Castle specializes in the management of properties that are ready to rent. We don't do rehabs or major construction work, so a property needs to be rent-ready or near rent-ready before we can assume management. The three lists below - Standard Maintenance, Non-Standard Maintenance, and Major Maintenance - give all the issues that would prevent a property from being rent-ready.

If you know your property is not rent-ready or near rent-ready, we can recommend contractors who specialize in larger projects and rehabs. Just add your information here and we'll reach out!

If you believe your property is rent-ready or near rent-ready, we will conduct a walkthrough when we start management to confirm the state of the property. If the property meets all our criteria for rent-ready, we will start listing and marketing it for rent.

If our walkthrough finds issues, there are three possible outcomes, detailed below.

Standard Maintenance

If the property only requires standard maintenance, we will repair all issues as part of normal management, with no additional charges beyond the cost of the repairs. The following issues fall under standard maintenance:

• Keys do not open all doors
• Lawn not maintained
• Outside has trash and debris
• Garage not clean
• Light bulbs missing
• Outlets missing covers
• Smoke and CO detectors missing
• Cleaning needed
• Doorknobs not in good condition
• Screens missing or not in good condition

Non-Standard Maintenance

If the property requires non-standard maintenance, we can secure one bid to repair all issues for a fee of $150 (on top of the cost of maintenance). Alternatively, we can pause management while you make the repairs yourself or with one of our trusted contractor partners directly. The following issues fall under non-standard maintenance:

• Porch, steps, or walkway not in good condition
• Floors not in good condition
• Walls not in good condition (including issues with paint)
• Fixtures missing or not in good condition
• Appliances broken
• Not all doors and windows secure and in good condition

Major Maintenance

If the property requires major maintenance, we will pause management while you make the repairs yourself or with one of our trusted contractor partners directly. The following issues fall under non-standard maintenance:

• Mold or mildew
• Furnace not running (but gas and electricity are on)
• Hot water tank not running (but gas and electricity are on)
• Backed up or broken sewer line
• Cracked foundation
• Roof issues of any kind

Utilities and Compliance

Additionally, we require utilities to be active and registered in the name of the owning entity, as well as the property to be compliant and registered as a rental property before we assume management. If you are not familiar with the utility or registration status of your property, you can contact the relevant utility department that services your property. If you want Castle to handle utilities turn-ons for you, please refer to this article for DTE, this article for DWSD, and this article for city compliance.