Resident Move-in Guide

NAZCA PROPERTIES MOVE-IN GUIDE

PLEASE READ TO THE END TO SAVE AS MUCH MONEY AS POSSIBLE!!!

 Dear Residents and Co-Signers, 

Welcome to your new home! My name is Cody, Senior Managing Partner for Nazca. I’ve grown up working on our buildings since the late 1990’s renovating, maintaining and managing. Our mission is to provide safe, affordable, comfortable places to live while exercising our passion for historic architecture and history. Just read our reviews (we are very proud of them)!

Nazca Properties was founded in 1975 as a family business providing homes to our residents. We consider ourselves stewards of our properties and we love Cincinnati’s architecture, but the core of our business is people. Our buildings are older, the majority having been built in the mid 1800’s. We maintain the buildings with an eye for affordability to keep our rents reasonable for you, and try to reuse, repair and refurbish rather than replace to keep our ecological footprint as small as we can. You can expect your units to be functional and clean, but some fixtures may be a little dated (we have some killer 70’s fans actually) floorboards may creak, etc. I personally would rather have an older home with some character that is affordable than pay more for features I don’t need. 

All of us live or have lived in the buildings we own, and we are active participants in the community as well. We donate to and participate in several non-profits, including Spring in Our Steps, a group that helps to restore alleys and stairways in Cincinnati for pedestrian safety (If you want to volunteer, let us know!).

Let’s talk about money. Housing is one of the largest costs folks need to pay for, and it’s also one of the least transparent costs. So what does your rent pay for? Last year, only 9.2% of our residents’ rent went to Nazca salaries, and 13.3% went to employee retirement and benefits. The remaining 77.5% of monthly rent went to operating costs such as mortgages, taxes, material and repair. This is because owners at Nazca are active participants in our business, and reduces the need to push rents as there is no corporate profit structure or outside investor. We believe everyone is entitled to a living wage, so we provide livable pay and benefits to our team, and also provide housing and assistance in buying homes for them as well. All of our employees have currently completed their partnership journey, which means everyone you interact with is a shared owner in the business, and has a vested interest in your well-being.

We have four commanding ethical principles that guide our business decisions at all times. 

1. Affordable Housing: We actively work to limit costs and rent increases. We also have a resident hardship program for those with difficulties paying their rent. We also have committed to not raising rent for long term residents, especially those on fixed incomes. We realize it can be tough to afford things these days. While our costs are increasing too, we stand by our promise to limit rental increases as much as humanly possible while still staying in business.
2. Safety and Transparency: We perform safety checks in your unit, looking for any safety issues and performing an inspection on all fire protection and warning systems, locks, and other issues for free. We make available any records pertaining to your rent and tenancy, and we personally walk you through any questions.
3. Commitment to Service: The biggest complaint we hear from residents who have stayed with other landlords is maintenance. We have a 3 business day turnaround policy for ALL repairs. This means from the moment we are notified of any issues, you can expect the issue to be resolved quickly, or if there needs to be a delay due to part availability or material you will receive timely updates while we work to resolve it.
4. Equality and Inclusivity: We believe that everyone has the right to live in a place with the previous three principals. Nazca is a safe place for folks that are LGBTQ+, all religions (or none), all political persuasions, races, levels of ability and cultures. If there is anything we can do to accommodate you during your stay, please allow us to help.

What does this all mean for you as a new resident? You can expect an approachable, accessible company that will work with you and is concerned with making sure you are happy and comfortable while you are here, and not just collecting rent. Nazca is more than just a business to us. It’s how our family makes a living. It’s a responsibility. It’s a calling. On behalf of Tim, Catherine, Eric, and myself, I’m so pleased to welcome you to our community!

Cody Rush-Ossenbeck, Nazca Properties Senior Managing Partner

Move-In steps: After you are settled, please attend to these items within your FIRST week.  

PARKING: For those whose apartments come with a parking spot, please affix your CURRENT parking sticker to your vehicle (if any). These must be permanently attached to the lower driver’s side of the windshield of your vehicle in a visible location. They will not be honored if they aren’t attached, meaning they WILL tow you. Towing starts up on August 5th, so you will not need to worry about it until then. If you are moving in after that, place your stickers IMMEDIATELY. 

TRASH: We send out friendly trash day reminders a few days before your trash date. YOU will need to take the cans to the curb on your designated trash day the day BEFORE and return them after they are emptied THE SAME DAY. If you have items that will not fit (or too much trash) you will need to schedule a large item pickup. If you have city pickup you can schedule this HERE. For buildings with a dumpster or RUMPKE cans, you can schedule it HERE. Rumpke does charge a fee for this. It is important that you follow all guidelines and DO NOT set anything out before your pickup date. The City has trash fines starting at $500 for large items or trash not picked up properly and they will be billed to your accounts if we receive one.

UTILITIES: Duke Energy services Cincinnati for both gas and electric utilities. You should have already made the arrangements through Duke Energy to have service begin in your name for the day your lease begins. You can do this online on Duke’s website or you can call them at 800.544.6900. Utilities will be prorated and billed to your Nazca account once we receive Duke’s final bill for any portion between your move-in date and when you start service, and there will be a $45 monthly utility management fee on top of your utility responsibility. You will need to designate one person as the “Customer of Record” to hold the utility account and can work out payment between residents, although additional Residents may be added as “Authorized Users”. If you have a SINGLE FAMILY you will need to also transfer cincinnati WATER into your name HERE. 

RENTERS INSURANCE: Renters insurance provides significant benefits for both landlords and residents, and is a requirement during your entire tenancy. For Nazca Properties, it ensures that tenants have coverage for their personal property and liability, loss of use of your apartment,  and potential financial loss due to tenant-caused damages. For residents, renters insurance offers protection for their belongings in case of theft, fire, or other unexpected events. It also provides liability coverage, which can cover legal expenses if someone is injured in their unit. Overall, renters insurance creates a safer and more secure living environment, promoting peace of mind for both landlords and tenants. Through our resident portal we have a link where you can go and purchase your renters insurance. This policy will cover the requirements we need, including but not limited to the required liability coverage of $100,000.00 dollars, Adding Nazca as a named insured party, and loss of use. Proof of renters insurance can be uploaded into Buildium, which is our main operating software and the platform that your resident portal runs through. Failure to provide proof of renters insurance is a lease violation and will result in a monthly recurring charge of $35.00 dollars until we have proof of renters insurance. 

RESIDENT PORTAL: On our website nazcaproperties.com, you will find THIS LINK for your resident portal at the top of the page. It contains your account and payment access as well as your ability to submit maintenance requests. We respond to all maintenance requests within 1-3 business days and our policy is to complete them or update further within 3 business days.  This portal is linked with the email you used to make your deposits and sign your lease, and there is only access for RESIDENTS. Our software does not have the ability to add Co-Signers unfortunately. If you have any issues please contact Eric at the phone number or email above. 

IMPORTANT policies to be aware of:

LEASE RENEWALS: As many of you are aware, renting is extremely competitive particularly around UC. It can come as a bit of a surprise, but we start our search for residents 9 months before the lease start date. We are usually 90% rented by January for August of that year. This means you will be receiving a renewal letter October 1st for the following school year. Many residents are surprised by this as they are just getting settled, but residents and cosigners have been upset in the past when they missed out on the opportunity to re-lease. That said, we prefer to keep our existing residents in their units. Residents who renew early are offered a lower renewal rate than residents who renew later. The deadline for your early renewal rate lock-in is October 15th. If your new lease is not signed within 7 days of receiving it, you will lose your renewal rate and your apartment will be listed! Showings start on October 17th this year for all unsigned leases for 2025-2026. We know it’s soon, however if you want to lock in a returning resident rate and not miss out on your unit for the following year, sign up quickly. ABOUT 40% of our apartments are leased at the first showing!

MAIL: Cincinnati requires that the last names of residents receiving mail be posted on your mailbox before you can get mail delivered. Also, due to porch pirates we STRONGLY recommend you have any packages held by the Corryville USPS. Also, Amazon has a locker nearby. It is somewhat inconvenient but this is the best way to ensure your items are safe. We cannot check for packages for you!

KEYS: Keys are for RESIDENTS and CO-SIGNERS only. Do not make copies for any reason, especially to hand out to friends or acquaintances. This is a safety concern not only for yourselves but also any other residents of your building. If you lose your keys do not make copies. Keys need to be copied from the originals or else they will not work as well and may damage your locks. If you are locked out of your apartment during normal business hours, there is a $63 fee. If you are locked out after hours or on the weekend, you will need to contact your co-signer for a set of keys, stay with a friend, or hire a locksmith. You will be liable for any costs to repair the locks.   

SAFETY: Nazca takes the safety of our customers seriously. 

(1) Please be sure that your windows/doors are closed/ locked when you are not home. 

(2) Do not leave building entry doors open. DO NOT let in anyone that YOU DO NOT KNOW or doesn’t live in your building unless they are there to see you. 

(3) FIRE ESCAPES are for EMERGENCY use only.

(4) Roofs are completely off limits! NO exceptions!

(5) Do not leave personal items, especially electronics, in your vehicles. 

BILLING: Please note that we ONLY accept electronic payments, either electronic check (EFT) or credit card. The third-party financial institution that handles all of your bank information and payments does charge a convenience fee for credit card payments, so we strongly recommend using the electronic check (EFT) option which has no additional fee. Rent and ANY fees posted to your account are due the 1st of the month. Late fees will accrue for any individual’s late payment and are jointly shared by the residents in that unit. Unfortunately our software does not allow us to differentiate this. Late fees can be waived with prompt communication BEFORE the monthly statement posts. We will work with you, but we need to know what’s going on. Any fees or charges will be paid first out of a payment, leaving any remaining rent still due. This means if you had a $15 late fee on your account, and pay $500 in rent, ONLY $485 would go to rent from this payment as fees are paid first. This also includes other charges. 

COMMON AREAS: Please understand that you may not store personal items in the halls at ANY TIME and leaving trash bags in the halls is not acceptable. Please bring them down to your can or dumpster every time!

ESSENTIAL MAINTENANCE POLICIES

We are stewards of historic buildings, and we love the history and architecture of our city. However, with older buildings there are a few IMPORTANT things to be aware of: 

PLUMBING: Many of our properties have some or all cast-iron drains. NEVER use any chemical drain cleaner of any kind. It can crack cast-iron and cause extensive damage, and it will be traced back to the unit that caused the damage. We only utilize mechanical clearing and citrus degreaser. WE DO NOT TYPICALLY CHARGE for drain clearing, however repeated clogging can be subject to charges. DO NOT pour grease or used cooking oil down the drain. DO NOT FLUSH feminine hygiene products, paper towels, or “flushable” wipes! Some of our drains are older and of a smaller diameter than some you may be used to. This can cause a backup and interruption of your drain use. 

ELECTRICAL: Some of our properties have smaller amperage circuits. If they are 15amp they WILL NOT support appliances such as air fryers, high output curling irons, or in-unit washers and dryers. We do not recommend bringing these appliances as they tend to trip breakers. In unit washers and dryers are NOT approved and you will be asked to remove them. You MUST use your primary heating system to heat the apartment. Electric space heaters, Oil heaters, and any propane heaters are absolutely forbidden. 

DOORS and WINDOWS: Please note we do not maintain or provide window coverings. In order to keep utility bills reasonable, please keep windows Closed at the top AND bottom sash, and in the locked position. This ensures that there is a proper seal and your conditioned air stays in your apartment. NEVER prop or stick something in an entry door to keep it open. This can damage the lock and it can be a security concern. Please make sure your ac systems are set to a reasonable temperature and your windows are closed when they are turned on. Leaving windows unlocked allows air loss that can cause the system to be damaged/ overworked. 

SELF MAINTENANCE: Nazca does not allow residents or co-signers to alter, repair, or do ANY painting or patching. This includes any other parties such as contractors or acquaintances. Please put in a maintenance request for any work needing to be completed. We do not charge for normal wear and tear (minor touch up, nail patching, etc) upon move-out.