RC
Rachel Chase
Jun 12, 2026
The good and the bad. In short, we found a rental house listed online, saw and liked it, and applied for a lease. Upon reading the terms and conditions of the lease, and reading the PMI national and local website, we withdrew our application and asked for the deposit back. More details to follow.
The positives: the local customer facing staff were helpful and professional. They called to share that we were approved for a home, and per policy we had 48 hours to accept/pay deposit or decline. We went to the bank which was still closed, then to Walmart for a money order of the deposit, then to PMI Wichita in person (after I worked a 12 hour night shift at the hospital) to pay the deposit. Then come the negatives: the binding, restrictive, and deceptively expensive terms of the lease.
To have overlap between our current place and the new lease, we wanted to move in on a Saturday and have about 5 days to move our stuff. PMI required we choose a weekday to move in, during business hours. They also required the prorated June rent plus full July rent at that time. I get paid biweekly and work nights, so this was difficult. We called our current rental company to ask for 3 more days to move out (July 3) in order to move and pay the new first month’s rent on July 1 as we planned. They explain that we must have utilities transferred to the address 24 hours before move in, or we pay a penalty fee.
We sign the deposit document giving us 5 days to sign the lease or withdraw. They then begin explaining all of the hidden fees. They tell us about a $50 administrative fee due upon move in. A penalty fee as above. A rental insurance fee unless I prove having my own rental insurance (I do). Pet deposit, monthly pet fee.
Then we get the lease. It is formatted as an online Docusign-like webpage where the user must sign one page at a time, with no way to read the entire lease before signing. I request a full PDF of the lease, which took 24 hours to receive. Then I read it. Maintenance fees/the entire cost of the work must be paid by tenant at the landlord’s discretion, if the landlord believes the maintenance is the tenant’s fault. Plumber comes for a clogged drain, and your hair is in the clog? Tenant could be responsible for the entire cost. Maintenance comes and you aren’t home to let them in? $100-175 trip fee. Grass too long for their liking? $100+ fee. Rent late? 10% fee, at minimum (a fee is understandable here, but this is steep imo). If you add security or other features to the home, it becomes property of the landlord.
In fact, as in the image, the word “fee” appears 108 times in the lease document. Sneeze? A fee. It would be like walking on eggshells in my own home to avoid fees, some of which are unavoidable (eg rental application and administrative fees). Even with the best intentions as a tenant, accidents happen. Per this lease, fees will be charged. I don’t need the stress.
PMI is a national company with franchisees that manage local rentals. Per the national website, the business is intended for landlords MAXIMIZE YOUR INVESTMENT WITH TIMELY MONTHLY PAYMENTS OF RENT AND ADD-ON FEES/SERVICES. The junk fees are part of the business model, which feels like a cash grab to send money upwards to the landlord and CEO at the expense of tenants. The Ticketmaster model, if you will. The lease has no financial protection for the tenant, only extra expenses.
I don’t like the idea of being a cash cow for property owners and PMI stakeholders because I, as a 20-something independent medical student, have no option other than renting at this time. I will be renting from a private landlord with no junk fees and no stress. The peace of mind will be priceless.