Resident Move-in Guide
NAZCA PROPERTIES MOVE-IN GUIDE
PLEASE READ TO THE END FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!!
Dear Residents and Co-Signers,
Welcome to Nazca Properties! This letter is a step-by-step guide to settling into your new home. It contains important items you will need to attend to during your first days with us, as well as answers to commonly asked questions.
Before we get to this, after moving everyone gets hungry. Here are a few of our favorite restaurants: Al-Madina Lebanese Cuisine (great falafels and reasonably priced!) If you want Pizza, Adriatico’s is our first stop (The bearcat is huge if you have a big crew). If you would like some classic Cincinnati German food, Mecklenburgs is our oldest beer hall and our family has been going there since the early 1900s.
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 this 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. 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.
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 2024-25. 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 (info HERE). 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, and the charge is minimal. 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: We employ a professional cleaner to clean your hallways and stairwells. 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. We will be happy to assist you in installing these if you wish! 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.
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.