Topic: Leasing Contracts

By having my photo on here it keeps me from being able to do some of the things that I normally get paid to check on. But here is one whoever it is that touches a prospective tenant, it is important that you know the contract which is placed in front of them.
Look at it your contract and read it line for line. If you have a question, then get the correct answer because if you have a question that perspective tenant may also. If you cannot answer the question, what do you think happens? Get someone else who has nothing to do with the business and have them read the contract and find out what questions they have.
It is important to know each and every part of your contract and be able to talk to it. You need to know if there is something that they want taken out if it can be. Keep track of those things which come up the most as objections and then see if there is something that can be done about it? Maybe there is nothing, but get informed.
One company had hired a leasing person who had been in the industry with other properties and was doing a great job, so they recruited this all star and she was not getting the same results. They had tried a lot of things and were coming up empty.
Sometimes it is the simple things that we over look. The leasing contract was the problem and she did not understand it as it was not fully clear to her and when she asked the question of her manager she was given some answers which were not 100% correct.
So, I went in and I had a lot of questions on the contract. I knew the answers because I went to the headquarters talked to them and their legal section which had put the contract together. I did not fight what they wrote but there were things which I thought were confusing. When I was finished at the property with the leasing agent, I then said I wanted to talk to someone that could answer my questions. I got the manager and she had a problem as well.
The end was the leasing agent as well as everyone needed to know their contract. Some of the points being changed is another blog.
So, do you understand and can you explain each on every point on your leasing contract? This is one where 99% does not work, it has to be 100%!

I feel as if there is a lot of ambiguous concepts on the contract. I work as a leasing agent in Texas. The Texas Apartment Association is responsible for the standard application, and we fill in the blanks. I do explain every section of the contract to the best of my ability. When I first started in the industry, I felt really uneasy about it because I didn't know what I was explaining. After self learning and getting familiar with this contract, I came to the conclusion that the future tenant has full rights to submit the contract to a lawyer for better detailed explanations, before taking possession. It boils down to a binding contract. I highlight the most important things an go from there.