Current Resident Help

Tenant FAQs for Current Residents

Current Residents of homes managed by Rice Real Estate & Property Management can find quick answers about rent, maintenance, lease changes, pets and assistance animals, renter’s insurance, moving out, account access, and other common tenancy questions.

These FAQs provide general Resident guidance. Your signed lease, addenda, property-specific instructions, and written notices control when they differ from this summary.

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Most Common Questions from Current Residents

These quick answers cover the requests and deadlines Residents ask about most often. Use the linked specialist page when you need the complete process or form.

When is rent due?

Rent posts and is due in advance on the 25th of the prior month. The lease provides a grace period through the 1st. If payment has not been received, a one-time late fee equal to 5% of the periodic rent may be charged on the 2nd. Review rent payment instructions .

How do I submit a routine repair request?

Submit routine maintenance through the Buildium Resident Center. Describe where the problem is located, when it started, and any troubleshooting already completed. Include clear photos or a short video when useful. Review routine maintenance instructions .

What may qualify as emergency maintenance?

Possible emergencies include active flooding, fire or smoke, a suspected gas leak, dangerous electrical conditions, an unsecured exterior entry, sewer backup, or loss of an essential service. Call 911 first when there is an immediate threat to safety. Follow emergency maintenance instructions .

Can I add a pet or request an assistance animal?

Yes, but the processes are different. Household pets require pet approval before the animal enters or stays at the property. Disability-related assistance animals are handled through the Reasonable Accommodation process and are not treated as household pets. Choose the correct animal process .

Can someone move in or be removed from the lease?

A household or lease-party change requires review and written approval. Each proposed new adult occupant age 18 or older must complete the required application and screening process before moving into the home. Someone who moves out is not automatically released from the lease. Start an add or remove request .

How do I give notice that I am moving out?

Submit the required online move-out notice with your firm move-out date, current contact information, and forwarding address. Review your signed lease before choosing the date because the lease controls the required notice period. Review the move-out process .

Rent and Account Access

Rent and Account FAQs

The Buildium Resident Center is the secure portal for account activity, eligible online payments, lease documents, and related portal functions. The Rice Resident Resource Center is the website hub for forms, guides, and Resident service pages.

Can I pay rent online?

Eligible Residents can submit ACH payments through the secure Buildium Resident Center from a computer, phone, or tablet. One-time and recurring payments may be available.

The current master lease lists a $2.99 transaction charge for each ACH payment. Review the amount and processing date before submitting.

Open Buildium Resident Center

When is rent due and when can a late fee apply?

Rent posts and is due on the 25th of the prior month. The lease provides a grace period through the 1st. Payment should be received no later than the 1st.

If rent has not been received, a one-time late fee equal to 5% of the periodic rent may be charged on the 2nd.

What payment methods are available besides online ACH?

When permitted for your account, personal checks, cashier’s checks, or money orders may be mailed to or delivered to the Rice office during normal business hours. Cash and two-party checks are not accepted, and there is no after-hours rent drop box.

A fee-free payment method is available. Certified funds may be required after a returned payment or when online payment access has been restricted.

Review All Payment Options

What happens if an ACH payment is reversed?

A reversed or dishonored payment may result in additional charges under the signed lease and may cause online ACH access to be disabled. Rice may require certified funds before the account can be brought current.

Contact Resident Services promptly if a payment is reversed or if you cannot access the payment feature.

Need complete payment instructions?

The Pay Rent page explains the payment timeline, online ACH, mailed and office-delivery options, and what to do when online payment access is unavailable.

Review Pay Rent

Maintenance and Repairs

Routine and Emergency Maintenance FAQs

Use the Buildium Resident Center for routine maintenance. When people or the property may be in immediate danger, take the appropriate safety steps first and then follow the emergency reporting instructions.

How do I submit a routine maintenance request?

Submit routine repairs through the Buildium Resident Center. Explain the location of the problem, when it started, what you observed, and any safe troubleshooting already completed.

Clear photos or a short video can help the property management team and vendor understand the condition before scheduling.

Review Repair Request Instructions

What may qualify as emergency maintenance?

Possible emergencies include active flooding, fire or smoke, a suspected gas leak, dangerous electrical conditions, an unsecured exterior entry, sewer backup, or loss of an essential service.

Air-conditioning or heating failure should be treated as emergency maintenance when the indoor temperature is above 85°F or below 55°F.

For fire, active smoke, a break-in, medical emergency, or immediate threat to safety, move to a safe location and call 911 before contacting property management.

Follow Emergency Instructions

Which maintenance items are Resident responsibilities?

Residents are responsible for keeping the home clean, completing routine household care, and handling minor Resident-responsibility items under the signed lease.

Common examples may include light bulbs, HVAC filters, refrigerator filters, disposal resets, minor drip emitters, and other basic household items. Residents are also responsible for damage caused by household members, guests, pets, or misuse.

Review the Rental Home Maintenance Guide

What should I know about repair appointments and vendor access?

Residents coordinate appointment timing and access with the assigned vendor. Secure pets and assistance animals when needed, provide reasonable access, and contact the vendor promptly if an appointment must be changed.

Missed appointments, denied access, or Resident-caused service calls may result in charges when allowed by the signed lease or applicable vendor terms.

Pets and Animals

Household Pet and Assistance Animal FAQs

Household pets and disability-related assistance animals use separate processes. Use the request pathway that matches your situation.

Can I add a household pet after moving in?

You may request approval for a household pet. The property Owner makes the final decision about whether household pets are allowed at the rental property.

The proposed pet should not enter, stay at, or be pet-sat at the property while approval is pending. Written approval is required.

Start a Household Pet Request

How do I request a service animal or other assistance animal?

Submit a Reasonable Accommodation request. Service animals and other disability-related assistance animals are not reviewed as household pets.

Approved assistance animals are not charged household-pet fees, monthly pet charges, or pet deposits.

Request a Reasonable Accommodation

What about visiting pets, replacement pets, or a pet that no longer lives at the home?

Visiting pets and pet-sitting are not permitted without prior written approval. Each additional or replacement household pet requires its own review.

If an approved pet is permanently removed from the household, notify Rice Real Estate & Property Management. Wait for written confirmation before assuming that any account, deposit, insurance, or lease term has changed.

Choose the Correct Pet or Animal Process

Lease and Household Changes

Renewal and Household Change FAQs

Lease renewals and household changes are completed through written processes. A conversation or form submission alone does not change the current lease.

When does the lease-renewal process begin?

Rice Real Estate & Property Management normally begins the renewal review about 90 days before the lease expiration date. Residents do not need to initiate that review.

The written renewal offer explains the options available for the home, the total monthly price for each option, and the response deadline that applies.

Review the Renewal Process

Can someone new move into the rental home?

Not before written approval. Each proposed new adult occupant age 18 or older must complete the required application and screening process.

The current Rental Criteria lists a $65 application fee for each new adult applicant. Government-issued photo identification and other required information must also be provided.

What if a Tenant, co-signer, Resident, or roommate moves out?

Submit the Add or Remove request. Moving out physically does not automatically release a person from the lease or from existing obligations.

The requested removal must be reviewed and completed through an approved written lease amendment.

Start an Add or Remove Request

When does a household or lease change become effective?

The change becomes effective only after Rice Real Estate & Property Management has completed the review, provided written approval, and received all required signatures and documents.

Continue following the existing lease until the written amendment is fully completed. Do not sublet, assign, transfer, or give possession to another person without the required written approval.

Caring for the Home

Home Care and Renter’s Insurance FAQs

Routine care helps prevent avoidable repairs and property damage. Your signed lease and property-specific instructions control when responsibilities differ by home.

What are my landscaping and irrigation responsibilities?

Residents generally handle routine landscaping and should monitor irrigation for visible problems. This includes routine weeding, debris removal, trimming within normal reach, seasonal timer adjustments, and reporting leaks or failed irrigation.

Underground repairs, electrical failures, controllers, and larger system repairs should be reported rather than altered without approval.

Is renter’s insurance required?

Yes. Renter’s insurance must remain active during the tenancy, and Rice Real Estate & Property Management must be listed as an Additional Interest.

The standard liability requirement is at least $100,000. Homes with a private pool require at least $500,000 in personal liability coverage.

The Owner’s property insurance does not insure a Resident’s personal belongings.

What other routine home care should I keep up with?

Replace HVAC filters regularly, use plumbing and garbage disposals properly, keep the home sanitary, address common household pests, test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and promptly report conditions that need professional repair.

Obtain written approval before making alterations, installing permanent fixtures, or arranging repairs that are outside normal Resident household care.

Review the Rental Home Maintenance Guide

Moving Out

Notice, Move-Out and Security Deposit FAQs

A proper move-out begins with the required notice and ends when possession has been returned according to the signed lease and move-out instructions.

How do I give notice that I am moving out?

Submit the online move-out notice form. Include your firm move-out date, current contact information, and a reliable forwarding address.

A conversation, text, or informal message does not replace the required notice process. Review your signed lease for the notice timing that applies to your tenancy.

Submit Your Move-Out Notice

What if I need to leave before my lease expires?

Leaving before the lease expiration date is different from a normal lease-end move-out. The early-termination terms in your signed lease and applicable addenda control.

Contact Rice Real Estate & Property Management before making final arrangements so you understand your continuing rent, utility, notice, and possession obligations.

What do I need to do before returning possession?

Remove belongings and trash, complete the required cleaning, return all keys, remotes, access cards, and other property access devices, and follow the utility-transfer instructions provided for your tenancy.

Keep any professional cleaning receipts required by your lease or move-out instructions.

When will I receive my security deposit accounting?

Nevada law provides for an itemized security deposit accounting within 30 days after termination of the tenancy. Provide a complete forwarding address so the accounting and any remaining refundable balance can be delivered.

The security deposit cannot be substituted for the final month’s rent. Continue paying rent and other charges when due through the end of your financial responsibility.

Resident Documents

Document and Account Update FAQs

Use the correct process for the action you are requesting. Uploading a document does not automatically create another Resident request.

How do I upload a document, photo, or video?

Use the Resident document upload form. Include the current Resident’s name, complete rental address, contact information, and a clear explanation of what each file relates to.

Make sure documents are complete and readable and that photos and videos clearly show the condition being documented.

Open the Resident Upload Form

Does uploading a file start another Resident request?

No. An upload does not create a maintenance request, pet request, reasonable accommodation request, household change, or move-out notice.

Start with the page for the action you need and upload supporting documentation only when the form or Resident Services asks for it.

What if my phone number or email address changes?

Keep your contact information current so you do not miss repair scheduling calls, lease notices, account messages, or other time-sensitive communication.

Update available account information through the Buildium Resident Center and notify Resident Services when needed.

Open Buildium Resident Center

Property Rules and Access

HOA, Safety and Property Access FAQs

Property-specific lease terms, HOA requirements, utility arrangements, safety equipment, and access instructions may differ by home.

What should I know about utilities and HOA rules?

Follow the utility instructions in your signed lease because electricity, gas, water, sewer, trash, internet, and other service arrangements can vary by property and jurisdiction.

Residents, household members, guests, and invitees must also follow applicable HOA or community rules. Correct Resident-caused violations promptly and provide confirmation when requested.

What responsibilities apply to pools and safety equipment?

At pool homes, allow scheduled pool-service access, keep gates and required safety barriers secured, remove toys after use, and report equipment or water-level problems promptly.

Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors regularly and report a detector that does not function properly. Do not disable, cover, unplug, or remove required safety devices.

When can property management or a vendor enter the home?

Reasonable entry may be needed for repairs, inspections, maintenance reviews, appraisals, insurance needs, or permitted showings. Advance notice is normally provided when required.

Emergency access may be handled differently when immediate entry is permitted by the lease or Nevada law. Residents should cooperate with properly scheduled property visits and vendors.