Tenant FAQ

How can I pay rent?

Rent is due on or before the 1 st of the month and is considered late after the 5 th . Management will contact you via text concerning late rent. They will be sure to give you your balance and date that late fees will be assessed.

 

  • Rent can be paid online, by check, money order or cashier’s check. Please make these payable to your buildings’ assigned LLC – this was provided to you upon move in, it can also be found in your lease.
  • We will NOT accept cash.
  • You may drop off checks, money orders and cashier’s checks at the locked dropbox at: 1234 N Cass St.
  • You may mail checks, money orders and cashier’s checks to:
      Wilkins Property Management
      PO Box 511759
      Milwaukee, WI 53203
  • You can access your online tenant portal 24/7 to pay rent: wilkinspm.appfolio.com/connect/users/sign_in
  • Please make sure checks, money orders and cashier’s checks are clearly labeled with your name and address with apartment number.
  • If rent check is returned for non-sufficient funds (NSF), all charges including NSF fee and late fee will be charged to you. NSF fee $35, Late fee $50

 

How do I submit a maintenance request?

  • If a maintenance issue should arise, please submit request through your online tenant portal
  • Do not verbally request maintenance to anyone on the maintenance team. This can create confusion and we will not have a clear record of your request. The maintenance team is on a schedule that may not allow for non-scheduled requests.
  • When submitting a maintenance request please make sure to be as specific as possible. EX: which sink is clogged, which part of the ceiling is leaking, etc. Please include if we have permission to enter if you are not home and if you have a pet that needs to be kenneled or watched for to not escape the apartment.
  • The maintenance manager will contact you via text with a date and general time the request will be taken care of. In addition, a follow-up text regarding completion or additional work will be sent the date of the work.

What should I do if I think I have a maintenance emergency?

**In case of medical, fire, or other emergency situations that could involve immediate peril to you or someone surrounding you always call 911**

Maintenance Emergency Procedures: If you experienced an emergency situation, please follow the steps outlined below. As a note, if the problem occurs in the middle of the night it is very unlikely we will be able to dispatch a maintenance tech to the property until morning, so please try to contain the emergency best as possible.
  • The specific definition of maintenance emergency is: an issue that is dangerous, hazardous or if not addressed immediately could cause damage to the property or your personal well-being (e.g. flooding, gas leak, major water leak).
  • An emergency is not an annoying sound, appliance malfunction, drain stoppage, and the like, while inconvenient, these are not considered emergencies and will be handled by our maintenance team on the following business day.
  • If the situation is considered a maintenance emergency and occurs during normal business hours, please call our office.
  • If the situation occurs after normal business hours, please contact your building manager.

Helpful Contacts

Milwaukee Police Department

Non-emergency: 414-933- 4444

Emergency: 911


Milwaukee Fire Department

Non-emergency: 414-286- 8948

Emergency: 911


City of Milwaukee Parking Services

414-286- 2489


Milwaukee Crisis Support

Crisis Line: (414) 257-7222

Warmline: (414) 777-4729

What is my responsibility as a tenant?

The following items are the responsibility of the tenant at their expense while they are living at the property:
  • Replacement of light bulbs with the correct wattage
  • Replacement of smoke alarm/CO detector batteries. The property must have working smoke alarms/CO detectors at all times.
  • Reporting all necessary repairs
  • Normal insect control (bees, spiders, sugar or nuisance ants, etc.)
  • Normal rodent control, such as mice
  • Keep apartment clean, free of grease, mold, mildew, cobwebs, etc.
  • If you have a pet, all pet droppings need to be properly disposed of regularly

Maintaining appliances and fixtures

Drains: Avoid letting food and hair get down drains. Regular cleaning of drains can prevent clogging from occurring. It is recommended to place “hair catchers” in sink and tub drains to keep drain clear of hair.

Stove/oven: Be aware of the various bake, broil, time bake and self-clean controls. Familiarize yourself with the pilot lights and how to relight them should they go out. Regular cleaning of stove and oven helps keep them operating properly.

Water damage: Tenants must take care to avoid water damage caused by allowing water to sit on counters and floors. Care must be taken to ensure that shower curtains are inside the tub. Water on tile floors can seep through the grout and cause dry rot of underlayment. Water can also seep around the edges of vinyl flooring causing damage to the floor below. We recommend putting a mat, towel or rug on the floor to step on when exiting the tub or shower.

Power: If the power goes out in your unit or house, first check to see if the whole area is without power. If it is out in the area, report outage to We Energies. If the power is only out in your unit/house, check the circuit breaker panel. One or more circuits may be tripped, and you may see the switches in the off position.

How can I add or remove a pet from my lease?

Animals are only allowed with prior approval of management. A maximum of two pets are allowed. There is no extra charge for the first pet; second pet is an additional $50 per month. Depending on your apartment building, there are weight restrictions, please contact the management company if you are unclear regarding this policy for your building/apartment.

Once approved, a pet lease addendum must be signed. Please contact the management company at contact@wilkinsprop.com. Include name, breed, size, color and age of the pet and a new pet lease will be emailed to you for your electronic signature. Keep in mind all lessees, including co-signers, will need to sign the lease addendum.

If you no longer have a pet, please contact the management company at contact@wilkinsprop.com with the information regarding the change of pets, if applicable a new pet lease addendum will be sent for electronic signature. Keep in mind all lessees, including co-signers, will need to sign the lease addendum.

What should I do if I’d like to start/stop parking in the lot/garage?

If your building offers off-street parking and you’d like to begin parking, please contact the management company to check on availability. DO NOT just start parking without permission, you will be ticketed and/or towed.
Once approved, a parking lease addendum must be signed. Please contact the management company at contact@wilkinsprop.com. Include car make, model, year, color, license plate state, license plate number and a new pet lease will be emailed to you for your electronic signature. Keep in mind all lessees, including co-signers, will need to sign the lease addendum.

If you no longer want to park, please contact the management company at contact@wilkinsprop.com with the information regarding the change of parking, if applicable a new parking lease addendum will be sent for electronic signature. Keep in mind all lessees, including co-signers, will need to sign the lease addendum.

How can I get a copy of my lease?

A copy of your lease can be found on your tenant portal 24/7. If there isn’t one there you likely have a paper copy available upon request.

How do I give notice to move?

You are responsible to complete the entirety of your lease term. In all cases and leases, you are required to submit a 60-day written and signed notice to vacate if you are planning on moving out at the end of your lease term or if you are a month-to- month tenant. This notice must be provided by the 1st of the month 60 days prior to move-out date. If there is more than one tenant all tenants on a lease must sign the notice. Notices may be dropped at the dropbox, emailed or mailed. Tenants who do not provide sufficient notice or deliberately break their lease, are responsible for the remaining lease terms. Please consult your lease agreement for additional information.

You can use this template for providing vacancy notice.

How to I add or remove a tenant from the lease?

Subletting all or part of the Lease Tenants is absolutely prohibited unless otherwise stated in writing by the Management Company/Landlord. Changes to the lease must be approved by all Tenants, this can be provided with a written and signed notice. This includes the 60-day notice to vacate the Premises.

Through Lease Modification, new Tenants can be added and old Tenants can be removed from the lease. Any new Tenants must apply and be formally approved through the Management's application system. Only once approved, may the Management company draft a lease Addendum outlining the change to the lease for all current and new Tenants to sign. Lease Modification, no matter the number of tenants being changed over at a given time, comes with a $150 fee that will be added to the Tenants account.

You can use this template for providing notice regarding the adding or removing of tenants from a lease.

I need to end my lease early, what are my next steps?

If necessary, Tenants may choose to end their lease prior to the end of the lease term. However, Tenants are required to advertise and find a qualified applicant to start a new lease. Management company reserves the right to require new lease be set at market rent, and make any changes to original lease contract as necessary. Applicants must apply and be approved by management, pay the security deposit, and sign a new 12-month lease (shorter term leases are available for monthly fee) based on a lease start date as outlined by the original Tenant through a written and signed notice. Until all steps above are followed and completed, the original Tenant will remain financially responsible for the apartment and will be required to follow the original Lease contract. A fee of 50% of the originally paid security deposit will be assessed if Tenant decides to modify their lease and follow the steps outlined above. Subletting is absolutely prohibited unless otherwise stated in writing by the Management Company. Additionally, Tenants may not terminate this tenancy between November 1st of any calendar year and January 31st of the following year (“Winter”).

What do I need to know about moving out?

If you’ve given proper notice, a confirmation of notice of vacancy will be emailed and mailed to you outlining the specifics on your move out procedure. If you have not received this, please contact the management company, this is likely because they DO NOT have a notice from you.

Cleaning up and Clearing out: We understand that moving can be stressful and busy. There are some important items to consider when moving, which if done properly, will save you time and money in the long run. There is a level of cleaning that is required to return the apartment in the condition you received it.

Any work not completed by the tenant will be completed by Wilkins Property Management and deducted from the security deposit. All personal property must be removed and entire apartment cleaned by 12:00pm on the last day of the lease. Leave all keys in the apartment at time of final move out. A manager will inspect the unit at move out and collect the keys.

Security Deposit Return: Once you have completely moved out, Wilkins Property Management will complete any repairs and cleaning not noted on your initial walkthrough and refund your remaining security deposit less pro-rated water/sewer charges. We cannot refund your security deposit the same day you move out because we must ensure all repairs and cleaning were completed. Please make sure you leave a forwarding address to send your security deposit refund to you. The refund will occur within 21 days, in accordance with the law.

Contact Us

Phone:
(414) 224-7570
Fax:
(414) 224-1407
Email:
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