Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Please note that this information applies to our Long Term rentals. For complete information on our Short Term Rentals, please click on the "Short Term Rentals" box to your left.
Q: Are your units within walking distance of the U.N.C. campus?
A: Most of my units are within walking distance of the campus. Those that are not are clearly indicated on the home page. If not within walking distance, most (but not all) other units are on a bus line.
Q: Who does your maintenance?
A: I do most of the maintenance on my units, and you'll find me to be very responsive, often within the same day that you call. When you rent from me, you don't have to work through a large impersonal real estate company, many of which handle hundreds of properties and can take days to respond to simple maintenance requests.
Q: What appliances are included?
A: All apartments have stove and refrigerator. Washers/dryers are included in furnished units, and are present in most of my unfurnished units. A few units have dishwashers.
Q: What about security?
A: Chapel Hill is a small town and we don't have a lot of serious crime. However, as with any college town, you should be concerned about security wherever you live in Chapel Hill. All of my units have excellent security records. If you wish to verify security on my units or any others, please call Lt. Kevin Gunter at the Chapel Hill Police Department at (919) 968-2760 ext. 160, or you can check out crime statistics for most larger apartment complexes by clicking here. You will note that our crime statistics compare very favorably with most complexes in Chapel Hill.
Q: Do you do less than a 1 year lease?
A: I try to be as flexible as possible on leases for most of my units. The rents listed on the main page are for a 1 year lease. There may be a monthly surcharge on some units if you sign less than a 1 year lease.
Q: I am from out of town. Can I rent sight unseen?
A: This is discouraged, but I do allow it. However, if you rent sight unseen, you have to pay your first month's rent in advance (in addition to your security deposit and application fee).
Q: What is your pet policy?
A: I do allow pets on a case-by-case basis. Much depends on your references, the size and age of the animal, and whether or not it is fixed. There is a monthly pet fee as well as a refundable security deposit (most places don't return the pet security deposit). In general, the monthly pet fees are:
cats: $10 if neutered, $30 otherwise
neutered dogs: small $10, medium $20, large $30
unneutered dogs: add $20 to above prices, reduce to neutered price when fixed
The refundable security deposit generally is generally computed by adding a zero to the monthly pet fee (e.g., if monthly pet fee is $20, refundable deposit is $200)
In general, I do not allow Rottweilers or Pit Bulls. Huskies, German Shepherds, and Labs are only allowed if you have impeccable references. Dogs must be on a leash at all times and may not be left alone outside without owner supervision.
No charge for hamsters, fish, gerbils, tarantulas, etc. Polar bears, rhinos, and elephants are not allowed.
Q: What is your student population?
A: The reason most people ask this question is because they are concerned about noise. Please be aware that we have a very strict noise policy. The general rule is that, day or night, you must conduct your affairs so as not to bother your neighbors. We rarely have noise complaints, but if we do, rest assured that we take immediate action. Please don't apply unless you can be considerate to your neighbors. I do not discriminate against students - I have found that students are often my best tenants. The latest counts that we did reveal the following student populations:
University Gardens: 16% graduate students, 10% undergraduate students, 74% other
Brookside has a very low student population
Hillside has no students at the present time
Q: What about application fees, deposits, etc?
A: There is an application fee of $40 for each unrelated person. The security deposit, which must be paid at the time of signing the lease, is usually equivalent to one month's rent (higher if you have a pet). It may not be used as last month's rent, and will be returned to you when you vacate the premises provided you have complied with all terms of the lease. The deposit may also be higher if you occupy a unit with utililties not in your name, or if you don't have good credit. Rentals within Chapel Hill town limits also incur additional monthly town/county fees ranging from $7-10 that are explained on the lease. Finally, there is a $250 cleaning fee, which I will cheerfully refund if you leave the unit as clean as you found it when you moved in.
Q: Do you have high speed internet?
A: You can subscribe to Time Warner RoadRunner or AT&T DSL at a cost of $29-$45/month. Don't be fooled by apartment complexes offering "free" high-speed internet. It is never free, and when you get "free" high-speed internet, you are helping to pay the cost of the service for apartments that don't use it. We are able to keep our rents very low by having only those that need the service pay for it. If you add the cost of $29-$45/month to our rents, you will see that our rents are still much lower than complexes offering "free" high speed internet.
Q: How much do utilities cost?
A: This is one of the most commonly asked questions, but one that is very difficult to answer. Utility consumption is so personalized that two different people living in the same apartment could have vastly different bills. The question is most easily answered by saying that I rarely get complaints about high utility bills from tenants. Water usage will generally run between $35-$45/month. Normal electric bills will run approximately $40-$60/month. Heating and air conditioning can add anywhere from $10-$60/month. or more depending on usage. North Carolina has the advantage of rather mild winters, so the highest heating bills are normally only encountered during the months of January and February, although we can experience cold spells in December and March We do have hot humid summers, and one should expect to use the a/c during most of June, July, August, and parts of May and September. Heating and cooling costs can be reduced by simply adjusting your thermostat to a reduced setting when you are not in the apartment. University Gardens condos have an added advantage in that each room has individual electric baseboard heat. Unlike central heat, where one must heat the entire apartment to the same temperature, baseboard heat allows one to heat rooms at different levels. One can even shut off heat to rooms that may not be in use at the time. This will reduce energy consumption drastically. Brookside and Hillside Condos have central heat, but it is gas heat which is somewhat more efficient than electric heat. Please understand that the above figures mentioned are not guaranteed amounts, but rather what tenants generally tell me that they experience.
Q: What about parking and trash pickup?
A: Trash pickup is provided at all my properties at no charge. Furthermore, all of my rentals have plenty of free off-street parking available.
Q: What kind of a landlord are you?
A: I get along great with most of my tenants. I basically require three things--pay your rent on time, take care of the property, and be considerate of your neighbors. The few tenants who don't get along well with me are usually in violation of one of these basic rules!
