checks, money orders, and cash. We can not take credit or debit payments at our office.

What happens if pay my rent late?

Please contact us as soon as you know that you are going to be paying your rent late so that we can notify the owner. Note that paying rent late will incur late fees. Please refer to your lease to confirm your late fee charges.

Can you waive my late fees?

Late fees can not be waived for any reason.

What happens if I am unable to pay my rent?

Please contact us as soon as you know that you will not be able to pay your rent so that we can notify the owner. Note that not paying rent is considered a violation of the lease and could be considered grounds for an eviction.

When can I expect my rent to increase?

Rent may not increase during an active, unexpired lease. Rent may increase upon lease expiration or lease renewal. All rent increases are calculated based on market trends in the area around the time that the increased rate is proposed.

How do I make non-emergency maintenance requests?

All non-emergency maintenance requests must be submitted through the online Tenant Portal. If you do not have access to your Tenant Portal, please contact us so that we can send you a new activation link. Please do not call in, text, or email maintenance requests since we are not able to keep track of requests made through those channels.

How do I make emergency maintenance requests?

During normal business hours, you may call our main office line 817-249-5483 to report an emergency. After normal business hours, you will need to call the emergency line 682-777-4613 to report an emergency. Do not use the emergency line to make non-emergency maintenance requests. Examples of emergencies include the following:
  • Failure of HVAC in extreme hot or extreme cold weather
  • Complete electric failure or loss of power
  • Bare electrical wiring, especially live wiring or wiring in contact with water
  • Severe roof leak, severe plumbing leak (turn water off), or severe sewage backup
  • Leak from gas pipe or any other leak of harmful or dangerous fumes

Can property management or vendors enter my home without my consent?

Property management will never enter the property without the your consent, unless there is an emergency. If property management needs access to the property for any reason, we will notify you at least 24 hours in advance. Note that vendors are not provided keys to the property, so if a repair needs to be made, the vendor will contact you to schedule.

Who is charged for property maintenance?

Generally, routine property maintenance repair requests that are submitted through the Tenant Portal will be paid by the owner. In the case that a repair is needed due to tenant negligence, then the cost of the repair will be charged to the tenant's ledger. If a repair is scheduled but the tenant is not available at the property or unable to be reached to allow the vendor access to the property, then a $60 trip fee will be charged to the tenant's ledger.

Who is responsible for lawn maintenance?

Unless stated otherwise in the lease, it is the tenant's responsibility to maintain the lawn. Essential lawn maintenance tasks include watering, fertilizing, weeding, mowing, and edging. Tenant who are unable to keep up with the lawn on their own are encouraged to utilize a professional lawn care service.

What should I do if the smoke detector starts beeping?

If the smoke detector starts beeping, please change the batteries. Note that disconnecting or purposefully removing the batteries from the smoke detector is considered a violation of the lease and could be considered grounds for an eviction.

Can I smoke inside the unit or anywhere else on the property?

Smoking is not permitted inside the property. It is considered a violation of the lease and could be considered grounds for an eviction. Smoking must be done outside of and away from the property.

Can I get a satellite dish?

Please contact our office. We will need owner approval.

Can I change the locks?

Since we need to be able to get into the property in case of emergency, changing the locks without approval from our office is considered a violation of the lease and could be considered grounds for an eviction. If you do need to change the locks, contact our office for approval. We will need to authorize the contractors and any charges for the rekey will be billed to your tenant ledger.

Can I paint the walls a different color?

Please contact our office. We will need owner approval.

Can I get a pet or add an additional pet?

Please contact our office. We will need owner approval. If the owner approves, we will need to write a pet agreement and charge a pet deposit.

Can I sublease my apartment?

We do not allow subleasing of our properties under any circumstances.

Can I get a roommate?

You may get a roommate, but they will have to submit an application and be approved before move-in. Moving in an unauthorized person into the property is a violation of the lease and could be considered grounds for an eviction.

What do I do if I want to move out at the end of my lease?

We require a 30-day written notice to vacate - verbal notice is not sufficient. If your lease expires on June 30, we need to receive the notice on or before June 1. The notice must be emailed to us here and include a move-out date and a forwarding address. If you do not receive confirmation that your notice was received within 2 business days, please give us a call.
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