by Arbors.social@gmail.com | Feb 24, 2023 | Blog, Property Management Education
By: Nick Griffith & Nicole Fandel, Director of Conventional Housing and Marketing Specialist
Should I Allow Pets in My Pittsburgh Rental Property?
Many Pittsburgh rental property owners want to know if they should allow pets into their homes or if they should avoid them.
Whether you’re a pet lover or not, there are a lot of pros and cons to discuss when it comes to welcoming pets into your rental property.
Pro-Pets: Resident Pool and Pricing
The main benefit of allowing pets is that you’ll get a larger pool of potential residents interested in your home.
When pet owners have access to your property, you’ll get a larger selection of applicants and a bigger audience of people who want to see your property and lease it.
Today, it seems like almost everyone has a cat or a dog or a hamster that they cherish – pets are part of the family. So, it’s ultimately easier to rent out your home when you decide to allow pets.
Another pro of allowing pets in your rental property is additional revenue.
You’ll have the ability to charge pet rent in addition to the rent your resident pays. People are very attached to their animals, and they’ll be willing to pay a little more to have them in the property.
You can reap those benefits when you allow pets and charge a little more each month to cover potential additional wear and tear.
Can I Charge a Pet Deposit?
Owners will often want to know if they can charge a pet deposit in addition to the security deposit when they allow pets.
In Pennsylvania, the law says that we can only charge a security deposit that’s the equivalent of one month’s rent. So, we don’t typically charge an additional pet deposit because a deposit has to be returned to the residents.
Instead, we charge the pet rent, which generates additional income for our owners every month.
Avoiding Pets: Potential for Damage
The biggest reason that property owners prefer to avoid pets is that there’s a potential for property damage.
We’ve all heard the horror stories: pets might pee on the floors, scratch the carpet, and chew up the baseboards. They can make messes.
Yes, these things can happen; but generally, pets are often well-trained and well-behaved.
If your residents take care of their pets and the property, you won’t have any unnecessary damage.
However, there’s no guarantee. When you’re screening residents and deciding whether or not to accept a pet, you have to consider the animal’s breed, size, and weight.
Consider the applicant as well. You’ll need to determine whether that applicant is a responsible pet owner who can truly care for the animal as well as your property.
Service and Support Animals
Another hot topic is the rise of service animals and emotional support therapy animals.
These are animals that are coming into the property to help the resident perform daily tasks, or help them emotionally through their daily lives.
If a resident has a service or support animal, we cannot discriminate against those animals, even if there’s a strict no-pet policy in place.
To protect your property, we will always ensure the appropriate documentation and supporting medical notes are in place to verify a service animal or an emotional support animal. We don’t want residents to try and skirt the rules, or put our owners in an unfavorable position.
In Conclusion: Pets or No Pets?
Ultimately, the decision to allow pets is up to you, the owner.
Whether you choose to allow pets or not, we have policies, procedures, and documents that ensure that we are compliant with the laws.
We’ll charge your residents an appropriate amount for the added benefit of moving in with their furry friends, and make sure your property is protected.
If you have any questions about pets, or anything at all pertaining to your Pittsburgh rental property, please contact us and we’d be more than happy to help.
by Nicole Fandel | Dec 5, 2022 | Blog, Property Management Education, Tenant Education
By: Nick Griffith & Nicole Fandel, Director of Conventional Housing and Marketing Specialist
How We Keep Our Clients in Compliance with the Law
One of the most important facets of property management is maintaining legal compliance. As daunting as that can be for one owner, we have a dedicated Compliance Department here at Arbors to ensure that you and your property are in the clear.
So how do we keep our clients legally compliant? We’ll break that down in this article over these five different categories:
- Fair Housing
- Occupancy Permits
- Inspections
- Reasonable Accommodations and Reasonable Modifications
- Compliance Department Review
Fair Housing
First and foremost, we want to make sure your property is compliant with fair housing regulations, one of the most important aspects of managing rental properties. How do we keep you in compliance with fair housing law?
One of the best ways for us to do this is through our screening criteria. We’ve developed our screening criteria over the 40 years that we’ve been in business and abide by that criteria on properties that we manage in order to avoid any fair housing violations. In an effort to eliminate unfair advantage or preference among applicants, we process applications by the standards set by the Pennsylvania State Law, and process applications in the order that they are received.
Additionally, our agents representing you have their real estate salesperson license. With this comes continuing education to ensure we stay up to date with all legal requirements and updates pertaining to keeping you compliant with local, state and federal laws.
Occupancy Permits
Another way that we keep you in compliance is by keeping your property in rental housing code compliance with any state, local, or municipality housing standards. One of the items that is included in many of these local requirements is an occupancy permit or a rental registration.
If you do have a rental property under our management, we will take care of occupancy permits or rental registrations required by any local municipality or governments. This includes payment on our clients’ behalf of rental registration fees, coordinating and potentially attending occupancy inspections, and arranging any repairs needed in order to stay compliant with local municipality occupancy standards.
Inspections
We perform annual inspections – we call them interim inspections. At these inspections, we’re looking for common things at your property that are required by the local municipalities to make sure that you’re able to obtain occupancy permits. The most common things are:
- Smoke detectors
- Carbon monoxide detectors
- Handrails
- Any other obvious safety deficiencies at the property
If we do find that any of these items need attention, we will address them.
Reasonable Accommodations and Modifications
Occasionally, a resident may request for a reasonable accommodation or a reasonable modification to your property. We are trained and well-versed in the requirements necessary in order to approve or deny these requests. We will handle the proper paperwork and forms to document the request to complete everything, all while making sure – you guessed it – that you are staying in compliance by abiding by fair housing laws when accommodating or denying a request.
Here’s the difference between the two:
Reasonable Accommodation: request for a change in our policies and procedures to accommodate a resident for a need that they have.
*Responsibility of the landlord to pay
Ex: Allowing a service animal to occupy a property with a no-pet policy
Reasonable Modification: request to change the physical nature of the property to accommodate a resident for a need that they have.
*Responsibility of the resident to pay
Ex: Installing a ramp to the front entrance of a property because the resident is wheelchair bound
Compliance Department Review
Any new residents moving into your property will be reviewed by our Compliance Department in order to ensure that we met all of the screening criteria appropriately. A few items that the Compliance Department reviews are: the lease, application, credit and criminal reports, photo identification, and proof of income. If they do find any errors or discrepancies, our management staff will be alerted and those will be corrected as soon as possible.
Arbors Management Keeps You Compliant
With over 40 years of experience in property management in Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, we’ve learned a thing or two about legal compliance. When you hire Arbors Management to manage your property, you are also hiring a dedicated Compliance Department that ensures that you and your property are operating within the bounds of the law.
If you have any questions about our professional Pittsburgh property management services, including how our Compliance Department works, please contact us through this form, or give us a call at 1 (800) 963-1280.
Disclaimer: We are not attorneys and the information herein is not intended to be legal advice. Please consult with your attorney for any matters pertaining to your specific situation.
by Nicole Fandel | Nov 14, 2022 | Blog, Property Spotlights
By: Nicole Fandel, Marketing Specialist
Welcome to Donnan Avenue!
Are you looking to live in an area that’s close to everything that Pittsburgh has to offer yet still has the cozy hometown feel of Western Pennsylvania? Well, we’ve got you covered!
We currently have 2 apartments available located at 395 Donnan Avenue in Washington, PA. Each spacious unit is newly renovated and has 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, along with plenty of windows letting in lots of natural light.
Our building on Donnan Avenue has a laundry room for resident use as well as a parking lot in the back – never worry about trying to parallel park on a busy street again! Not to mention, the building is just minutes away from I-70.
A Sneak Peek at Unit 6:
A Sneak Peek at Unit 24:
What Does Washington, Pennsylvania Have to Offer?
But, these apartments aren’t just close to I-70; they are within walking distance of different shops, restaurants, and businesses like Dollar General, Walgreens, Goodwill, PNC Bank, Post Office, Little Caesars, Subway, and much more! 
Not to mention, Washington County is the home of Washington & Jefferson College, only a 4 minute drive, as well as the Pittsburgh Tanger Outlets, only a 10 minute drive! Near the outlets, you’ll find Pittsburgh’s famous Sarris Candies shop, Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, and plenty more.
At 395 Donnan Avenue, you truly are just minutes away from everything you could want or need – don’t pass up this opportunity because it won’t be around much longer!
Interested in a Donnan Avenue apartment?
If you’re interested in filling out an application or learning more about living at 395 Donnan Avenue in Washington, PA, please take a look at the Appfolio pages for apartment 6 or apartment 24. You can also contact portfolio manager Karina Smoke at 412-930-4925 or KarinaS@arbors.com for more information or to schedule a tour!
by Nicole Fandel | Aug 29, 2022 | Blog, Project Based Section 8 Housing
By: Nicole Fandel, Marketing Specialist, and Glenda McCrary, Property Manager at Weston Arbors
Welcome to Weston Arbors!
Weston Arbors is a high-rise apartment building consisting of 8 floors and a total of 119 one-bedroom apartments, each equipped with a refrigerator, range, individually controlled heat and air conditioning, wall to wall carpeting, and a private balcony. We have onsite management, maintenance, and a resource coordinator, onsite laundry facilities, and a large community room and lounge for residents to enjoy – not to mention a gorgeous view of the West Virginia mountains!
In case you didn’t know, Weston Arbors was built in 1980 but has undergone recent renovations! Some of these updates include new carpeting in the hallways, new carpeting and seating in the community room, removal of multiple trees on the property to allow for more natural light, and more.
What’s Around Weston Arbors?
While we have the privilege of privacy, we are located within walking distance of Dollar General and Lewis County Park. We are also within a few minutes of local shops and restaurants like Giovanni’s, the Lewis County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Shop ‘n Save Express, and more.
(picture source)
About Weston, West Virginia
A fun fact about Weston is that it is the county seat of Lewis county, where General Stonewall Jackson grew up during the Civil War. Weston, WV is also home to one of the largest hand-cut stone buildings in the world. It was built in 1864 and originally was a mental hospital, but now serves as a National Historic Landmark and offers ghost tours. Weston is also known historically for its large contributions to the glassmaking industry (source, picture source).
A Look Inside Our Homes
About the Manager: Glenda McCrary
Property manager Glenda McCrary has one daughter and has been married since 11/11/2011 – she also is from a family of 10 children! Originally working as a nurse, Glenda thought it was time for a change and decided to jump into the world of property management. She has been a part of the Weston Arbors community since October of 2014 and hasn’t looked back since!
Interested in Weston Arbors?
If you’re interested in filling out an application or learning more about Weston Arbors and all we have to offer, please take a look at our property page or contact property manager Glenda McCrary at 304-269-7344 or westonarbors@arbors.com.
by Nicole Fandel | Jul 25, 2022 | Blog, Press Releases
OIL CITY, PA – Arbors Management, Inc. is thrilled to announce the gain in management of Towne Towers, a Project-Based Section 8 apartment building designated for elderly persons located in Oil City, PA. The building consists of 100 one-bedroom apartments and has onsite management and maintenance, onsite laundry facilities, a community room with a full kitchen, a lounge, and mailboxes located in the lobby.
With yet another recent addition to the company’s portfolio, Regional Manager Katie Finnefrock is excited to oversee the building and said, “we look forward to providing excellent service for Towne Towers and its residents by managing with integrity, a culture of excellence, and providing community value.”
Within just a few minutes of the building, you’ll find Family Dollar, the local library, Giant Eagle, CVS, the local post office, YMCA, YWCA, Rite Aid, and plenty more! According to www.oilcity.org, “Oil City’s location along the Allegheny River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains provides excellent opportunities for exploring Northwestern Pennsylvania. The city is also home to multiple historic districts with a plethora of locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places such as the National Transit Building and the Oil City Armory.” With plenty of shopping and beautiful scenery in Oil City, residents of Towne Towers will always have something to do!
Since 1982, Arbors Management, Inc. has built a portfolio of over 4,000 residential units with a large majority in the affordable housing segment across Western PA and West Virginia, and it continues to grow each year. The team at Arbors Management is looking forward to building a lasting relationship with the community at Towne Towers.
Read the article online in the Pittsburgh Business Times here.
If you’d like to learn more about how Arbors can help you manage your property, please contact us.
by Nicole Fandel | Jun 22, 2022 | Blog, Press Releases
PITTSBURGH, PA – Arbors Management, Inc. is excited to announce that they are the new management agent of the Eva P. Mitchell building in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, as of May 24th, 2022. The property is located at 7113 Mary Peck Bond Place, Pittsburgh, PA, conveniently close to Lincoln Park, Highland Park, the Allegheny River, downtown shopping, and so much more. The Mitchell building, which was originally the historic Lemington Center built in 1883, is an affordable housing complex designated for elderly and persons with disabilities with 81 one bedroom efficiency units.
“We are very excited to be working with Eva P. Mitchell to continue the important work of providing affordable housing to the residents of the city of Pittsburgh,” said Christopher Wagner, President of Arbors Management, Inc. Pittsburgh has always been a lively and welcoming city, and has only grown in popularity over the years. “It’s no secret why people are moving to Pittsburgh left and right,” Christopher continued. “It’s an incredibly diverse city with plenty to offer for everyone who calls Pittsburgh ‘home,’ as well as visitors.” With plenty of public transportation, parks, shopping, grocery stores, and entertainment around every corner, the opportunities for the residents of Eva P. Mitchell and Pittsburgh alike are endless.
Beginning in 1982, Arbors Management, Inc. has built a portfolio of over 4,000 residential units with a large majority in the affordable housing segment across Western PA and West Virginia and continues to grow. The team at Arbors Management is looking forward to building a lasting relationship with the community at Eva P. Mitchell.
Read the article online here, or read it in print in the Pittsburgh Business Times on July 8th, 2022.
If you’d like to learn more about how Arbors can help you manage your property, please contact us.
