What's your property worth? What's your property worth? The details below cover our Property management service, if you would like you can download our Property Management pdf file here:
PropertyManagement.pdf
Periodic inspections are carried out every three to four months. Following each inspection a report is sent to the Lessor and a copy is kept on our files. This service is provided at no charge to the Lessor.
LISTING & ADVERTISING:We provide rental lists on all available properties. All inspections with prospective tenants are conducted with a member of the property management team. As our office is located in a popular shopping precinct, we have a thoroughfare of potential tenants who visit the office daily for available rentals. Your property will also be placed on both www.realestate.com.au and www.eastsidepropertycentre.com.au, both these internet sites experience heavy traffic and this will reduce the time your property is vacant between tenants.
In addition to our Company advertising, some of our clients prefer using a dedicated advertisement which has proved to be more successful. We advertise regularly in the Courier Mail and also the South East Advertiser, however, we do not undertake to advertise without the consent of the Lessor.
ARREARS:An arrears list is printed daily and reviewed by our Principal and the Property Management team. Tenants who appear on this list are telephoned immediately. We diarise our telephone conversations and follow up with the tenants until they have rectified the arrears. If we cannot contact the tenant by telephone, we visit the property and where necessary will leave a letter for the tenants to contact our office urgently. We also send out the required Notices in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act. Unfortunately the Act does not allow for Notices to be sent until the tenants are 7 clear days in arrears. The notice is then sent on the eighth day, hence the importance of contacting the tenants prior to the eighth day. Our owners are notified of tenants who are in arrears so there are no surprises at mid month or month end when Lessors receive their statements.
KEYSNew tenants are required to sign for keys when taking possession of the property. We hold a master set to each property at our office. Should a tenant lose keys or not hand in the correct number of keys at the termination of the lease they will be charged for replacement keys and or locks where required from bond monies. As an added measure of easy identification and key matching, we photocopy the keys and place a copy on the Lessors file.
CONDITION REPORTA full detailed Entry Condition Report is completed by our Property Management Division prior to tenants taking possession of the home. A copy of this report is sent to the property owner. Carpets must be cleaned prior to tenants moving in, lawns mowed and gardens tidy. It is the responsibility of the Lessor to have pest control done annually for cockroaches and spiders. However, if a tenant has a pet (approved and in accordance with their lease) they must arrange for flea control both internal and external when vacating the premises.
At the termination of a lease we will carry out a full inspection of the premises and complete an Exit Condition Report. Tenants are required to arrange and pay for professional carpet cleaning, flea control where applicable, lawn mowing and weeding of gardens. The interior of the house is to be cleaned by the tenants, however some tenants prefer to arrange for a Professional Cleaner to carry out this work. The Entry Condition Report is used to compare the condition of the property at the end of the lease, wear and tear considered. The tenant's bond monies which are held by the Residential Tenancies Authority will not be released until we are satisfied that the property has been cleaned satisfactorily.
MAINTENANCEOur nominated trades people have all completed the REIQ Contractor Appointment Forms. We ensure that all trades people appointed by this office to undertake work at any of the investment properties within our portfolio are fully licensed, adequately insured and carry public liability cover. If they cannot produce their public liability policy number we DO NOT allow them to enter any property to carry out work. Unless otherwise advised by a Lessor at the start of the Management, we will undertake minor maintenance work at the property when required. However for major repairs (over $100.00) we will contact the Lessor first and also arrange for quotes to be done. The quotes are forwarded to the Lessor for approval.
LANDLORD PROTECTION INSURANCEWe encourage all our Lessors to carry Landlord Protection Insurance. Our Lessors have peace of mind that their investment properties are being managed by a professional team, providing an excellent service. However, they also understand that sometimes tenants can fall on hard times, marriage and partnership break ups occur, tenants become unemployed due to redundancy etc. This puts a strain on the tenants finances, consequently one of the first account not to be paid is often the rent. If cover is in place and all Notices have been sent to the tenant/s for arrears, a claim can be lodged for loss of rent up to 15 weeks.
TENANT KIT
Tenants are provided with a Kit at the start of the tenancy. The Kit contains the following:
- Lease / Condition Report / Bond Lodgement Form
- List of guidelines for care of the property
- List of the "Preferred Tradespeople" we use
- List of essential services, including local schools, emergency services
All applicants are screened thoroughly. We confirm their current address with either the Managing Agent or Lessor. If the prospective tenant advises they own and are selling their current residence, we check this through our On-Line RPDATA search system which provides us full Council and Titles Office ownership information. This will confirm whether they are the current owners of the property they are living in. We check all references, referees and employment details.
T.I.C.A.We are members of the Tenancy Information Centre of Australia. A service available to Real Estate Agents only. This enables us to check whether the tenants have been listed for previous rent default and/or malicious damage to a property.
COUNCIL RATESWe can arrange for your Council Rates Notices to be directed to our office, and payments made from rental monies received on your behalf. This expense will appear on your Financial Year Statement for taxation purposes.
EXCESS WATERWritten Notification of "Water Consumption" and excess water rates notices will automatically be forwarded to our office. We can keep track of how much water is being used at a property and also on-charge any excess usage to the tenant/s. Should the Notification of Water Consumption show a projected usage that may exceed the annual allowance per year we will inform tenants immediately and where required, investigate further to ensure there are no leaking pipes underground or within the house that could be causing a higher than usual consumption.
CHARGE TENANT 100% WATER:Lessors can now charge 100% of water usage to tenants if a three star wels rating has been applied. Please see next page to see if you are eligible.
DISBURSEMENT TO OWNERS:At month end rental monies received are disbursed directly to owners bank accounts electronically. This provides for "cleared funds" to owners immediately. We can also provide disbursements to owners accounts fortnightly if required.
CHARGE TENANTS 100% OF WATER USAGEFor an owner to be able to charge a tenant 100% of water usage for a property:
What are the minimum criteria for water?
*the rental premises are individually metered (or water is delivered by vehicle),
AND
*the rental premises are water efficient, which means it meets the 3 star or higher
WELS rating AND
*the tenancy agreement states the tenant must pay for water consumption.
What is a water efficient rental premises?
Water efficient rental premises are where required internal cold water taps, showerheads and toilets meet the performance standards for a *3 star WELS rating or higher. These water efficiency levels may be achieved through installing 3 star WELS rated products or through the use of ‘add on’ devices, such as aerators or flow restrictions.
Water efficient devices
*Minimum water efficient standard required
- Internal cold water taps and single mixer taps (excluding bathtub taps and taps for
appliances)
Must have a maximum flow rate of 9 litres per minute - Showerheads Must have a maximum flow rate of 9 litres per minute.
- Toilets Must have a dual flush function that does not exceed 6.5 litres on full flush and 3.5 litres on half flush and has a maximum average flush volume of 4 litres (based on the average of 1 full flush and 4 half flushed).
www.waterrating.gov.au