Most Common Questions and Answers

A: If you have a maintenance emergency, please do not use the online portal. Please call our 24/7 maintenance line by dialing (541) 741-4676 Ext 505. Emergencies include, but are not limited to, water leaks that can not be shut off, stove/oven not working, no hot water, No heat, No working toilet (and the only one in the unit), no working fridge or locked out of your unit (fees may apply). If you are experiencing a life threatening emergency such as fire, call 911. 

We are allowed 48 hours to respond to all emergencies but we do try and get them taken care of sooner than that. Please make sure to provide a good working phone number, make sure your voicemail is not full and is properly set up, and answer unknown callers.

A: We have updated our company policy to be closed to the public indefinitely. We no longer have a receptionist. Our office is by appointment only. Our automated phone greeting will let you know what extension you need for your questions or concerns. We can not list all of what each department handles as the greeting doesn’t allow that much time for us to record. If you are unsure, please select ext 200 for the general mailbox. 

Our ads also say what extension you need to get the correct leasing agent or general questions answered. We can only answer the phone if we are at our desk at the moment you call. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. 

The General Mailbox and Maintenance will always be a message system. Please leave your message as per the instructions in the greeting so your message can be forwarded to the correct department. Leave as much information as you can to avoid your message going to the wrong person and delaying the response time. We try to get back to all calls within 1 to 2 business days depending on staff availability. You may also email us. All of our emails are listed on the contact us tab. When in doubt, please use contactus@emeraldpm.com. Thank you for your patience as this is new for our tenants, owners and applicants.

A: Please dial extension 202 to Reach Javan or email him at Javan@emeraldpm.com.

A: Please dial extension 202 to Reach Javan or email him at Javan@emeraldpm.com.

If you are a current tenant, you can sign up to pay your rent online. Only the tenant or someone with the proper authorization can sign up for a portal. 

To sign up, you will need to get authorization. To do so, email your request with a copy of your ID (front and back) to willowbrook@emeraldpm.com

Provide your name, address, and a statement that you would like access to your portal. 

It is advised that you do not wait for the last minute to sign up for your portal if you are planning to pay your rent on time. It is not guaranteed that your portal will be set up right away. It is on staff availability and each request has to be reviewed. There may be additional authorization questions so make sure to keep an eye out on your email including your spam. A request for a portal will not exempt you from getting a late fee.

 UPDATED POLICY AS OF 11/8/21

A: The quickest and most convenient way to check if your payment was received is by checking your online portal if you have access. If you do not have access, click on "residents" go to the portal section and click "sign up" for new access only. If you have had previous access and can not log in, we can not reset the password for you. We can look up what email you used but that is it as the portal is a third party website. 

If you do not see your payment on your portal or do not have access, please allow at least 1-2 full business day to check if your payment was received. You can either leave a message in the general mailbox (Ext 200 or 0 ) or you can dial accounts receivable (Ext 209 or 9). Please remember the first week of the month is our busiest time and a call back could be delayed, that is why it is extremely encouraged to sign up for your portal.

If your online portal is showing we have received the payment but the payment has not cleared your personal bank account, that is typically on your bank's end. Please contact your bank if you have questions.

For questions or help setting up your portal, you may email Lisa@emeraldpm.com.

If you are unable to log into your portal and you have been able to in the past, this is probably password related. We are unable to reset your password for you. You will need to click the button that says forgot password and follow the prompts.

If you are able to log in and unable to make a payment, it is possible you were late a previous month. If payment wasn't received by the 5th, your portal will be shut off as we do not accept online payments or personal checks after the 5th. We only accept money orders or cashiers checks at that time. The next month, your portal will still be shut off. You need to make contact with accounts receivable (ext 209) to have your portal turned back on. Keep in mind, the first week of the month is extremely busy for the accounts receivable department so your request could be delayed. It is best practice to contact them after you have made your late payment to turn your portal back on for future payments.

A: You can either apply on our website or by grabbing a paper application on the outside of our building located at 525 Harlow Rd In Springfield. When submitting your application, please make sure you have a copy of your ID, at least one address you are applying for, at least one address listed as current in case we need to send you mail and your most recent pay stub. Your most recent pay stub is not required but encouraged. 

If you apply online, the application will be submitted to us electronically within 24 hours. There is NO confirmation and you will not be contacted that it has been received.  If you are submitting a paper application, please submit it through our drop slot. If there is more than one document (ex: ID, Supporting documents, roommate application) please make sure they are all attached together so they do not get mixed up in the shuffle. 

Your application will be placed in line in the order we receive them regardless of what method you use. If you are unable to upload your documents or have a copy to submit, please email to the appropriate leasing agent. You may find their email on the contact page. If you are unsure as to what leasing agent needs your documents, send to contactus@emeraldpm.com. Make sure to list the address you applied for. 

You will only be contacted if we have questions about your application or if you are approved. If you get denied, we send a letter in the mail to the address listed as current on your application so make sure to provide a completed mailing address. We ask that you give us at least 5 business days before checking the status of your application. It is recommended to keep an eye out on your email during your application process.

ONLY SUBMIT ONE APPLICATION. We keep your application active for 30 days and only put you in line for one property at a time. There is a place to add backups. You may also reach out to your leasing agent listed in the ad to add additional backups. Please, try not to add more than 2.

A: It really just depends on the popularity of the property. Once you are 1st or 2nd in line on the property it could take 1-5 business days to process. The majority of the wait time is we have to send out rental references if there are any. We give the reference at least 3 days to respond before moving on to the next step. We will send out multiple attempts if we do not hear in a timely manner. You are more than welcome to reach out to your rental references and tell them to be on a look out for them. We only reach out to professional rental companies or private references ( not family members or friends as they do not count as professional rental history). Make sure you have included the contact information as we do not research that for you.

Please keep in mind, if you applied for a property that already had several applications on it, the response time will be delayed. 

If the property was rented out and you have back ups we will automatically move you to the next choice. If there are no back ups, you will be notified by a letter in the mail or by email that the property was rented out. If that is the only reason as to why you got the letter you can call us to add a new property as long as your application is not more than 30 days old. If it is more than 30 days old you can reapply. You can check the website to see if the property is still listed. If it is no longer listed that means it is no longer available. This is a handy tip as the letter could take awhile to get to you.

A: We only process your application for one property at a time. We ask that you submit your application on the property that you are most interested in. The 2nd to last question (online) will ask if you would like to add any back ups in case your first choice gets rented out. You may add two more on this question. After you apply, if  you see a different property that you are more interested in you are allowed to switch your first choice property by emailing or calling the appropriate leasing agent. We do ask that you go by the property first to make sure it is a switch you really want to make because once we switch you, you do lose your place in line on the other property. It is recommended that you only switch if you are really far down on the list. Once you get approved, if you are not interested in that property any longer, you can let your leasing agent know if there is something else you prefer. The leasing agent will have to check with the property manager first to see if you are still approved as we do not do general approvals. Your approval is based on the property you have applied for.

A: The application just wants the field filled in. If you do not have information for something on the application that is a required field, make your intentions clear and use the appropriate format. For example: in the email field you can write None@none.com . In the phone number field you can type (111) 111-1111. If you do not have any income, you can type in .01. Just make it very obvious to us what you are trying to say. You can also explain in any field that lets you type an explanation.

A: Pets are accepted on owner approval on the properties listed as OA (owner approval) with an extra refundable deposit of $500 per pet, plus a pet premium of $25 per animal, per month. We manage several properties for several different owners. It is up to each individual owner if they will accept pets in their unit.

A: We as a company do not have breed restrictions. It is on owner approval, so put the information of the pet on the application and we will run it by the owner for the properties that say pets OA. However, your renters insurance may have their own restrictions, which we do require. You may want to inquire with them.

A: All of our properties accept Sec 8. It is contingent on Section 8’s inspection and the amounts they allow. We do ask that you submit proof that you are qualified for Section 8. The calculation worksheet does work best for us.

A: We provide a listing either online or on the outside of our office. For the most accurate information, please visit our website www.emeraldpm.com. We can not control third party websites and what information they provide. Our site comes directly from us. Please understand that at any moment our ads can change without notice.

A: We do not discriminate against any protected class. Unfortunately, we can not go over our criteria with anyone over the phone but we do provide our criteria on our paper application. To view a PDF version of our application, please hover over "residents", then click forms. Select the rental application link. Our criteria is on the last two pages of our application. We do not offer any type of pre-screening or interviews. It is totally free to submit an application so please put all the information it is requesting.  If you would like to explain your situation, please submit that in writing with your application. The posted $50 application fee is due upon move in.

A: No. We will only charge the listed $50 application fee once you are approved and moving into the property. PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT ANY PAYMENT WHEN APPLYING. The website will not ask you for a credit card number. If you are being asked for payment on a website, you are using the wrong website.

A: Not anymore. We use Transunion and they just recently switched our pulls to soft. That means you will not have an inquiry on your credit report from us.If you have any questions regarding your credit report, here is the contact information for Transunion:

Trans Union Consumer Relations, 2 Baldwin Place P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022 Phone: 800-888-4213  

A: If your application is approved and the property is rent ready, then yes. Please contact your appropriate leasing agent.

We only do showings for approved applicants once the property is vacant and rent ready so you will need to apply first but the application is free to submit. We will charge you $50 per adult once you are moving into the property. If you are looking at our listings and there is a future available date, add two weeks to that date for a potential rent ready date.

A: We start advertising our listings as soon as we get a 30 day notice for them. That means, someone is still currently living in the unit. We give an option to pre-rent the unit sight unseen but it is not required. A reservation deposit that is typically the same amount of the rent is required to hold the property for you to an agreed upon date. If you decide to do this option and once you have viewed the property, if it is not something you like then unfortunately at that time, it is non-refundable nor transferable. If you do sign a rental agreement, it turns into your refundable security deposit.

If you decide you are not interested in renting the unit sight unseen then we will offer the same option to the next approval. You are more than welcome to wait until you can view the apartment but you do risk it not being available anymore at that time. 

A: If we have pictures of the property they will be on the website. We do not take photos while there are still tenants in them. 

A: We do not discuss denials over the phone, email or in the office. We sent or will be sending a letter to the address you listed as current on your application and it will have all of the reasons as to why you were denied. If you feel the reasons are false and if you would like to have the denial reevaluated it needs to be done in writing with proof as to why the reasons are false. If you can change the reasons for the denial you are more than welcome to reapply with proof that the reason no longer exists. If you have questions about being denied over credit there is a phone number on the form you can call. If you have questions about civil judgements, please contact the courthouse in which the county the civil judgement was recorded.

A: Please apply without the co-signer first. We will always try to get you approved on your own first. There is a question on the application that asks if you have one available to you. If we can not get you approved on your own and if the property manager is willing to accept a qualified co-signer, you will be notified.

If you get approved with a co-signer your approval is conditional. If all parties do not sign the co-signer agreement then you are no longer approved

and could forfeit any reservation deposit paid. Your co-signer will need to be present during the signing of the rental agreement and sign a co signer agreement. If the co-signer can not be present, they will need to electronically sign the co-signer agreement before the rental agreement signing appointment.

All co-signers please understand that you are fully, financially responsible for the unit during the entirety of the tenancy, even if the tenant you are intending to co-sign for moves out of the unit leaving another occupant.

A: We, as a company, have never done "first and last month's rent." We do a full, first month rent and a security deposit then the next month is prorated. 

** In extremely rare cases, if we have taken over management during your tenancy, we would need to do some research so please kindly let us know that you lived in the unit prior to us taking over management.

A:If you would like to move, you need to put in a 30 day notice in WRITING as per your rental agreement. This information was provided to you at the beginning of your tenancy. That being said, a voicemail will not work. We have a form online under "residents" and forms or you can simply email us the information from the form to Contactus@emeraldpm.com. You are financially responsible for 30 days. If you move out before your 30 day notice, you will still be charged the full 30 days unless someone else has moved in and started to pay rent. Once you put in your notice, before the next month's rent is due, you will receive a “Next Step” email (if on file) and a letter in the mail. The letter will give you all the information you will need for your move out. If you have automatic payments set up on your portal, it is advised to turn that off to avoid double payment or overpayment.

A: You will need to fill out a 30 day notice form and release of the security deposit form. Please be advised, by putting in your 30 day notice, you are only giving us “intent.” At the end of your notice, we do not assume you physically moved out. You will need to turn in a move out form or something in writing that you have physically vacated the unit with your forwarding address. Both the move out form and 30 day notice form is on our website. Please circle roommate on the form. If you do not use the form, please make it clear that you are a roommate leaving.

The security deposit will stay with the unit. If everyone moves out within 30 days of your roommate move out, anyone who was listed on the account in those 30 days will still be financially responsible.

A: No, we can not rush it. We are allowed 31 days from your official move out date. Please make sure you have provided us a completed forwarding address including a unit number if there is one. If you do not receive your final accounting 45 days after your move out, feel free to contact us to see if it has been returned or for further investigation. If we do get a check returned to us we will make attempts to call you so you can pick it up or give us a new mailing address.

A: Our maintenance coordinator doesn’t usually call the tenant back himself. The way our company works is we assign the work order to a third party company. It is the third party company’s responsibility to contact you and make an appointment. We can not control the third party company. It is based on their schedule. Sometimes, if they are close by and couldn’t get a hold of you or hadn’t had a chance, sometimes they will stop by and see if you are home. We can not control this but we do ask all of our vendors to please make contact via phone. Please make sure we have the most current contact information and that your voicemail is not full or is set up and that you are answering "unknown" callers. We do hear many times that the vendor wasn’t able to get a hold of the tenant due to these reasons.

The best way to submit a work order is through your portal. If you need access please contact us.

If you are still not getting a call from the vendor and all of the above has been checked, you are more than welcome to call and leave a message in our general mailbox and an associate will give you a call back. They can look up the work order for you and get you a name and phone number if it is a public phone number for the company assigned to your maintenance. If it is not a public phone number, we will have you leave another message and we will typically message the coordinator to let them know that you have not heard from the vendor yet.

If you need to update your phone number with us, please do so by either emailing contactus@emeraldpm.com or leaving a message in our general mailbox. The maintenance department does not update phone numbers from the voicemail. It could take up to 30 days for the system to update your number so please make sure to leave your number on the maintenance department voicemail as well.

A: We as a company do not do walk-throughs with the tenants once they are all moved out. The maintenance coordinator will do a walk through and do their final accounting. You are more than welcome to take pictures after you are done. We will send the final accounting to the forwarding address you provide. We are allowed 31 days to process and it usually takes that amount of time. If you do not receive your final accounting within 45 days, feel free to reach out to us so we can investigate. It is our experience that the majority of this is due to not leaving a unit number or not leaving us your forwarding address. If you do not leave a forwarding address, we have to send it out to the last known address which is the address you more than likely just moved from.

Once you have gotten your final accounting, if you disagree with a charge, you will need to fill out a security dispute form. Leave a message in our general mailbox so an associate can send you a form. Please provide a working email address or let us know if we need to mail it. Leave a phone number in case we have a question on where to send the form. You will receive a response back in writing.