1. Scope of Services & Operational Capability
The Service Provider shall deliver a Managed Operational Unit™ (MOU). In alignment with the Provider’s "Operational Capability — Not Headcount" model, each MOU provides three (3) dedicated specialists assigned to one defined property-management function (e.g., Tenant Relations, Violations Management, Lease Inventory, Collections, or Maintenance Requests Coordination). 5Keys provides the recruitment, leadership, technology support, operating controls, quality assurance, and continuity behind the department.
Representative activities include resident and stakeholder communication, work order and case intake, vendor coordination, document and record maintenance, follow-up on open items, and portfolio-level reporting. The specific department, workflows, software exclusions, and service windows shall be confirmed during onboarding.
2. Specialist Assignment & Personnel Replacement
The engagement is entered into with 5Keys Business Solution and not with any specific individual. The Service Provider recruits, supervises, trains, compensates, and manages assigned personnel, and may replace, reassign, or supplement a similarly qualified resource due to resignation, leave, performance, workload balancing, or business-continuity needs. Nothing herein creates an employer-employee relationship between the Client and any assigned personnel.
3. Delivery Standards & Operating Rhythm
The Service Provider shall use commercially reasonable efforts to meet agreed response and turnaround standards during the agreed service window, maintain daily and weekly reporting, and follow the Client’s escalation rules. The Client acknowledges that delayed instructions, approvals, or system access may affect completion timelines.
4. Fees, Advance Payment & Security Deposit
The Client agrees to pay $3,600 per department, per month for the services described in Clause 1. Prior to commencement, the Client shall pay one (1) month in advance plus one (1) month security deposit. The security deposit is applied to the final month of service upon valid termination, provided all balances are paid and the Client has complied with this Agreement.
5. Invoicing, Late Payment & Suspension
Fees are billed in advance and due on or before the agreed billing date. If payment is delayed, the Service Provider may pause services, restrict system/board access, and withhold deliverables until balances are settled. Timelines paused by delayed payment shall not be deemed a breach by the Service Provider.
6. Client Cooperation & System Access
The Client shall provide timely instructions, defined workflows, and secure access to the property-management systems required to perform the services (for example, the Client’s PMS such as AppFolio, Yardi, Buildium, or equivalent), along with communication channels, vendor lists, and approvals. The Service Provider is not responsible for delays or impacts caused by missing information, delayed approvals, restricted access, or incomplete Client-supplied materials.
7. Licensing Boundaries & Professional Responsibility
The Service Provider provides administrative, coordination, and operational support only. The Service Provider is not a licensed real-estate broker, property manager, attorney, or accountant, and does not provide licensed property-management services, real-estate brokerage, legal advice, accounting/tax services, or any service requiring a professional license. All licensed decisions, approvals, lease and legal determinations, fair-housing compliance decisions, financial/accounting decisions, and final authority remain solely with the Client and the Client’s licensed professionals. Assigned specialists act only within Client-defined, approved workflows.
8. Resident Data, PII & Fair Housing Compliance
The Service Provider shall handle resident and applicant personal information, payment-related data, and property records with strict confidentiality and use commercially reasonable safeguards. All resident-facing communication follows Client-approved scripts and applicable fair-housing and consumer-protection standards; the Client remains responsible for overall compliance determinations and approved language. Confidentiality obligations survive termination.
9. Performance Expectations & No Outcome Guarantee
The Service Provider shall use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain records, move items forward, and support coordination. The Service Provider does not guarantee occupancy or leasing results, collection recovery, violation-clearance timelines, vendor performance, resident behavior, regulatory outcomes, or other results dependent on third parties or the Client.
10. Scope Boundaries & Additional Work
Services are limited to the department(s), workflows, and service window agreed in writing. Additional departments, added units, extended or after-hours coverage, specialized work, or materially increased volume may require separate written approval and may be billed at the Service Provider’s prevailing unit or hourly rates. Third-party software subscriptions, CRM/PMS licensing, field labor, contractor costs, and external vendor charges are explicitly excluded and remain the financial responsibility of the Client.
11. Confidentiality & Data Security
Each party shall maintain the confidentiality of the other’s proprietary, operational, financial, resident, vendor, and strategic information, and use commercially reasonable safeguards to protect electronic information and documentation. These obligations survive termination of this Agreement.
12. Intellectual Property
Client-supplied data, records, and property materials remain the property of the Client. The Service Provider retains ownership of its pre-existing systems, templates, SOPs, dashboards, workflows, automations, and operating methods. Finalized deliverables created specifically for the Client belong to the Client upon full payment.
13. Non-Solicitation & Non-Circumvention
During the term and for twelve (12) months following termination, the Client shall not directly or indirectly solicit, hire, or contract with any personnel introduced or assigned by the Service Provider without prior written consent, whether directly or through a third party.
14. Independent Contractor & Non-Exclusivity
The parties are independent contractors. Nothing herein creates a partnership, joint venture, agency, or employer-employee relationship. This is a non-exclusive engagement; the Service Provider may serve other clients provided no confidential Client data is misused or shared.
15. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Service Provider shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, lost revenue, or business interruption. The Service Provider’s total aggregate liability shall not exceed the fees actually paid by the Client during the three (3) months immediately preceding the claim.
16. Term & Termination
This Agreement operates on a month-to-month basis unless otherwise agreed in writing. Either party may terminate with not less than thirty (30) days’ written notice. The Service Provider may suspend or terminate immediately for non-payment, material breach, misuse of personnel or systems, unauthorized solicitation, or confidentiality breach. The security deposit is applied to the final billing period.
17. Dispute Resolution & Arbitration
The parties shall first attempt to resolve any dispute through good-faith negotiation. Unresolved matters shall be submitted to binding arbitration in a mutually agreed jurisdiction, except where injunctive or equitable relief is necessary to protect confidential information, intellectual property, personnel, or proprietary systems.
18. Force Majeure
Neither party is liable for delay or failure in performance caused by events beyond reasonable control, including internet or platform outages, power failures, government restrictions, natural disasters, or civil unrest. Timelines shall be reasonably extended where such events materially affect performance.
19. Electronic Signatures
This Agreement may be executed electronically. The parties agree that electronic signatures and electronically generated records have the same legal effect as handwritten signatures to the fullest extent permitted under the U.S. Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (ESIGN) Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) where applicable.