Resident FAQ

You must notify us at least 30 days prior to your lease ending if you plan to move out. You are still responsible for the full month's rent unless otherwise agreed. 

Please click HERE and complete the form. 

We will review your request and notify you when it's approved. 

For example, if your lease ends August 31st, and you are not renewing,  you need to notify us anytime in July. If you notify us in the same month you're vacating, you're still responsible for the following month's rent- in the above example, that's September's rent. We'll do our best to get it rented again and will offer a prorated refund on the rent but that depends on the condition you leave it when you move out. 

See the tab labeled “Resident Criteria”.

Completed applications are processed on a first come first serve basis. A completed application includes providing proof of income (W2s, tax returns), 2 bank statements, prior landlord contact, and a completed credit/criminal/eviction background check.

The application fee is $50 per applicant. This covers the cost of the credit and criminal background check. You pay the fee when you apply.  If the property is filled prior to running your background, we’re able to refund your application fee or process it and hold it for another property you may be intereted in. Once we run the background check, we cannot refund the fee. 

You DO NOT have to apply to view a property. Our listings have open house dates scheduled allowing anyone to attend. 

If you are not able to attend an open house OR want a private viewing, you can either apply or email leasing a copy of your drivers license, 2 pay stubs, and 2 bank statements. 

When an applicant's credit is below the minimum or their total income is below the minimum, we will accept a co-signor. The co-signor MUST own a property in the county of the rental property and meet all the criteria as if they were living in the property. All approved applicants with co-signors are required to have a security deposit of 2X the rent.  

The security deposit amount is based on the lowest credit score of all the applicants on the lease.

- No score is 2 times rent

- 550-599 is 2 times rent

- 600-649 is 1.5 times rent

- 650+ is 1 times rent

In situations were there's no rental history, poor payment history, collections/charge offs, or other negative items, the deposit can be increased by an additional 1/2 month rent. 

We work with Rhino which is  company which provides deposit insurance. Instead of paying a lump sum cash deposit, you may qualify for a smaller monthly deposit payment. For example, if your required  deposit is $2500, Rhino may charge $25/month instead. Qualifying is based on income, credit score, and other factors. The application takes 2 minutes and you'll know quickly what your monthly rate is and can decide to pay monthly or a lump sum cash payment. If you do not qualify for Rhino, the lump sum deposit is your only option. 

Once an application is approved, a holding deposit is required to take the property off the market and hold it for the approved applicant until they move in. The holding deposit is equal to the applicant's security deposit amount and is NON-REFUNDABLE. When the applicant moves in, the holding deposit will convert to the security deposit. Until the holding deposit is received, the property will still be availble for others and new applications will be processed. 

The Prestige Management Resident Benefits Package (RBP) delivers savings and convenient, professional services that make taking care of your home second nature. By applying, Applicant agrees to be enrolled and to pay the applicable cost of $30.00/month, payable with rent.  

Your RBP may include, subject to property mechanicals or other limitations:

- HVAC air filter delivery directly to your door approximately every 90 days

- Move-in concierge service that includes a one call set up your utility services, cable, and internet services

- A resident rewards program that helps you earn rewards for paying your rent on time

- Credit building to help boost your credit score with timely rent payments

- $1M Identity Protection for all adult leaseholders

- 24/7 online maintenance reporting

- Home buying assistance for when the time is right to buy your “forever” home

- Online portal that includes access to your account, documents, communication and payment options

- Vetted vendor network: we find the technicians who are reputable, licensed, and insured

NOTE: The total monthly cost of the Resident Benefits Package is all-inclusive, and no discounts will be given if any element of the package is unavailable due to a lack of HVAC or another limitation at a specific property. All services are subject to the terms and conditions of the Resident Benefits Package Lease Addendum.

Each property owner has a different pet policy.  The pet policy for the specific property is listed in the "Homes for Rent" write-up on this website.  Our general Pet Policy is:  No more than two (2) pets allowed; one month additional Security Deposit; $75/month pet fee; No large dogs allowed in apartments; No wild animals, farm animals, large birds, large snakes or lizards; and No known vicious dogs, ie; Pit Bulls, Staffordshire Terriors, Chows, Presa Canarios, Dobermans, Rottweilers, Wild Dogs, Wolf-Hybrids, or any mixes of these breeds. All pets must be screened through PetScreening 

Service or companion animals will always be accepted, provided documentation is submitted.  A service animal is not a pet. Service animals and ESAs also need to complete the screening above.

All owners of animals are required to have a minumum of $100,000 in liability coverage naming Prestige Management as additional insured. 

Unauthorized animals in a property will result in a fine of $300 and potential eviction. No questions asked. If mom asks you to pet sit, say no! 

Payments are made through the tenant's online portal. The portal has 3 options:

- Pay with a credit card (3.5% fee*)

- Pay with a debit card ($9.99 fee*)

- Pay with eCheck* ($2.49 fee*)

* Appfolio controls the fees and may change at any time without notice. Prestige Management does NOT receive any money from the fees.

Residents who choose not to pay through the portal or have portal access denied can make payments at PayNearMe locations (https://home.paynearme.com/all-locations). You must bring your form for them to scan which tags your payment to your unit. This is a cash only service. 

Payments made in the office will be charged a $10 admin fee. Money orders or Cashier checks only and only accepted during business hours (9am-4pm Mon-Fri)

You're able to set up automatic payments so you don't have to worry about forgetting to pay rent. 

*eCheck payments are electronic checks processed as ACH and need your bank's routing and account number. This information is not shared with us. 

All fees are kept by the software to cover their costs charged by your card company to process the payment.

If you are unable to pay, we ask that you immediately reach out to us. We follow a very strict eviction process and communication is key. If we don’t know your situation, we cannot help you. We have worked with multiple relief programs, townships, and housing authorities. At the end of the day, your lease terms will be enforced if you do not communicate with us.

Rent is due on the 1st of the month and a 4-day grace period is provided. On the 6th, a $50 late fee is assessed. NO EXCEPTIONS. A second late fee of $50 is assessed on the 11th. 

We understand life happens and you may be late. We will waive one late fee per calendar year when requested. Our goal is not to overwhelm you with late fees but encourage you to pay on time. 

Submit all maintenance requests through your resident portal. Please be as descriptive as possible and provide pictures. This allows us to diagnose the issue and send the right person to fix it in one stop. 

Unlike other management companies, we do not automatically charge you a fee for a maintenance item. If the issue is due to normal wear and tear, there’s no charges. If the item is due to something that you did (ie- your kid flushed a stuffed animal down the toilet and the plumber had to rod the line), it will be your responsibility to pay for it. You may also be charged if a maintenance person shows up to a maintenance appointment and cannot access your property.

Hopefully nothing and we can refund the full amount. Your job is to return the property to the condition in which you received it outside of normal wear and tear. Common items that are charged back to a resident are clean outs of personal items (mattresses, couches, etc) and small damaged items. Ideally you leave it in broom swept condition and get 100% of the deposit back. A forwarding address must be provided to the office in writing. 

Your security deposit cannot be used to pay the last month’s rent.

Outside of general cleanliness, you’re responsible for changing the furnace filter quarterly and keeping the drains flowing freely (use a drain cleaner monthly). Snow/grass is maintained by management if you are in a multiple family property. If you are in a single family property, you are responsible for mowing and edging the grass as well as snow removal on the driveway and sidewalks. 

With all of the properties we manage, we ensure the properties are clean and pest free prior to residents moving in. Depending on the season, we often pre-treat a property. After you've lived in the property more than 2 weeks, most pest investations are your responsibility to deal with. Call and we're happy to direct you in what products work for us.

If you live in a multi family property, your building's exterior is sprayed for bugs and rodents every other month. 

Yes. Did you know that 92% of losses covered by renters insurance related to liability, theft, fire, and more are less than $7,000 per incident? This leaves clients and property owners vulnerable to a significant gap in their property insurance coverage. We believe it is vital to require all renters to maintain a standard renters insurance policy. We recommend using our preferred provider, Roost Renters Insurance, which you can purchase through your resident portal. 

If a resident fails to maintain a minimum of $100,000 liability coverage, the company will put coverage in place for an additional monthly fee for the resident.

We have great relationships with East Chicago, Hammond, and Gary Housing Authorities. We are happy to work with prospective residents using the voucher program. Each property is evaluated separately and it'll be posted on the property's marketing page whether or not it is accepted.  Out side of the income requirement, prospective tenants are still required to meet the remaining criteria. 

While we are not in the habit of stopping by for cookies and tea, there are times we have to enter a residents property. In most situatons like responding to a maintenance request or annual inspection, the appointment will be scheduled with the resident. Occassionally the owners need their lender to take pictures of the property or we may have to walk through a potential buyer- again, it'll be scheduled a few days in advance.  In certain emergency situations, we are able to enter at will. These are extremely rare but happen. 

State law requires reasonable notice which 24hrs is sufficient. Again, in the majority of times, the appointment will be scheduled with you well in advance. However, if after providing reasonable notice, you refuse to allow us to enter, we will enter to do what we need regardless of whether you are present or not and will involve local authorities if needed.