Birmingham Home Leasing shall hereinafter be referred to as the “Broker”. The disclosures below are related to the Rently self-showing process. The Broker does not provide escorted rental showings. The only exception to this rule is when a property is in a gated community. For this reason, generally speaking, the Broker does not list properties in gated communities, but does have some legacy customers with properties in gated communities. In this situation, the rental customer will register with Rently as usual and follow the instructions for an escorted showing. All requests for escorted showings for rental properties that are available for self-showing service will be declined.
For Those having Problems with the Rently Process
Since the Broker began using Rently service, we have received one or two phone calls from an individual claiming that the Rently system was not functioning properly. To date, we have not been able to verify that the system was down as reported, but we have become aware that Rently will “flag” and ban Rental Customers for certain reasons. For more information on this, go to: https://use.rently.com/faq/my-email-phone-number-was-banned/ . Rently does not share data with the Broker on banned individuals, therefore, the Broker has no way of checking the caller’s name against the Rently list of banned customers. For Customers claiming to be unable to use the Rently system, the Broker provides an alternative identification process for self-showing access. The Broker does not acknowledge that any Rental Customer has the right to demand an escorted showing and under no circumstances will the Broker surrender an access code on demand to any individual calling and demanding access without going through the Rently or the Broker’s identification process.
Unlicensed Agents Do Not have the Broker’s Permission to Access the Property
For the purpose of this disclosure, the term “unlicensed Agent” shall refer to an individual working for a “Relocation Agency” who is representing an insurance carrier or attempting to facilitate the execution of a Corporate Lease. Any unlicensed Agent calling the office demanding an access code will be denied.
Individuals Intending to Sublease or Assign the Premises Do Not have the Broker’s Permission to Access the Property
Any individual using the Rently lockbox to show the property to an individual for the purpose of leasing the property and then subleasing or assigning it to another party does not have the Broker’s permission to access the property. While there is no statute broadly prohibiting subleasing or assignment, the Broker’s Lease does. It is the Broker’s position that no one has an inherent right to sublease or assign a property without their intention being disclosed and agreed to by both parties. Anyone leasing a property and it is later discovered that they have subleased the premises or assigned the Lease to another party would be subject to legal action from the Owner and the Broker.
Individuals Intending to Cosign for Another Party Do Not have the Broker’s Permission to Access the Property
The Broker’s published policies include a strict prohibition against the use of a cosigner. No one shall have the Broker’s permission to access the property with the intention of cosigning for another party.
Individuals Intending to Offer a Corporate Lease Do Not have the Broker’s Permission to Access the Property
The Broker will consider certain types of Corporate Leases on a case by case basis, but generally speaking, Corporate Leasing is restricted and/or prohibited. The primary reason for this policy is that Owners are not required by statute to lease to Corporations. Therefore, anyone interested in viewing the property for a Corporate Lease should check with the Broker before viewing to see if the Owner would potentially consider a Corporate Lease.
For the purposes of this disclosure, the Broker defines a Corporate Lease as a Lease where a Corporation is leasing the property for their employee to reside. The Broker is aware that there are companies, often referred to as “Relocation Agencies”, that attempt to lease property for individuals who are either unable or unwilling to qualify personally on a Lease Application. The Broker considers this an illegitimate practice. Those attempting to view the property with this type of Corporate Lease in mind do not have the Broker’s permission to access the property.
Rental Customers Limited to No More Than 3 Viewings
In order to suppress access to the property from people who may be trying to present themselves as an Agent or an individual who has authority to represent the Broker, all individuals will be limited to no more than 3 viewings per specific property before beginning an Application. Any individual who can state a legitimate reason for viewing the property more than 3 times before beginning an Application can contact the Broker for special permission to view again.
The Broker is not an Attorney and the Policy set forth above is not offered or given as legal advice. Rental Customers who have questions or concerns about their rights and/or responsibilities should contact an Attorney.
11/30/2021