Yes, we do.  As per Mass General Law Code 254 Section 7, Kamins Real Estate will charge a finders, rental, or agency fee equal to one half a month's rent for any lease agreement signed.  The fee is due prior to a lease being sent to you via DocuSign or at lease signing if you come into office in person to sign a lease. If a lease contract is not fully executed there will be no fee due and any funds received will be returned.

Absolutely!  We often terminate leases early.  We require a qualified replacement tenant(s) as well as a nominal termination request fee per person on the current lease. The fee is due at the time you submit your Early Termination Request. You can find a replacement tenant on your own using your own resources (your contacts and/or social media as an example.)  We are always happy to help you find a replacement to take your place.  ALL parties to the current lease must sign the termination agreement.  This addendum will serve as notice of your intention to vacate early and describes the process to terminate your lease early.  We will work together to show your place with a day's notice and once a new lease is signed, we will finalize your termination agreement.

Yes, you are allowed to sublet with the owner's written approval.  The sublet process is at your own risk!  As a sublet you will be finding a temporary replacement who will pay on your behalf.  It is always recommended that you sign an agreement with your sublessor outlining their responsibilities (rent amount, duration of the sublet, rules and regulations they are required to follow that are a part of the lease) so there is no question about what is expected of them. You can find many examples on-line.

It is imperative that you realize that any failure of rents to be paid, damages incurred, or complaints of inappropriate behavior will be a direct reflection of your tenancy regardless of who is living inside your space. If your subletter refuses to leave the property at the end of your lease you will continue to be responsible for rents and all expenses incurred.

NO, in fact we try and complete work orders as soon as possible.  As work orders come in, we prioritize emergencies and then come straight over to fix your issue.  Maintenance has a master key so you can simply come and go as you need knowing that the maintenance will fix your troubles in a timely manner.

YES, you may be present while maintenance is fixing your request.  Admittedly it will be harder to schedule around other emergencies that may need our attention first.  But we can accommodate you when necessary.

You have several choices to report any maintenance issues in your apartment.

Call our office at 413-253-2515.  This is the quickest way for us to respond to any maintenance request.  It is the primary way to report any EMERGENCY you have inside your apartment. Emergencies are generally categorized as lack of heat, or water, detectors not working, or serious damage issues.

As a tenant you will receive access to your “Tenant Portal” through Propertyware. This portal will allow you to contact us for repairs as well as many other features.

You may email us.  If the repair is not an emergency or something that came up after business hours, please write us an email and it will be received the next business day.  

You may use our Maintenance form here on the website which will also send an email message.  It will ask all the necessary information we need to process your request.

Rent payments may be made several ways. We accept personal checks, bank checks or money orders. As a tenant you will receive access to your online “Tenant Portal” through Propertyware. This will allow you to make rent payments electronically and even set them up as recurring payments so you never have to worry about being delinquent on your rent.

If you perform your banking on-line you may want to set up Kamins Real Estate as a ‘vendor’ on your on-line bank account and schedule payments to be sent to Kamins automatically each month.

We have an insufficient check charge of $25.00.

Be sure to include the name of the tenant and the address of the unit the rent is being paid for on the memo line of the check that will come directly from your bank.

Kamins Real Estate

400 Amity St.

Amherst, MA 01002

Example memo line: #112 Mill Hollow Apts., John Smith

CASH IS NOT ACCEPTED, SORRY.

In accordance with the Better Business Bureau and with full compliance and accordance with the Privacy Act of 1988 and the national privacy principals Therein; we would like to describe our privacy policy as it pertains to the internet, our website, and our general off-line operations within our office.

Use of personal information:

Kamins Real Estate collects information for that which is necessary to perform the functions of our office.  This will include (but not limited to) leasing, management, refurbishment and maintenance, specifically:

• Leasing and management of properties including payment of creditors and landlords through electronic payment systems.
• Processing of tenancy applications: to confirm identity, assessment and confirmation of ability to meet minimum income standards, and to confirm through previous recommendation the personal habits and behavior to take appropriate care of the rental property during tenancy.
• Establishment of rent payments.
• Emergency contacts for next of kin or in case of necessary contact when the tenant is unavailable.
• Training and quality control processes.
• To aid in positive identification and verification of tenants over the phone.
• To meet our legal obligations, e.g. in accordance with legislation.

On the internet we collect no information as a qualification to view / access our website content. You may elect to add yourself to our email alert list to receive an automatic email as we change content; however, this will automatically cease after 45 days and your email will be deleted from the database.

You may voluntarily use our website to report maintenance issues or request information on rental properties.  There is no minimum amount of information required to use these functions.  This request is delivered directly to an office email account designed specifically for that function.

How do we collect personal information:

Generally we collect personal information directly from you in the form of an Application, UMass form, and/or cosigner form to qualify you for housing. We also may request the use of a third party form for the purpose of (but not limited to) transferring utility services or for credit qualification.  We may ask you as a current resident for an update of information over the phone.

Disclosure of personal information:

As stated previously, information is collected for variety of reasons and purposes. In fulfilling the duties and obligations associated with these uses it is sometimes necessary to disclose data to a third party. These would include (but not limited to) a maintenance person(s), building inspector, sub-contractor, or insurance agent to perform work on the property or as member agents to collect delinquent rents, process court documents, or participate in the eviction process. Specific information most often given is phone information to schedule appointments. Inquiry of information or recommendation of previous or current tenant’s information to another landlord or agent will only be given after written authorization is received from said tenant allowing us to do so.

Anti-spam policy/Direct Marketing:

We do not offer, sell, or lease our online subscribership for any reason.  We do not release any information of our residents or their personal information for the purpose of sales, marketing, or solicitation.  We will advertise local business through flyers or coupons that are inserted into our move in packets that new residents receive when they pick up their keys. While visiting our website we do not use cookies or other automated detection tools to track or gather information or record your actions.  The Kamins Real Estate website may provide links to third-party websites for your convenience and information. If you access those links, you will leave the Kamins Real Estate website. Kamins Real Estate does not control those sites or their privacy practices, which may differ from our practices. We do not endorse or make any representations about third-party websites.

Contact Us:

If you have comments or questions about our privacy statement, please email

support@kaminsrealestate.com or write to us at the following address:

400 Amity Street
Amherst, MA 01002

The means of payment will depend on the location you rent.

Colonial Village uses a card system. To obtain a laundry card please visit our office or the laundry card kiosk next to the maintenance office. You may load money onto your card at either of these locations ($40 max) then use the card at the machine(s) to start each cycle.  As the card total decreases you may re-load more money onto it (if loading your card at the kiosk please have exact change). Please note there is a $5.00 fee for the card which is refunded to you with any remaining readable balance when returned to the office.

Presidential Apartments has a state-of-the-art laundry facility that accepts nearly every form of payment: Credit/Debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, as well as cash or coins.

Any other location where laundry is provided will be a traditional coin operated system.

Kamins Real Estate is not pet friendly, but properly documented support animals are welcome.

Kamins Real Estate is required to have your space ready for you on the lease start date.  Please remember that we need time to paint, clean, and prepare your space before we have you pay the first month rent and pick up your keys to move.  If an opportunity presents for an early move-in we will contact you directly.  If any possible early move-in comes up it would be realized only a few days prior to the lease start date, no earlier and rent will be due for those days on a per diem (prorated) basis.  It is always best to make plans to move on your lease start date.  

The short answer is “no.” We have a strict "First come first serve" rental process. Because of this protocol, there is never an obligation to take a rental when you are approved; this enables you to keep looking at other options while we process your paperwork. Deposit money is due only once a person has been approved, selected a unit, and is being sent a lease agreement electronically via DocuSign or in person lease signing as circumstances allow. No money is due at the time of application. Applying for leasing with Kamins is always free of charge and once approved you are able to lease any unit in our inventory that you have been financially qualified for. 

Applying and being approved to lease from Kamins as an International Scholar is easy. You will need to complete an application as completely as possible and submit it to us along with a copy of your F-1 VISA (or similar), commonly referred to as your I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status issued from the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Anyone considering renting an apartment from Kamins Realty must fill out an application. References are required. With this application we also describe our minimum proof of income. The gross annual income of the applicant, or the Guarantor as needed, must be equal to 52 x one month’s rent.  (Or if paid weekly one week’s pay must equal one month’s rent.)  This form must have an actual signature and should be notarized. If you are not able to get the form Notarized, then an email from the Guarantor (from their own email address) stating the reason for not being able to get the form Notarized along with the signed form may be accepted as part of the application process.  The Guarantor does not take the place of a poor rental reference from the applicant who will be residing in the unit. We must verify this income in writing (paycheck stub, bank account information, etc.)

All applicants must meet the minimum income requirements or provide at least one Massachusetts resident as Guarantor to cosign for their responsibilities to the lease. Qualified Guarantors must meet the income qualification that the rental applicant does not.

We also require all applicants who have lived in the dorms at UMass to fill out a UMass form to verify their records with The Dean of Students.  This form MUST indicate that you are “not on active sanctions” from the University. Any student who is on “active sanctions” will automatically be disqualified to lease from Kamins until their sanctions expire and a new form indicating that you are “Not on active sanctions” has been provided.  NO EXCEPTIONS

We lease apartments on a “first come first served” basis.  We schedule appointments to show approved applicants available rentals weekdays during regular business hours.  We do not have a waiting list. We "pre-lease" apartments.  We schedule tours of the specific unit(s) in question for rent.  Availability of rentals change often due to our “first come, first serve” policy.

We require cosigners to live in state because of the collection process.  When we are forced to collect past due rents or damages we use the local sheriff and courts.  They do not travel outside of the state of Massachusetts.

Unfortunately we do not.  Residents will list their own apartments for short term renting or subletting.  This does not involve an application process with Kamins but may involve one with whoever is listing their own apartment.