TENANT HANDBOOK I.
GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS
A. Part of Your Lease – This Tenant Handbook is part of your lease and is legally binding on both parties. B. The Property – You have leased a residence; think of it as your own. During the term of this lease, you are in possession of the residence and in most cases, the yard. Your obligations are similar to those of the Owner, and you are expected to care for and maintain the premises accordingly. C. Contact Information – All residents are required to provide American with their home, work, and cell-phone numbers, along with their email addresses. Please be sure to update American when you change numbers and/or email addresses. Be sure to verify your contact information within your Tenant Connect when you first log in. D. Rental Payments – All rents are due and payable on the first day of each month. Monthly bills will not be sent. Payments should be made electronically through your Tenant Connect Portal either as onetime payments or automatic withdrawals. There is a $2.00 service fee associated with each ACH payment made. The option to pay online may not be available if rent is late, if you have had a previous NSF or if a notice of non-compliance has served (3 or 7 day notice). You may also pay in the form of a check, money order, or certified funds made payable to: ERA American Real Estate 4 9th Ave Suite E Shalimar, FL 32579. WRITE YOUR ADDRESS on your payment to assure proper credit. CASH PAYMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AT ANY TIME. You may pay in person, Monday thru Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, at our Shalimar, Crestview, or Navarre offices. You may also place your rent payment in the drop box at any location. Rent payments placed in the drop box after 4:00pm will be posted the next business day. If rent is paid in person or placed in the drop box, your payment will be posted to your ledger and viewable through your online portal. A hand written receipt will not be provided. We do not accept post-dated checks. Personal checks will not be accepted for rent if the rent is late. E. Returned Checks – The amount of any bad checks, plus the returned check charge allowed by law, must be paid in either certified funds or a money order within 24 hours of notification. Otherwise legal action may be taken. After a check is returned to us for insufficient funds, you will be required to pay either with a money order or certified funds for the remainder of tenancy. If the returned check makes your rent payment late, a late fee will also be due. All amounts due must be paid in full at time of notification. F. Late Rent – If your rent is paid after the 5th of the month it is considered late. Late rent will not be accepted unless the late fees are included with your payment. Any rent remaining unpaid beyond the 5th day of the month is delinquent and is subject to the late fee noted in the lease. You are also subject to receiving a 3 day notice to pay rent or deliver possession, which comes with a $100 charge. Rent payments may not be accepted without late fees included. Any amounts paid may be applied to delinquent amounts first. Rent may not be accepted if an eviction has been started or a notice of non-compliance has been served. G. Default of Rental Payment – If the rent is not paid by the 5th of the month, this is your notice that your lease and rental agreement may be canceled and a demand for all monies due may be made. You will be responsible for all fees, court costs, and legal and collection fees incurred by efforts to collect the rent due. All charges unpaid by the end of the month in which they are charged may be added as additional rent. All Page 1 of 13