Just a heads up that over the next few weeks there will be very few - if any - posts.
I'm heading away for my wedding and honeymoon!!
However with all the new legislations that have just come into play in NSW, you can bet that more updates will follow shortly.
Have a happy Feb/March everyone!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Friday, December 24, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Twelve Days of Christmas - Property Management style
I received this by email from EBM Insurance brokers, thought it was quite clever and that everyone might enjoy it.
On the first day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
My property had a vacancy.
On the second day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
My tenants did a runner,
That’s why my property has a vacancy.
On the third day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
They hadn’t paid the rent,
And then they did a runner,
So my property has a vacancy.
On the fourth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
They’ve taken all the blinds,
And hadn’t paid the rent,
That’s why they did a runner,
Which has now left me with a vacancy.
On the fifth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
They’d plugged up all the drainholes,
As well as pinched the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And has now left me with a vacancy.
On the sixth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
They turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinched the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And have left me with this rotten vacancy. On the seventh day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
The place filled up like a pool,
‘cos they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinched the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And I can’t believe I have this vacancy.
On the eighth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
The damage is horrendous,
As it filled up like a pool,
When they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinching all the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And now I have this silly vacancy.
On the ninth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
Lucky you have insurance,
‘cos the damage is horrendous,
As it filled up like a pool,
When they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinching all the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And I also have this stupid vacancy.
On the tenth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
We’ve filled out all the forms,
It was lucky for insurance,
‘cos the damage is a nightmare, From it filling like a pool,
When they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinching all the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And I hope it also covers the vacancy.
On the eleventh day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
RentCover to the rescue,
They’ve approved all of your claim,
It was lucky for insurance,
‘cos the damage is a nightmare,
From it filling like a pool,
When they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinching all the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And they even said it covers the vacancy.
On the twelfth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
Have a lovely Christmas
Your loss is now all covered,
RentCover’s paid the bills,
It was lucky for insurance,
‘cos the damage was a nightmare,
From it filling like a pool,
When they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
You will now get all new blinds,
And the rent it is all covered,
Even though they did a runner,
So no need to worry ‘bout a vacancy.
On the first day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
My property had a vacancy.
On the second day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
My tenants did a runner,
That’s why my property has a vacancy.
On the third day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
They hadn’t paid the rent,
And then they did a runner,
So my property has a vacancy.
On the fourth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
They’ve taken all the blinds,
And hadn’t paid the rent,
That’s why they did a runner,
Which has now left me with a vacancy.
On the fifth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
They’d plugged up all the drainholes,
As well as pinched the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And has now left me with a vacancy.
On the sixth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
They turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinched the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And have left me with this rotten vacancy. On the seventh day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
The place filled up like a pool,
‘cos they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinched the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And I can’t believe I have this vacancy.
On the eighth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
The damage is horrendous,
As it filled up like a pool,
When they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinching all the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And now I have this silly vacancy.
On the ninth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
Lucky you have insurance,
‘cos the damage is horrendous,
As it filled up like a pool,
When they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinching all the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And I also have this stupid vacancy.
On the tenth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
We’ve filled out all the forms,
It was lucky for insurance,
‘cos the damage is a nightmare, From it filling like a pool,
When they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinching all the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And I hope it also covers the vacancy.
On the eleventh day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
RentCover to the rescue,
They’ve approved all of your claim,
It was lucky for insurance,
‘cos the damage is a nightmare,
From it filling like a pool,
When they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
As well as pinching all the blinds,
And they hadn’t paid the rent,
Which is why they did a runner,
And they even said it covers the vacancy.
On the twelfth day of Christmas
my agent said to me:
Have a lovely Christmas
Your loss is now all covered,
RentCover’s paid the bills,
It was lucky for insurance,
‘cos the damage was a nightmare,
From it filling like a pool,
When they turned on all the taps,
After plugging all the drain holes,
You will now get all new blinds,
And the rent it is all covered,
Even though they did a runner,
So no need to worry ‘bout a vacancy.
Monday, November 29, 2010
How To Be A Good Landlord
1.Don’t be unreasonable – yes it is technically your house, but that doesn’t mean you can turn up at all times of the day or night, that you can store your belongings there or treat the tenant’s like they belong to you. Make sure you always give required notice before turning up to the property, and even then think to yourself – “Would I be ok with a stranger coming to my house on that day?” I had a landlord once – after giving the required notice – spend pretty much the whole Easter long weekend doing work in the garden of her rental property. Legally she was doing nothing wrong, but I felt so bad for the tenant’s who couldn’t enjoy the holiday fully, knowing that the owner was there from dawn to dusk.
2.Unless it’s your trade, don’t carry out your own repairs – If you’re an electrician, great! Do the electrical work. If you’re a painter, awesome! Do the painting. If you’re an accountant, don’t expect to be able to do the plumbing work just because you’ve replaced washers at home! Everyone wants to save a few dollars, that’s understandable, but doing work that you’re not qualified or licensed to do can end up costing thousands in repairs. It’s not worth it in the long run, and can be messy legally.
3.Don’t discriminate. This is illegal! - I can’t believe the amount of times when I’m going through a great application form with a landlord only to have them ask “are they, you know...?” Yes I know exactly what you mean and it’s disgusting! I get endless joy playing dumb, and answering the above question with “Working? Yes they have a full time job, which they’ve been at for 3 years,” or “Young? Not really, they’re in their mid thirties,” Skin colour, race or religion does not make a difference if they’ve got a good application.
4.Don’t quibble about the small stuff. - There’s a power point not working, let me get an electrician to look at it and it will cost maybe $60-$70. Do I really need to call you and tell you how it’s not working? Why it’s not working? How long it hasn’t worked for? Who’s responsible? You’re paying me to look after your property, let me look after your property!
5.Understand fair wear and tear. Look into depreciation. It’s only a certain amount of years before the brand new carpet you had laid will be fully depreciated and legally worth nothing. The same goes when it comes to paint, window coverings, floor coverings, everything! So if you put new tiles in the kitchen and then proceed to have a couple of tenants come and go, you need to expect that the tiles are not going to be brand new forever. People drop things, it doesn’t mean that if there’s a crack in the tiles that they need to get the whole thing done again.
6.Don’t delay the inevitable. If there’s a problem with something at the house that needs repair – like a leaking roof – just get it fixed, regardless of whether this is because of broken tiles or something else, don’t ask for a full report as to what is causing the problem if the end result is still going to be the same.
7.Return calls. To you a dripping tap might only be a small issue, and you’ll call back when you get the chance to authorise the repair. The sooner you get this underway the better, tenants can seek compensation for the lost water, or for other matters for hardship endured. Someone is waiting to hear from you, don’t keep them waiting.
8.Read reports that are sent to you. If you own a house, chances are that means you’re an adult, you should not have to be spoon fed the whole process. If you have an agent managing the property on your behalf, and they’ve gone to the trouble of doing a routine inspection, and they’ve sent you a report, read it. There could be important information in it that you need to know. The agent has done their part and sent you the report, it’s now up to you to read it, and decide what you want done.
9.Don’t be greedy – Yes your house may be worth another $10 per week, but if you’ve got great tenants living there, do you really need to serve them a rent increase notice? Wouldn’t you prefer to know that they’re going to stay there for longer, and continue looking after your property? Or what if they were to move out over this $10? Even if the house is empty for just 1 week, that $10 is going to take a long time to make back.
10.Don’t promise the World, and only provide a village. - If you tell your tenant you’re going to do something for them, follow through with it, otherwise they’ll be expecting it until you come through with it. Don’t promise new carpet, and then hold off on it until they move out. Don’t promise a new fence, and then only do repairs to the existing one. Don’t promise a new oven, and only supply a second hand one. While none of these offers are considered unreasonable you’ve set your tenants up for disappointment. You’re better off offering less, and then if more is an option look into it then, as a surprise bonus!
2.Unless it’s your trade, don’t carry out your own repairs – If you’re an electrician, great! Do the electrical work. If you’re a painter, awesome! Do the painting. If you’re an accountant, don’t expect to be able to do the plumbing work just because you’ve replaced washers at home! Everyone wants to save a few dollars, that’s understandable, but doing work that you’re not qualified or licensed to do can end up costing thousands in repairs. It’s not worth it in the long run, and can be messy legally.
3.Don’t discriminate. This is illegal! - I can’t believe the amount of times when I’m going through a great application form with a landlord only to have them ask “are they, you know...?” Yes I know exactly what you mean and it’s disgusting! I get endless joy playing dumb, and answering the above question with “Working? Yes they have a full time job, which they’ve been at for 3 years,” or “Young? Not really, they’re in their mid thirties,” Skin colour, race or religion does not make a difference if they’ve got a good application.
4.Don’t quibble about the small stuff. - There’s a power point not working, let me get an electrician to look at it and it will cost maybe $60-$70. Do I really need to call you and tell you how it’s not working? Why it’s not working? How long it hasn’t worked for? Who’s responsible? You’re paying me to look after your property, let me look after your property!
5.Understand fair wear and tear. Look into depreciation. It’s only a certain amount of years before the brand new carpet you had laid will be fully depreciated and legally worth nothing. The same goes when it comes to paint, window coverings, floor coverings, everything! So if you put new tiles in the kitchen and then proceed to have a couple of tenants come and go, you need to expect that the tiles are not going to be brand new forever. People drop things, it doesn’t mean that if there’s a crack in the tiles that they need to get the whole thing done again.
6.Don’t delay the inevitable. If there’s a problem with something at the house that needs repair – like a leaking roof – just get it fixed, regardless of whether this is because of broken tiles or something else, don’t ask for a full report as to what is causing the problem if the end result is still going to be the same.
7.Return calls. To you a dripping tap might only be a small issue, and you’ll call back when you get the chance to authorise the repair. The sooner you get this underway the better, tenants can seek compensation for the lost water, or for other matters for hardship endured. Someone is waiting to hear from you, don’t keep them waiting.
8.Read reports that are sent to you. If you own a house, chances are that means you’re an adult, you should not have to be spoon fed the whole process. If you have an agent managing the property on your behalf, and they’ve gone to the trouble of doing a routine inspection, and they’ve sent you a report, read it. There could be important information in it that you need to know. The agent has done their part and sent you the report, it’s now up to you to read it, and decide what you want done.
9.Don’t be greedy – Yes your house may be worth another $10 per week, but if you’ve got great tenants living there, do you really need to serve them a rent increase notice? Wouldn’t you prefer to know that they’re going to stay there for longer, and continue looking after your property? Or what if they were to move out over this $10? Even if the house is empty for just 1 week, that $10 is going to take a long time to make back.
10.Don’t promise the World, and only provide a village. - If you tell your tenant you’re going to do something for them, follow through with it, otherwise they’ll be expecting it until you come through with it. Don’t promise new carpet, and then hold off on it until they move out. Don’t promise a new fence, and then only do repairs to the existing one. Don’t promise a new oven, and only supply a second hand one. While none of these offers are considered unreasonable you’ve set your tenants up for disappointment. You’re better off offering less, and then if more is an option look into it then, as a surprise bonus!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Hopefully the end of a dry spell!
I know it's been a long time between posts, but I promise I have still be writing for the blog. It's just taken me longer then expected to sort out my incoherant thoughts!
What is due to follow shortly is basically a list of Do's and Dont's for landlords and tenants alike. I feel like I could have continued writing this thing for years, but I've tried to stop myself from repeating myself as much as possible. I swear, some time it's like wanting to shake people to make sure it's sinking in! I could give this list to all of my landlords and tenants, and constantly refer them back to the list whenever they ask me a stupid question, but it still feels like talking to a brick wall.
Why do people think certain things don't apply to them? But I digress, if everyone were to read these lists, and at the same time apply basic rules of common courtesy and decency, then my job would be so much easier! It would be a giant step towards making the world a better place to live!! Well, maybe that's a slight exageration, but it's such a small thing, that would help us all get along!
I still have a few kinks to iron out, but the first post to this series should be up over the next couple of days. I apologise in advance, but the tenant list will span several posts, where as the landlord list will be much shorter.
What is due to follow shortly is basically a list of Do's and Dont's for landlords and tenants alike. I feel like I could have continued writing this thing for years, but I've tried to stop myself from repeating myself as much as possible. I swear, some time it's like wanting to shake people to make sure it's sinking in! I could give this list to all of my landlords and tenants, and constantly refer them back to the list whenever they ask me a stupid question, but it still feels like talking to a brick wall.
Why do people think certain things don't apply to them? But I digress, if everyone were to read these lists, and at the same time apply basic rules of common courtesy and decency, then my job would be so much easier! It would be a giant step towards making the world a better place to live!! Well, maybe that's a slight exageration, but it's such a small thing, that would help us all get along!
I still have a few kinks to iron out, but the first post to this series should be up over the next couple of days. I apologise in advance, but the tenant list will span several posts, where as the landlord list will be much shorter.
Friday, September 24, 2010
New Delhi Commonwealth Games
I know it's a stretch, but today I'm going to talk about the Athlete's Village in New Delhi.
Have you heard about this? Just a couple of days to go before the Commonwealth Games start, and the athlete's housing is uninhabitable. The contractors are clearly having trouble with the monsoonal weather that they're having, but wow, there just looks to be mud everywhere!
It's understandable why many countries are delaying their departure. Apparently there has been an improvement to the conditions, however journalists are not allowed into the village, so we have to rely on leaked photographs, such as the ones above.
Have you heard about this? Just a couple of days to go before the Commonwealth Games start, and the athlete's housing is uninhabitable. The contractors are clearly having trouble with the monsoonal weather that they're having, but wow, there just looks to be mud everywhere!
It's understandable why many countries are delaying their departure. Apparently there has been an improvement to the conditions, however journalists are not allowed into the village, so we have to rely on leaked photographs, such as the ones above.
All photos courtesy of the BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/commonwealth_games/delhi_2010/default.stm
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Tenants & Compensation Part 3
The saga unfortunately continues with this tenant.
Just as a recap, for those who are new to my blog. He put in a request that an old electric heater at the property be repaired, however the heater hasn't worked for many many years, and he's only lived at the property for just over 12 months now, and it's made clear in his lease that the heater doesn't work.
After many discussions between ourselves and the tenant's advocacy, it was explained to him that the heater would not be getting repaired, as it was unrepairable.
Unfortunately he doesn't seem to understand that this property does not have a heater, and the rent that he is paying does not include the use of a heater. So he's stopped paying his rent.
We haven't received any rent from him since June, so naturally our next step was to send him a termination notice for breach of his lease. The date on the termination notice came and went without any rent coming into our office, and without him vacating the property. So the next step was to apply to Tribunal for vacant possession of the property.
The Tribunal date came and went, without any rent coming into the office, and without him vacating the property. We were awarded vacant possession of the property, stating that he must return the keys on or before the 23rd of August.
On approximately the 20th of August we receive an application for rehearing of the Tribunal matter. Words can not convey emotions that start running when a landlord is told that the vacant possession that was ordered is put on hold indefinately and still no rent is coming in. It's a shame that the fact that the landlord has 2 mortgages to pay does not come into play in these instances.
So we submitted our reasons for believing that there shouldn't be a rehearing;
In response to the application for a rehearing of the above matter please find attached our reasons for believing that the existing Tribunal orders should be acted on, and that a rehearing is not necessary.
The tenant Mr. Tenant's rent is currently only paid to the 13th of May 2010, and no payments have been made since June. We have spoken to him about this issue several times and on the last occasion he informed us that he was not going to pay any rent.
As far as we are aware, the reason behind Mr. Tenant not paying his rent is due to the fact that there is an electric heater in the property that is not repairable. However this heater has not been repairable for several years, even before the commencement of the current lease, and this is noted in the condition report, dated September 14th 2006. Mr. Other Tenant, who is the original tenant on the lease, has also confirmed that he has always been aware that the heater is not repairable, and has never been included in the lease.
We have included a Statutory Declaration from Mr. Other Tenant to this effect, as well as a copy of the original condition report. Also included is a copy of the ledger for the premises showing that rent has not been paid for a long time.
We understand that Mr. Tenant is of ill health, and for that reason needs a heater, therefore we believe it is best if Mr. Tenant vacates the property, to find alternate accommodation which has heating.
If you have any questions regarding our submission please feel free to contact our office.
Now we wait. The landlord is still without rent, the tenant is still without a heater and the issue will not be resolved for some time now.
Just as a recap, for those who are new to my blog. He put in a request that an old electric heater at the property be repaired, however the heater hasn't worked for many many years, and he's only lived at the property for just over 12 months now, and it's made clear in his lease that the heater doesn't work.
After many discussions between ourselves and the tenant's advocacy, it was explained to him that the heater would not be getting repaired, as it was unrepairable.
Unfortunately he doesn't seem to understand that this property does not have a heater, and the rent that he is paying does not include the use of a heater. So he's stopped paying his rent.
We haven't received any rent from him since June, so naturally our next step was to send him a termination notice for breach of his lease. The date on the termination notice came and went without any rent coming into our office, and without him vacating the property. So the next step was to apply to Tribunal for vacant possession of the property.
The Tribunal date came and went, without any rent coming into the office, and without him vacating the property. We were awarded vacant possession of the property, stating that he must return the keys on or before the 23rd of August.
On approximately the 20th of August we receive an application for rehearing of the Tribunal matter. Words can not convey emotions that start running when a landlord is told that the vacant possession that was ordered is put on hold indefinately and still no rent is coming in. It's a shame that the fact that the landlord has 2 mortgages to pay does not come into play in these instances.
So we submitted our reasons for believing that there shouldn't be a rehearing;
In response to the application for a rehearing of the above matter please find attached our reasons for believing that the existing Tribunal orders should be acted on, and that a rehearing is not necessary.
The tenant Mr. Tenant's rent is currently only paid to the 13th of May 2010, and no payments have been made since June. We have spoken to him about this issue several times and on the last occasion he informed us that he was not going to pay any rent.
As far as we are aware, the reason behind Mr. Tenant not paying his rent is due to the fact that there is an electric heater in the property that is not repairable. However this heater has not been repairable for several years, even before the commencement of the current lease, and this is noted in the condition report, dated September 14th 2006. Mr. Other Tenant, who is the original tenant on the lease, has also confirmed that he has always been aware that the heater is not repairable, and has never been included in the lease.
We have included a Statutory Declaration from Mr. Other Tenant to this effect, as well as a copy of the original condition report. Also included is a copy of the ledger for the premises showing that rent has not been paid for a long time.
We understand that Mr. Tenant is of ill health, and for that reason needs a heater, therefore we believe it is best if Mr. Tenant vacates the property, to find alternate accommodation which has heating.
If you have any questions regarding our submission please feel free to contact our office.
Now we wait. The landlord is still without rent, the tenant is still without a heater and the issue will not be resolved for some time now.
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