We've now loaded most of the documents that will be of interest to potential landlords and tenants so that you can review them before the process starts. Links to other related information will also be added soon. You can now see:

• The Property Management Agreement which outlines the services that DMS Properties, LLC will provide to landlords and tenants, along with the duties and responsibilities of the property owner.

• Our Current Inventory of Homes that we have available and/or are currently managing (including their disclosures, if available).

• The Rental Application that we use to process the applications for your properties. DMS Properties, LLC will manage your property regardless of how you find the tenants or what Real Estate Brokerage Company lists the property to find the tenant.

• Our Residential Management Information Sheet, where we document much of the property and owner information.

• The Deed of Lease for Maryland so that both potential landlords and tenants can see the provisions. This Lease complies with Maryland law. If you wish to have provisions added or subtracted, we can certainly discuss that ... as long as the changes conform to Maryland law.

• A Property Condition Report, which we will complete at the beginning of the lease term. This is used to evaluate the condition of the property at the end of the lease term for distribution of the security deposit.

• An Authorized Agreement for Automatic Deposits (ACH Credits) for handling the rent payments and distributions to the property owners. This document and the attached Certifications document are required to set up the direct deposit system for collecting and distributing your rent payments and receipts. About half of our landlords now have their rent proceeds sent to them by electronic funds transfers.

• A Section 8 Election form, whereby the property owner will indicate their desire to participate (or opt out) of the Section 8 Rent Subsidy Program. You can learn more about that at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Owners of properties located in Montgomery County and Howard County CANNOT opt out of the due to local Fair Housing Laws. We'll be adding information about the Fair Housing Laws the are specific to each County. If you own a property that you'd like to get qualified for the Program, let us know and we'll help you with that process, too.

• The Landlord's Moving-Out Check List. This tells you what you need to do when vacating the property and preparing it for a tenant.

• The Lead-Based Paint disclosures and information about the Federal requirements and the Maryland laws regarding rental properties and lead-based paint in the home. If your property was built AFTER January 1, 1978, the property does not have potential liability for issues involving lead-based paint. If the home was built BEFORE January 1, 1978, then it must be tested. We are working on developing a section on Maryland Lead-Based Paint Certification.

• We ask that all of our landlords and tenants each sign a Real Estate Related Business Disclosure Form. This form is simply an acknowledgement that DMS Properties, LLC is not affiliated with any Real Estate Brokerage Firm.

• There are two disclosures that must be part of each residential real estate transaction undertaken by licensed REALTORS through a Real Estate Brokerage Firm. The first is the Understanding Whom Real Estate Agents Represent and is required to be signed by any buyer, seller, landlord or tenant who is using a REALTOR to assist in the transaction. The second is the Consent For Dual Agency disclosure form that acknowledges that the same Real Estate Brokerage Company is representing both the buyer and seller or landlord and tenant. You can read all about "Agency" as explained by the Maryland Real Estate Commission.

  Our Business Directory, where we tell you about the contractors and businesses that we believe will do a great job for you!

We hope that you find all of this information helpful ... and believe that the entire process goes more smoothly if you have the information that you need as quickly as possible. We look forward to working with you!!