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Owner’s FAQ

Service & Pricing

What services do you provide?

Homebox is a modern, full-service property management solution for homeowners available in Washington DC. Our all-in-the-box services include:

• 24/7 Property Management: We care for your tenants, collect rent, manage deposits, handle utilities and HOA billing on your behalf, coordinate timely maintenance and upkeep, and conduct quarterly inspections to help ensure you have peace of mind.

• Rapid Tenant Placement: If you ever need a new tenant, we will professionally prepare, list, and have your property leased within 28 days of it being rent-ready, guaranteed*. We carefully credit and background checks all applicants to help find you great tenants. 

• Homebox Concierge: Whether it’s a project with your home or moving your belongings between locations, if you need anything else done with your property, we’ve got you covered. Rest easy knowing you always have a team on hand to help.

*We will rent your property within 28 days of it being rent-ready, or your first month’s Management Fee will be free once we do rent your property.

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How much do you charge?

Our pricing is highly competitive as compared to other property managers in Washington DC, but more importantly, it’s simple and clear to help you plan where your money is going. We charge owners:

• 8% of all rent collected, paid only when your tenants pay rent.

• If you ever need us to find new tenants, a one-time payment of 50% first month’s rent, paid only when we secure a lease and have started collecting rent. This covers our cost to inspect, prep, list, advertise, and tour your property to prospects, screen applicants, draft your lease, and onboard your tenant.

Just as important is what we don’t charge for. Unlike many old-school property managers:

• We don’t charge you fees if your property is vacant. 

• We don’t charge you fees when tenants renew their lease.

• We never mark up your invoices for maintenance or upkeep. 

Plain and simple. (What property management should look like.)

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How long do I have to sign up for?

You can cancel your service anytime with 30 days notice. We use this time to button up your property and account before turning over. This is unlike many other property managers that require a 12-month commitment.

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Getting Started with Homebox

How do I get started with Homebox?

From the moment you sign up, our goal is making your life as a property owner easier. Starting with your onboarding. Here’s how it works:

If you already have tenants:

• We work with you to painlessly onboard your property, archive any leases, and notify local utilities, HOAs, etc that we’ll be taking over. If you currently work with another PM, we’ll coordinate with them to save you time. 

• We introduce ourselves to your tenants and warmly transition them to our easy and convenient portal, where they can auto-pay rent and submit maintenance requests 24/7

• We work with your tenants to schedule a thorough inspection of your property to finalize our intake, providing you a full report of our findings (this is something we do quarterly to help ensure your home stays healthy)

If you need your home rented:

• We work with you to painlessly onboard your property, and perform a thorough inspection of your property to assess if it meets all legally required habitability standards, as well as other relevant criteria.

• We provide you with a budget for any legally required repairs or updates, and for recommended tweaks that could greatly reduce vacancy time. Once you approve, we coordinate everything at no additional charge.

• We complete work, deep-clean your house, and professionally photograph your home to get it rent-ready. This usually takes 1-2 weeks. Once ready, we list, tour, screen tenants, and rent your home within 28 days

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Do I need a Business License to rent my home in DC?

Yes. In Washington DC, owners of single-family homes, town houses, duplexes, individual condos, or even individual rooms are required to obtain a Basic Business License (BBL) from DCRA for every unit they wish to rent out.

It’s extremely risky to rent your home in DC without a BBL. Owners that do this could find themselves without legal recourse in a situation where a tenant stops paying rent and delinquently remains in the property for an extended period of time. Without a BBL, you as an owner don’t have the same legal standing to sue in DC Landlord & Tenant court as a licensed owner. That’s why we require our owners to obtain a BBL before we list and manage a property.

Need a Basic Business License? We’re happy to help.

Without guidance, obtaining a BBL in DC can be a complicated, time-consuming process. It requires property owners to, amongst other things:

• Register with the Office of Tax and Revenue 

• Submit a Clean Hands Self-Certification 

• Submit a Certificate of Occupancy for any property that has 2 or more units.

• Appoint a Registered Agent (a bona fide DC resident or company physically located in DC) that does not reside at the address being registered for rental

• Obtain consent of all currently residing tenant(s) for DCRA to inspect the property

• Complete and pass a DCRA Housing Inspection on the home being rented within 45 days of receiving a BBL

We get that this process can be daunting. When you sign up to Homebox, we’ll help walk you through every step of this process during your onboarding to make it as painless as possible.

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Renting Your Property 

How do you get my property ready to rent?

Whether we’re initially onboarding your property, or preparing to turn it over for new tenants once old tenants leave, we take the same swift but detailed approach:

• As soon as it’s vacant, we’ll conduct a thorough inspection of your property to ensure it meets all legally required habitability standards, as well as other relevant criteria often important to renters. 

• We provide you with a budget for any legally required repairs or updates, and for recommended tweaks that could greatly reduce vacancy time. Once you approve, we coordinate everything at no additional charge. 

• If your home was previously occupied, we help offset your budget by compiling a detailed list of tenant liabilities that should be reimbursed from the past tenants’ security deposit, as outlined in their lease.

• We quickly get your house rent-ready, coordinating work, deep-cleaning, professional photography, listings, lease documents, and rental strategy. This usually takes 1-2 weeks. Then, we list your property across major rental platforms, conduct virtual and in-person tours, thoroughly vet applicants, and have your home rented within 28 days, or your first month’s management fee for that property is free.

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How long does the whole process typically take?

Though timing varies between homes, the entire process from start-to-finish should take around 4 - 6 weeks. Here’s a sample timeline of the typical rental process: 

• Property Walkthrough: 1 Day

• Getting Rent-Ready: 6 - 13 Days

• Listing, Touring, & Leasing: 14 - 28 Days

• Total From Start to Finish: 28 - 42 Days (or 4 - 6 Weeks)

Curious about how long it’ll take to rent your home? We’d be happy to conduct a free virtual walkthrough of your home for an initial estimate. Reach out to get scheduled today.

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How does your 28-day guarantee work?

If we haven’t rented your home within 28 days of getting it rent ready, your first month’s management fee for that property is on us when we do get it rented.

What does “rent ready” mean? 

Before we can list a home, we inspect it to ensure it meets legal habitability standards and basic marketability criteria. If necessary, we'll put together a budget for touch-ups or cleaning recommended (remember, we never markup invoices or make commission on this work). With your approval, we'll then coordinate all work and professionally photograph your home. 

During all this, we'll be preparing a 4-week schedule of asking rent, which allows us to quickly find you the “sweet spot” rent that minimizes vacancy time and maximizes the total rent your home generates for you over the course of 12 months. (See here to learn more about how we set your asking rent). 

Once your home is ready to be listed and we’ve agreed on lease terms and asking rent, your property will be considered rent ready. This process typically takes 1-2 weeks from signing.

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How do you determine asking rent for my property?

To set your property’s initial asking rent, we pair your home’s unique condition and characteristics against data from comparable rentals in your market. We use all this to create a 4-week schedule of asking rent, dropping the asking price by a small amount each week to quickly find you the “sweet spot” rent that minimizes vacancy time and maximizes the total rent your property generates for you over 12 months. 

Our primary goal is maximizing your annual profit versus simply finding you the largest rent, which can often cost you critical vacancy time. A good rule of thumb is that one month of vacancy costs about as much as lowering rent by 10% for an entire year. That’s why we constantly adjust rent in small increments to avoid lengthy vacancy gaps and quickly seek out the higher end of market-tolerable rents.

The moment we start seeing sufficient applicant interest in your property, we pause on lowering rent. We also send you an update every week your property is listed, letting you know how much your property’s asking rent currently is, how many tours we have completed, and how many applications we have received.

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How do you market and tour my property?

We syndicate your property across top rental platforms, including Zillow, Hotpads, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and more. We also take professional photographs to help your property stand out from others, and exhaustively test the language we use in our listings to help catch the right eyes. In the physical world, we use lawn signage whenever legally possible to promote your property to passerbys.

We offer applicants flexible touring options (including nights and weekends) and also offer virtual tours. For owners that feel comfortable, we also offer self-touring via Rently. Amidst the pandemic, we’ve found applicants appreciate the convenience of touring by themselves. Applicants that do wish to self tour are carefully screened beforehand and their credit card is held for verification and the protection of your property.

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How do you vet applicants?

We apply a thorough and rigorous approach to screening prospective tenants for your property, while taking extreme care to never discriminate against applicants. We use a third party company to conduct multiple key checks, including evaluating credit score and history, prior evictions and landlord debt, sex offender status, terrorism, felony, and misdemeanor criminal history. 

Once we’ve vetted and cleared an applicant, we’ll send you the following information to ensure you’re comfortable with the arrangement before we finalize a lease for signature:

• Applicant household income (and rent multiple)

• Applicant credit score

• Applicant pet preference (if applicable)

Please understand that due to Fair Housing Laws and best practices, we cannot share other applicant information, such as name(s), primary language, age, work title, etc. until that applicant has signed a lease.

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What do you do when a lease ends?

Typically 90 days prior to a lease ending, we reach out to tenants inviting them to renew their lease (so long as they have been good tenants).

We provide a flexible schedule of asking rent, offering one-to-twelve month options for extension. We determine renewal rates based on your home’s unique characteristics, comparable homes currently available for rent in your market, and historical rental seasonality. Our goal is to retain good tenants for as long as possible at market-competitive rates to avoid your property from incurring costly vacancy time.

If a tenant agrees to renew, we’ll prepare a new lease for signature. If a tenant does not wish to renew, we’ll immediately start preparing your home for turnover and rapid tenant replacement (see here to learn more)

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How does rental turnover work?

We require tenants to inform us within 60 days of their lease end date if they do not wish to renew. If a tenant informs us they will not be continuing, we’ll immediately start planning for turnover and rapid tenant replacement. 

To minimize potential vacancy time, at least 6-8 weeks before your tenants move out, we’ll relist your property as available for rent 1-2 weeks after your current tenant will be vacating. We’ll work with current tenants to coordinate tours with prospective applicants during times convenient to all parties. Our goal is to lease your property to a new tenant before your existing tenant even moves out to save you costly vacancy time.

The day your tenants move out, we’ll conduct a thorough walkthrough of your property and compile a detailed list of tenant liabilities that we believe should be reimbursed from their security deposit. We’ll also identify any other work we believe should be done to get your property rent-ready for new tenants and compile a turnover budget for your review.

Once we have your approval, we’ll complete all required work (e.g. maintenance and upkeep, deep-cleaning, etc.). This usually take 1-2 weeks and is why we provide a slight buffer between the lease end date and first available move-in date for new tenants.

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Is my DC property subject to rent control?

Rent control in the District of Columbia is regulated by Rental Housing Act of 1985 (“RHA”), which is administered by DC’s Rental Accommodations Division (“RAD”). Though the RHA technically applies to all rental units in DC, many units are exempt from its rent control provisions.

The most common exemptions from rent control are for rental units that: 

• Are federally or District-subsidized 

• Are owned by a natural person (i.e. not a corporation) who owns less than five units in the District

• Were built after 1975

• Were vacant when the act took effect

Note, if your property is not registered with RAD, rent control automatically applies. Once registered, your property is assigned a registration number if subject to rent control. If exempt, it is assigned an exemption number. We always recommend landlords register their properties with RAD and obtain their requisite Basic Business License for each property owned.

Homebox is happy to help you navigate DC’s complicated rent control regulations, secure RAD registration, obtain Basic Business Licenses, and advocate for your interest as a landlord with the District.

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What if my property is subject to rent control?

If your property is subject to rent control, any rent increase must meet the following criteria:

• The increase must not violate the terms of the lease.

• The housing provider must give a 30-day notice of any increase in rent.

• The last increase in rent must have been at least 12 months ago, unless the unit has since been vacant.

• The new rent charged may not be more than the prior rent, plus an allowable increase. The allowable increase is determined by:

  • For occupied properties, the Consumer Price Index plus 2% (capped at a total of 10%, unless tenants are elderly or disabled, in which case the cap is 5%).

  • For vacant properties, the greater of 10% more than was charged to the former tenant, or Rent for a comparable rental unit, but not more than 30%. A comparable unit has essentially the same square footage and floor plan, comparable amenities and equipment, location, and physical condition.

You may also choose to seek a larger allowable increase under certain other provisions of DC’s Rental Housing Act, including hardship, capital improvements, services and facilities or substantial rehabilitations. These increases must be petitioned for with DC’s Rent Administrator, and tenants may choose to participate in the process, often at hearings before an administrative hearing judge. 

Homebox is happy to help you navigate DC’s complicated rent control regulations, secure RAD registration, obtain Basic Business Licenses, and advocate for your interest as a landlord with the District.

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Managing Your Tenants

How do you welcome new tenants?

Once a tenant signs their lease, we’ll issue them a warm welcome letter with helpful information on:

• How to pay their initial rent payment and security deposit

• What to expect during move-in day

• How to sign up for utilities

• How to set up autopay and submit maintenance tickets

• Fun information about their new neighborhood and home (e.g. local history, popular restaurants, etc.).

On move-in day, we offer both assisted and contactless move-in options, and we ensure tenants know they can always reach us with questions or emergencies over the course of their lease. We also leave a welcome gift to provide a warm first impression of their new home, landlord, and property manager.

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Do you manage security deposits?

Yes. Unlike many other property managers, we manage tenant security deposits and keep them legally separated from other funds in a legally-required interest-bearing account. We also manage the entire security deposit reconciliation process upon a lease ending. This includes:

• Identifying any damages incurred over the lease term that the prior tenant should be responsible for;

• Deducting a reasonable amount from their security deposit to either offset repairs or return directly to you (all of our leases contains a detailed schedule of pre-determined expenses to simplify this process and minimize contentious disputes with past tenants);

• Itemizing a statement of reimbursement to provide to the prior tenant to return along with remaining funds upon completion of the reconciliation process.

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When is rent due?

Our standard lease policy is that rent is due on the 1st of each month. We provide a 3-day grace period and require payment by the 5th before charging a 5% late fee, which you keep. 

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What if a tenant is late paying rent, or refuses to pay?

Despite our best efforts, sometimes problems arise. If a tenant refuses or is unable to pay by the 7th, we either work with them if they have a past history of reliable payments and good behavior to establish a short-term payment plan, or deliver them a 3-day notice to pay rent. Following that 3-day period, we begin coordinating with you to help determine the best course forward. We always have attorneys on hand in the event we need to help you coordinate eviction proceedings.

We keep you in the loop throughout this entire process, and any payment plans or eviction pursuits are subject to your approval before proceeding.

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Do you deal with evictions, if necessary?

Yes. We are fully prepared to help you deal with evictions, and we keep an established legal team specializing in landlord and tenant laws on hand in Washington, DC for such events should you need legal representation.

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Can I use my own lease?

For your protection and to ensure we’re offering you high-quality property and tenant management, we only use Homebox leases when renting your property. Please rest assured, our leases have been developed with your property’s protection, liability, and profitability in mind, and they have been thoroughly reviewed and vetted to ensure their legality in Washington DC.

If we are onboarding your property and you already have tenants under an existing lease, we will honor that lease through the remainder of the lease term, but will then ask tenants to renew under our standard lease. (Please note, certain processes like rental disbursement timing might be impacted by non-standard leases we inherit.)

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Upkeep, Maintenance, & Expenses

How do upkeep, maintenance, and expenses work?

We start with the assumption that things will happen. Over time, every property needs some maintenance and upkeep, and we aim to make that process as streamlined and simple as possible for you.

In any given month, we cover up to $500 in expenses per property. This allows us to cover things like replacing AC filters, repairing appliances, and paying for lawn care or HOA fees without having to bother you each month for approval. We reimburse these expenses each month from the rent we collect from your properties. Anything in excess of $500 incurred in a given month will be invoiced directly to you for approval and reimbursement. This protects you from incurring any potentially large surprise charges. We’re also happy to discuss customizing this limit to your needs.

If an emergency arises where work must be performed immediately (e.g. a pipe bursts) we’ll exceed this limit without your prior authorization in an attempt to prevent greater damage and costly repairs for your property. 

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Do you markup invoices or charge commissions?

No. We never markup your invoices or charge commission for the upkeep and maintenance we coordinate for your property. And we always secure you the best rates we can find from our highly-vetted network of vendors. 

We stake our reputation on property owners. Unlike many oldschool PMs, we believe in making our pricing simple and clear, and we don’t believe in nickel-and-diming you with hidden fees and markups to earn an extra buck. 

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Are your vendors licensed and vetted?

Yes. We thoroughly and regularly vet our highly-rated network of vendors to ensure each is fully licensed, competitively priced, and highly qualified to perform services for your property. We’re also happy to work with your existing vendors and service providers if you preferred.

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Do you manage utilities?

Yes. We manage utilities differently depending on whether a property is vacant or rented. In all cases, you don’t have to worry about billing or collecting payment for utilities. Here’s it it works:

• Whenever your property is vacant, we transfer utilities to our name and manage them on your behalf, billing you on a monthly basis for costs incurred. (If we manage multiple properties for you, we can also reimburse this directly from total rent collected across your portfolio.)

• If your property is rented and each unit is separately metered, we require tenants to sign up for their own utilities account and manage their bills directly. We find this helps ensure tenants pay their utilities in a timely manner.

• If your property is rented and units share a meter, we keep utilities in our name and bill tenants directly for their unit’s share of total utilities, determined based on the proportional size of their unit.

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Do you manage other services for my property?

Yes. We manage everything from coordinating lawn care to paying HOA dues for your property. 

During your onboarding process, we’ll work carefully with you to understand the specific services your property requires and your preferences for cadence (e.g. mowing twice per month) and billing (e.g. reimburse from rent). With your approval, we’ll then add ourselves as a primary contact for all relevant providers to coordinate work and payment going forward. 

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Payments, Finances, & Reporting

When do I get paid the rent you collect?

On the 10th of each month, or by the first business day following if the 10th falls on a weekend or holiday, we transfer rent we've collected to you via ACH or PayPal®, less our fee and any expenses incurred (e.g. lawn care, HOA fees).

Our standard Homebox lease requires rent due on the 1st of each month, allowing us to transfer it to owners by the 10th. In the event we are taking over a lease and rent is due after the 10th, we’ll also conduct a second transfer on the last business day of each month to ensure we always distribute your rental income the same month we collect it.

Please note, depending on your bank account and payment method, it could take up to 5 business days for disbursements to post to your account; though in most cases, we find disbursements hit much sooner.  All banks conduct standard anti-fraud procedures that can delay payment for up to 72 hours from and to new accounts; so your first payment from Homebox to a bank account might take closer to the full 5 business days.

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Where can I find my finances and reports?

You can access your finances and reports 24/7 via the Homebox portal (link here). Your default view upon sign-in will be your Income Statement across your portfolio for the most recent three months (including the current month), though you can customize the timeframe and filter by property. Click into any income or expense number for a breakdown of transactions occurred during a given time period. 

You can also select Reports on the top right of your portal to view your Rental Owner Statement, a detailed breakdown of your cash position, income statement, and transactions, a list of past and current Tenants, and your remaining lease terms.

We will also send you a Homebox Owner Statement with a helpful breakdown of your portfolio’s net income, a visualization of your lease terms, a schedule of upcoming events for your property, and any relevant management updates summarizing the work we did in the prior month.

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How do you handle expenses for my property?

In any given month, we cover up to $500 in expenses per property. This allows us to cover things like replacing AC filters, repairing appliances, and paying for lawn care or HOA fees without having to bother you each month for approval. We reimburse these expenses each month from the rent we collect from your properties. Anything in excess of $500 incurred in a given month will be invoiced directly to you for approval and reimbursement. This protects you from incurring any potentially large surprise charges. We’re also happy to discuss customizing this limit to your needs.

If an emergency arises where work must be performed immediately (e.g. a pipe bursts) we’ll exceed this limit without your prior authorization in an attempt to prevent greater damage and costly repairs for your property. 

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What if I co-own my property with another person?

No problem. We can split rental disbursements across owners and prepare multiple 1099’s for you come tax season at no extra charge.

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Working with Homebox

Who is Homebox?

We believe home is the best place on earth. It’s where love resides, memories are made, and friends are welcome. We’re as obsessed with the places we call home as we are passionate about the owners and tenants that make it possible. That’s why we started Homebox.

Our mission is making renting your home easier. From effortlessly paying rent and submitting tickets to having dedicated access to us and being treated as a human being first; we’re building a new, better way home.

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Is Homebox a licensed property manager?

Yes. We are a fully licensed property management company operating in Washington, DC. 

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What areas do you serve?

We currently serve the entirety of Washington, DC. 

We will be expanding into Virginia and Maryland in the second half of 2021. If you have property in Virginia or Maryland, don’t hesitate to contact us to learn more about our plans and stay in the loop!

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Can you help me navigate DC’s landlord requirements?

Yes. We request you sign a limited power of attorney when onboarding to allow us to help you and your property maintain good standing with Washington, DC. That includes submitting required disclosures on your behalf to the appropriate governing authorities. That can further include helping register your property and submitting new leases, inspection reports, or security deposit disclosures to the DCRA and DCHA.

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How can I reach you if I have a question?

Once you sign up with Homebox, you can reach us anytime via our portal, phone, email, text, or Slack. 

Unlike many other property managers, we keep it extremely easy for you to contact us with questions, submit requests for your property, and access your financial information.

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Tenant FAQ

Getting Settled

What should I do before moving in?

First, welcome to a Homebox property! We’re thrilled to show you a new way home. We recommend taking a few quick steps ahead of your home to ensure a smooth and easy transition.

• Create your Homebox account to easily pay rent, submit maintenance requests 24/7, or access your lease. Just click here, enter your information and select your new address to get started.

• Link your bank account and make your first payment. Once your account is created, you’ll see a balance due for your 1st month’s rent and initial refundable deposits. Follow instructions to easily link your bank account and pay this online ahead of your move.

• Set up autopay for your rent once you’ve connected to your bank. We highly recommend setting up autopay to avoid accidental late fees and credit score hits. It’s easy to forget rent’s due when things get busy, and we hate seeing folks get dinged.

• Reference your welcome letter to see if you’re responsible for your own utilities account. If you are, make sure to notify your neighborhood utility providers that you’re moving in so they know to bill you directly each month for your usage. Usually, this is as easy as creating an account with them online. Your welcome letter should have convenient links to account set-up pages for each provider to speed up the process.

• Get to know your home and neighborhood. We’ve included a bit of history about your home and neighborhood and compiled a list of some local favorite restaurants and cultural mainstays. We’ve also included some helpful information about trash and recycling, and any amenities if relevant.

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What should I expect on move-in day?

Leading up to your move, we’ll coordinate with you to ensure you have everything you need, including parking permits for moving trucks if applicable,, and how to secure those if so. We offer both contactless move-in, in which case we’ll provide you a key ahead of time, as soon as we have your security deposit and first month’s rent, and guided move-in, in which case we’ll meet you at your home to exchange keys and conduct an initial walkthrough with you.

In all cases, you should expect your home to be freshly touched-up, cleaned, and ready for you upon your arrival. 

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Paying Rent

When is rent due?

For our standard leases, Rent is due on the 1st of each month. We offer a 3-day grace period, after which we charge a 5% late fee. The exception is if we have inherited your lease from a landlord and you have agreed to different terms. In those cases, we will abide by the terms laid out in the lease you signed.

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How do I pay or auto-pay rent?

To pay your rent, follow these simple steps:

• First, create your Homebox account. Click here, enter your information and select your new address to get started.

• Then, link your bank account and make your first payment. Once your account is created, you might see a balance due for your 1st month’s rent and initial refundable deposits. Click “Make a payment” to easily link your bank account and pay this balance online ahead of your move.

• Lastly, set up autopay once you’ve connected to your bank. Click “Set up autopay,” enter your monthly rent and banking information, then select to have your payment made monthly on the 1st. 

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Requesting Maintenance 

How do I submit and track a maintenance request?

To submit a maintenance request or general inquiry, simply log into your Homebox account, select “Requests”, then “Create request.” Select a category for your request, enter the subject and a brief description of your request, then select whether you would prefer to be present when we stop by to complete work. Once you submit your request, you can track the 24/7 status from your Homebox account. 

We aim to have all requests responded to within 24 hours, and solved shortly thereafter.

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What can I submit a maintenance request for?

Eligible maintenance requests generally cover any problems with your appliances, electrical grid, HVAC system, keys or locks, lighting fixtures, outside area, plumbing, and other structural issues with your home. They generally do not cover things like replacement of lightbulbs or shoveling your driveway, which tenants are usually responsible for. 

When in doubt on what’s your responsibility as a tenant, you can always check your lease, which you can find by logging into your Homebox account and selecting “Documents.” You can also submit a general inquiry or contact us anytime via phone, text, email, or chat. 

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Renewing Your Lease

Can I renew my lease with you?

Of course, so long as you are in good standing. We typically reach out 90 days before you lease ends to provide you with rates for renewal over a variety of convenient lease terms. If you would like to renew, we ask you let us know in writing 60 days prior to your lease ending.

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Moving Out

What should I do before moving out?

If you decide not to renew your lease, we’ll reach out to you 30 days before your lease ends to help coordinate your move-out. 

Here are a few important things to keep in mind as you prepare for your move-out:

• Remember to clean and tidy. As a friendly reminder, if you’ve signed a lease with us, you’re required to deep clean your home and professionally treat your carpet before leaving. We’re happy to provide this service for you to save you time. Just reach out and let us know ahead of your move.

• Maximize your security deposit. Upon your move-out, we’ll look for any new damages to your home and apply applicable repair costs against your deposit (if any). Be sure to spackle holes and touch up any dings to minimize the size of your deposit return.

• Cancel your utilities. After leaving, don’t forget to cancel your accounts with your utility providers if you won’t be continuing your service. If you pay Homebox directly for utilities, we’ll send you a final utilities statement via email for you to pay.

• Need help moving? We offer two convenient services to make your move hassle-free. Let us coordinate everything and negotiate you favorable rates using our trusted network of service providers. 

• Packing & Moving: Save days by having us carefully packaging all of your belongings per your exact instructions, then having them expertly moved by a team of caring movers to your next destination. 

• Selling, Storing, or Removing Stuff: Don’t feel like taking that old couch or TV stand? We’ll post your goods on Craigslist and each other major marketplace to make you some extra cash, or have them put in storage or removed outright if you prefer.

Let us know if you’re interested in either service, and we’ll be happy to work with you to better understand your needs and provide you a free quote. And don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions ahead of your move-out. 

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When can I expect my security deposit after leaving?

Upon your move-out, we’ll look for any new damages to your home and apply applicable repair costs against your deposit (if any). We’ll return the balance to you with a detailed statement of deductions within 45 days of your lease ending. If you signed a lease with us, you’ll find a helpful breakdown of standard repair costs in your lease.

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Living With Homebox

Who is Homebox?

We believe home is the best place on earth. It’s where love resides, memories are made, and friends are welcome. In fact, we’re as obsessed with the places we call home as we are passionate about the owners and tenants that make home possible. That’s why we started Homebox.

Our mission is making renting your home easier. From easily paying rent and submitting tickets online for help to having dedicated access to us and being treated as a human being first; we’re building a new, better way home.

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Is Homebox a licensed property manager?

Yes. We are a fully licensed property management company operating in Washington, DC.

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What areas do you serve?

We currently serve the entirety of Washington, DC. 

We will be expanding into Virginia and Maryland in the second half of 2021. If you have property in Virginia or Maryland, don’t hesitate to contact us to learn more about our plans and stay in the loop!

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How can I reach you if I have a question?

Once you sign a lease with Homebox, you can reach us anytime via our portal, phone, email, or text. Unlike many other property managers, we keep it extremely easy for you to contact us with questions and submit maintenance requests.

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