Renter FAQ's

The Montana Residential Landlord Tenant Act, MCA 2015, 70-25-206, requires the Landlord to furnish a Statement of Condition of the Premises at the beginning of the lease. There are just three criteria needed to fulfill this requirement:

• A clear and concise statement of the present condition of the premises
• If the premises has never been previously let, a statement indicating that
• The signature or the signature of the landlord's agent

Rent Smart Property Management has engaged with technology to go beyond what is required by the MRLTA and compile a move in report that allows us to include unlimited photos to document the condition of the property. By using a combination of the written report and photos, we are providing the highest level of transparency. You can be assured that we are doing everything possible to protect your security deposit refund by fully documenting pre-existing conditions. We are also doing everything possible to protect the owner's best interest so we can accurately assess new damages. We are also protecting our own reputation against illegitimate disputes. It is a win win for all parties. To date, the only security deposit disputes we have encountered are those from residents we did not place and did not go through our move in process. Our system works!

We also engage technology designed to streamline the lease signing process. Part of the leasing fees we charge help offset our costs in labor and subscription fees for our web based products.

Following is a breakdown of our leasing fees, this does not include the application fee, or deposit. For the purpose of the fee schedule, a bonus room shall be counted as a bedroom:

• $100.00 for Studios and One Bedroom Units
• $125.00 for Two Bedroom Units
• $150.00 for Three Bedrooms Units
• $175.00 for Four Bedroom Units
• $225.00 for Five Bedroom Units

Our standard pet fees are as follows:

• $125.00 pet acceptance fee and lease preparation fee, per pet
• $50.00 additional monthly pet fee
• $400.00 additional deposit, per pet

Property owners reserve the right to override our standard rates for the monthly pet fee and deposit. It is the obligation of the applicant to obtain approval for their pet prior to submitting application. Non-approvable pets will result in denial of application. Application fees are non-refundable.

Resident Benefits Package (RBP) is $15.00 per month and is built into the monthly rent, but will appear as a separate line item on your lease and resident ledger.

Tenant Liability Insurance (TLI) is optional, coverage for up to 4 household members at $12.95 per month + $3.00 monthly processing fee.

We spend a great deal of time working with property owners to accept pets. And we also spend a great deal of time marketing our pet-friendliness to attract quality residents, which in turn attracts quality rental properties. We have created a brand which takes time, effort and money to stay relevant. Each pet we accept allows us to continue our efforts in working with owners and taking them from the mindset of no pets to becoming pet-friendly. Our jobs as property managers would be far easier if we did not accept pets, as is more commonplace in the Missoula rental market, but that doesn't set well with us. We are pet lovers, too! Rent Smart is Missoula's pet-friendly property management company.

What is the Resident Benefit Package?+