Property Owners Residing Outside the United States

1. Who these terms apply to

The Broker does not ordinarily list or manage property for an Owner who resides outside the United States, and does so only under these terms. The Broker cannot rely on prompt Owner approval or prompt transfer of funds from outside the United States, so these terms take the place of Owner approval and Owner funding for repairs.

They apply when the primary residence of any Owner is outside the United States when the Agreement is signed or at any time during its term. For an Owner that is a corporation or other entity, they apply when the individual who acts for the Owner resides outside the United States. An Owner who relocates outside the United States during the term must notify the Broker in writing within 14 days, and these terms apply from the date of relocation. They apply without regard to citizenship. The Broker manages homes only for Owners who are U.S. citizens or U.S. resident aliens.

2. Major systems past their service life are replaced before marketing begins

Advertising and marketing of the home will not begin, and self-showing access through Rently will not be activated, until every major system that has reached the end of its service life has been replaced by the Owner at the Owner’s expense and the installing contractor’s paid invoice has been provided to the Broker.

Major System	Service Life	Age is established by
Heating and cooling system (each system)	15 years	Manufacture date on the data plates of the outdoor and indoor units
Roof covering — architectural (dimensional) asphalt shingle	25 years	Building permit, roofing contractor’s invoice, or insurer’s roof inspection
Roof covering — three-tab asphalt shingle	20 years	Same
Roof covering — metal	40 years	Same
Water heater — tank	10 years	Manufacture date on the data plate
Water heater — tankless	20 years	Manufacture date on the data plate
Appliances furnished with the home (stove, range top, oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, disposal, trash compactor, washer, dryer)	10 years	Manufacture date on the model and serial plate

A system whose age cannot be documented is treated as having reached the end of its service life. For a roof, a licensed roofing contractor’s written inspection report stating the estimated age is accepted instead. Replacing a heating and cooling system means replacing the outdoor unit and the indoor unit together, with any required permit. Replacing a roof means replacing the roof covering, not repairing it. Repairs, partial replacements, and warranty coverage or repair plans do not satisfy this requirement. A system that reaches the end of its service life during the term is replaced before marketing resumes at the next vacancy, or sooner if it fails.

3. The Required Reserve

In place of the $300 repair reserve every Owner maintains under the Agreement, an Owner residing outside the United States funds a Required Reserve. It is the Owner’s money, held in the Broker’s trust account for repairs to the home, and is not a fee. The amount is set by the age of the heating and cooling system and the roof covering against their service lives above:

Tier	Applies when	Required Reserve
1	The heating and cooling system and the roof covering have each used less than one-half of their service life	$5,000
2	The heating and cooling system has used one-half or more of its service life; the roof covering has used less than one-half	$17,000
3	The roof covering has used one-half or more of its service life; the heating and cooling system has used less than one-half	$20,000
4	Both have used one-half or more of their service life	$32,000

The Tier 1 amount funds repairs of every kind, including replacement of a water heater or an appliance. Tiers 2, 3, and 4 add the Broker’s scheduled replacement cost of a heating and cooling system ($12,000) and of a roof covering ($15,000); where the home has more than one heating and cooling system, the replacement cost is added for each system past one-half of its service life. A heating and cooling system reaches one-half of its service life at 7 years and 6 months; an architectural shingle roof at 12 years and 6 months; a three-tab shingle roof at 10 years; a metal roof at 20 years.

The Required Reserve is deposited in full within 14 calendar days after the Agreement is signed. Advertising and marketing will not begin, and self-showing access will not be activated, until it has been deposited, and the Broker may cancel the Agreement if it is not received within that period.

4. How repairs are approved and paid

Standing authority. The Broker makes any repair costing up to $1,000 per occurrence without prior approval and pays for it from the Required Reserve.

Emergencies. Loss of heating or cooling; loss of hot water, water, or sewer service; a roof leak or other water intrusion; an electrical or gas hazard; and any condition that Alabama law or a building or health code requires the Owner to correct are emergencies. The Broker corrects an emergency immediately, without prior approval and without regard to cost, up to the balance of the Required Reserve.

Every other repair. The Broker sends the Owner a repair recommendation by email, text message, or the property management system. If the Owner does not respond within 72 hours, the repair is approved and the Broker proceeds, paying from the Required Reserve. The one-month’s-rent limit on deemed approval in the Agreement does not apply; the limit is the balance of the Required Reserve. An Owner who declines a repair that Alabama law or a code requires is in default under the Agreement.

Repair or replace. When a major system fails, the Broker obtains a vendor’s diagnosis and estimate, and may replace rather than repair when the system has used one-half or more of its service life or the repair estimate exceeds one-half of the scheduled replacement cost.

Work beyond the reserve. The Broker does not order work that exceeds the balance of the Required Reserve until the Owner deposits the excess, and does not advance funds. The Owner receives the vendor’s invoice by email when each job is complete and sees every repair on the monthly accounting.

5. Home warranties and repair plans

The Broker is not a party to the Owner’s warranty or repair plan and will not place, pursue, or wait on a warranty claim. Repairs under these terms are made with the Broker’s vendors and paid from the Required Reserve regardless of warranty coverage. For a repair that is not an emergency, an Owner who responds within the 72 hours and states in writing that a warranty claim has been placed takes that repair over, and the Broker takes no further action on it unless the condition becomes an emergency. The Owner may seek reimbursement from the warranty provider, and the Broker provides the vendor’s diagnosis and paid invoice for that purpose.

6. Keeping the Required Reserve funded

When the balance falls below the Required Reserve, the Broker withholds rent, before any disbursement to the Owner, until it is restored. When the balance falls below one-half of the Required Reserve, or work would exceed the balance, the Owner deposits the shortfall or the excess within 10 business days after notice. The Broker may also pay from the Required Reserve any other amount the Owner owes under the Agreement when rent receipts are insufficient, including during a vacancy.

The Tier is re-rated on each anniversary of the Agreement and immediately when a heating and cooling system or the roof covering is replaced. An increase is deposited within 30 days after notice; a decrease is released to the Owner with the next monthly disbursement. The Annual Inspection Service ($50 per year) is required every year. The Owner maintains a U.S.-dollar account at a bank in the United States for all deposits and disbursements; the Broker does not send or receive international transfers.

7. When the Agreement ends

Once all accounts between the parties are settled, the Broker returns the balance of the Required Reserve to the Owner’s U.S. account within 30 days, less the cost of any work ordered before termination that has not yet been invoiced, which is returned when that work is paid.

Everything else in the Agreement applies unchanged, including the Leasing Service and the two Monthly Property Management plans on the Leasing & Property Management page.