Rent Assessment
After you’ve signed on with us we’ll rent assess your property. The benefits of this are threefold. Firstly, knowing
the current market value of your rental is vital if you want to get all that you can out of your investment.
Secondly, through the rent assessment we can offer you recommendations on improvements you might make at
the property to increase returns. Lastly, the rent assessment gives us an opportunity to identify any maintenance
issues that have gone unnoticed or unreported.
A good rent assessment brings a lot of different variables together – it’s not just about rent. A good rent
assessment should give a Property Owner an idea of what their yield is going to look like. Thus, occupancy
rates, maintenance, market expectations etc should all be considered before a rental range is recommended.
Something overlooked by most property management companies in our experience.
Marketing
Nice images, good copy, the right media and no letting fees. A good marketing plan will result in higher
occupancy rates and better quality tenants. Our Fixed Term lease focus means that we can start marketing a lot
earlier than other property management companies. It also means we control the time of year we take the rental
to market – if a tenant hands in notice in a periodic tenancy at the wrong time of year it can be very costly.
Presenting your property and the application process
Once we’ve generated the best response possible we’ll show the property, interview prospective tenants and
process their applications. What checks do we make on applicants?
• We’ll search Tribunal Records in case the prospect has a history we need to know about.
• We’ll conduct an identity check (Driver’s License/Passport).
• We’ll speak to their current employer.
• We’ll speak to their current landlord, and their previous landlord.
• We’ll shortlist applicants and credit check them before running our choice(s) by you.
• We photograph all successful applicants as well - just in case things should fall apart down the line.
Tenant selection is a definite focal point for us. Our ability to place great tenants is one of the cornerstones of
our business.
Signing new tenants on
Once our successful applicant(s) have signed a Tenancy Agreement, and paid bond and rent money, we’ll
conduct a bond inspection. The inspection report is signed off by both parties once completed. We substantiate
the contents of the report with date-stamped digital photographs. The photos and the report provide us with a
snapshot of the state of the property at the commencement of tenancy. They help us avoid disputes down the
track, or resolve them if needs be. Bonds are not released back to tenants until a final inspection has been
carried out and we’re happy that the property is clean, tidy and free from damage.
Rent
Once the property is tenanted we’ll collect rent on your behalf. Rents are paid to us and disbursed to you
electronically. These disbursements take place twice a month – on the first and fifteenth (or next working day).
Rent payments are checked every day. If a tenant misses a payment they’re called immediately and a 10 day
notice to remedy is issued. We usually apply for mediation at the same time. We have a zero tolerance policy
towards rental arrears.
Inspections
We generally inspect properties 4 times a year. We might include an extra inspection or two if a particular tenant
concerns us. The inspections give us an opportunity to verify that the tenant is taking care of the property.
Should we take issue with the state of the property we will issue a 10 day notice to remedy. This will be followed
up by another inspection 14 days later. Through these inspections we can identify any maintenance issues
which might not have been reported to us, or might not have become a problem yet.
Maintenance
We’ll organise maintenance on your behalf using one of our qualified trades people (their work is guaranteed
and we enjoy preferential rates) or any trades person you wish to nominate. We keep costs down where we can
but not at the expense of the property, or our relationship with our tenants. If we spend more than $250 on a job
we need to refer back to our owners and will likely get quotes. It’s important that the tenant sees us attend to
maintenance in a timely fashion - it shows them we care about the property, that they should as well, and that
we value them as tenants.
Statements
We’ll provide you with a monthly statement. This statement will detail incoming rents and any outgoing
payments. We’ll include copies of any quotes or invoices for work carried out. We’ll also provide you with an
annual summary of income and expenditure at your property for end of year tax purposes.
Disputes
We’ll take every reasonable step to prevent disputes. In the event that any disputes arise however, we’ll take
immediate, appropriate and decisive action. We’ll represent your interests at mediation or before the Tenancy
Tribunal free of charge. We’ll pay the Tribunal fees as well.
|