FAQs
General Leasing Related Questions
Q: What do I need to do if I am interested in one of your properties? What is your leasing procedure?
Q: Will I be responsible for my roommate’s rent if he/she/they doesn’t pay?Yes. Each person on a lease is jointly and severally liable for the entire rent payment and security deposit payment. Q: How do I set up utilities?Please check your lease for to determine which utilities you need to set up. Below is contact information for the various utility providers:
Utilities must be kept in your name until the last day of the month in which the lease ends regardless of your move out date. New requirement by City of Iowa City Water Department: “All new tenant water utility accounts established after 12-31-12 will be required a minimum deposit of $120.00. The deposit will not be refunded until the account is terminated. Also, as of 1-1-13, any fees assessed as a result of a delinquent water bill or reconnection of service will increase from $35.00 to $45.00.” Q: I’d like to set up my internet with Century Link instead of Mediacom. Is that OK?No, our properties are set up Mediacom ready but not Century Link ready. Q: Can I have a satellite installed for my TV?Sorry, no. Q: Can I shut off the heat and utilities over winter break when I am not in Iowa City?No! Thermostats must not be set lower than 65 degrees at any time. Tenants who do not comply with this rule will be charged with any subsequent damage. If all tenants of a unit are gone for a period of 7 or more days, please call the office to notify us. |
Rent Related Questions
Q: When is rent due?Rent is due on the first work day of each month by 5:00pm. If Tenant fails to pay rent when due, Tenant shall be charged a late payment fee of $12.00 per day up to $60.00 per month if the monthly rental does not exceed $700.00 per month, or $20.00 per day up to $100.00 per month if the monthly rental exceeds $700.00 per month. Q: Where should I pay the rent?Rent can be delivered to the office of Prestige Properties, 401 S Gilbert Street, Iowa City, IA 52240 or or mailed to 329 E. Court St, Iowa City, IA 52240. We do not have a drop box, so please note our office hours – Monday through Friday 10:00am to 5:00pm. Q: What forms of payment do you take?You can pay rent by cash or check or set up an automatic payment through your bank or through Tenant Web Access (TWA) . We do not usually take credit cards. Q: Why is there not a discount on rent for July when I am required to move out before the last day of the month?Item 1 on the first page of your lease includes a calculation of the total days for your lease. Instead of dividing the annual rent by the number of days which would make the monthly payment different each month, we divide the rent into 12 equal payments. Each month the rent payment is the same. That means February which generally has 28 days, March which has 31 days, and July as you mentioned, are all charged the same amount of rent. |
Security Deposit Related Questions
Q: Why do I have to pay a security deposit?The purpose of the security deposit is to insure faithful performance of the tenant to each and every term of the lease. Q: When will I get my security deposit back?Prestige will return the security deposit by mail, within thirty (30) days after the last day of the lease and receipt of Tenants’ mailing address or delivery instructions. Q: Will I get all my deposit back?That depends upon whether there are charges against the deposit. The security deposit can be used by the landlord to pay any amounts still owed at the end of the lease or to restore the property to the condition it was in at the beginning of the lease, among other things. Q: How will I know what charges you have deducted from my security deposit?We will provide a complete listing of the charges that are deducted from your security deposit when we send you the check for the remainder. Q: What are typical charges deducted from security deposits?Cleaning: A property must be left in the same condition it was in at the beginning of the lease – it must be absolutely perfectly clean! Every tenant should expect to spend several hours cleaning to prepare for moving out. Please see the Move Out Cleaning Instructions so that you know what we expect. Damage repairs: If we need to make repairs to walls, doors, floors, appliances, etc., we will charge you for labor and materials for the repairs. Painting: We do not paint walls after each tenant leaves as washing walls is generally sufficient to keep them looking fresh. It is your responsibility to wash your walls where needed. If there have been holes made in the walls, Prestige will patch and paint. Do not do this yourself as the patch must blend in and the paint must match. It will cost you more if we must repair your faulty work or clean up the paint you splattered. Q: How do you know I caused the damages in my apartment?We keep detailed records of each apartment, including pictures taken at the end of every lease term. You should detail any deficiencies in your apartment at the beginning of your lease term on the Check In form. Q: Will my roommates and I each receive a deposit check from Prestige or will we receive only one deposit check?Prestige Properties will return one deposit check per lease regardless of how many tenants are on the lease. You need to discuss this with your roommates and decide which of you will be the designated tenant. We need the forwarding address for the designated tenant in order to mail the deposit check at the end of the lease. |
Pet Related Questions
Q: Do you allow pets in your properties?We do not allow pet. However, we do give reasonable accommodations for certified service animals. Please contact our office if you need an Application for Service Animal Accommodation. |
Support Animal Questions
Q: What is the procedure of having a Support Animal?
Approval or Denial must be given to the tenant within 14 days after receiving all the following documents. |
Maintenance Related Questions
Q: What if I have a maintenance problem such as the heat goes out or the toilet won’t stop running?Call maintenance at 319-331-0232 or email us at admin@prestigeprop.com. Please notify us ASAP if you notice a water leak problem or other emergency. Failure to do so may result in charging you for subsequent damages. Q: What types of repairs will I be charged for?The tenant is responsible for repairing drain stoppages, such as those in garbage disposals, drains, toilets and sinks. Q: What if the electricity goes out?If the electricity is off to an appliance or one room, check the circuit breaker located in the basement, hallway or closet. Turn the breaker to OFF position and then back to ON. If all the electricity to the building is out, call MidAmerican Energy at 888-427-5632. |
Subleasing Related Questions
Q: What’s the subleasing procedure?If your accounts are in good standing, you may sublease, but you must have the approval of both the landlord and the other tenants who live at the property. The subtenant is required to fill out an application form and turn into our office for approval. Once the application is approved, all parties must sign the sublease form. Q: Am I still responsible for the rent after I sublease?Yes. The sublease does not change or eliminate your original legal obligation for the payment of rent. You will be still responsible for paying the rent if the subtenant doesn’t pay for any reason. So it is very important that you find someone who is responsible to sublease. |
Move Out Related Questions
Q: What is your check out procedure?Prestige will check out each property after the tenants have completely moved out. It is important that you thoroughly clean your apartment or house, if you are unsure what this means, please see the Move Out Cleaning Instructions on our website. It is strongly recommended that all tenants refer to this document for cleaning. Once your place is cleaned and you are completely moved out, please:
Q: Do I need to clean the carpet?Yes. If you have carpet in your unit, you must have a professional carpet cleaning company clean the carpet at the end of your lease, if cleaning of said carpet is necessary to restore the carpet to the condition it was in at the commencement of the tenancy, ordinary wear and tear excepted. Q: Do you have a professional carpet cleaning company that you recommend?Yes. We recommend Home Pro Services for carpet cleaning. Their phone number is 319-382-0217. |
Recycling Related Questions
Q: Could you provide more information about recycling?Learn more about Iowa City’s residential curbside recycling, drop-off recycling locations, and other recycling opportunities in the link: https://www.icgov.org/ |