Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
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.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Another person who apparently has no time for cleaning...
Yes here's another one. This one claims that she's too busy, or is sick, or hasn't gotten everything sorted from when she moved in (3rd of March 2010).
It's generally one excuse after the other, but I'll let you be the judge on what her problem is *cough*DisgustinglyMessyHasNoIdeaHowToClean*cough*
And yes, they are living in that mess.
It's generally one excuse after the other, but I'll let you be the judge on what her problem is *cough*DisgustinglyMessyHasNoIdeaHowToClean*cough*
And yes, they are living in that mess.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Sewerage Damage - Part 2
The sewer “explosions” only ever seem to happen on long weekends.
I’m not completely certain of all details, as luckily this was not one of my tenants. However it was similar circumstances to our situation.
The main difference being this blockage actually came from council land, which meant instead of the landlord being responsible the council was. This is very fortunate for the tenants, as they didn’t have contents insurance, and the council is covering everything. They have even put them up in temporary accommodation until everything is sorted.
It’s a terrible feeling knowing that all of your belongings have been damaged by faeces, and somehow it’s made even worse by the knowledge that it’s not just your faeces… I’m not sure why, it just is.
I’m not completely certain of all details, as luckily this was not one of my tenants. However it was similar circumstances to our situation.
The main difference being this blockage actually came from council land, which meant instead of the landlord being responsible the council was. This is very fortunate for the tenants, as they didn’t have contents insurance, and the council is covering everything. They have even put them up in temporary accommodation until everything is sorted.
It’s a terrible feeling knowing that all of your belongings have been damaged by faeces, and somehow it’s made even worse by the knowledge that it’s not just your faeces… I’m not sure why, it just is.
Sewerage Damage
This is a more common problem then you might be led to believe, not only does it happen to tenants, but I can also give you a first hand account of what it’s like, as I’ve been victim to a house flooded with sewerage too!
In our instance, we were living in a unit complex. We awoke Easter Sunday to find all our pipes blocked, and after unsuccessfully trying to unblock them, we found out it was a problem with the entire complex, not just us. This was handy as it meant we didn’t need to contact our property manager, the strata agent would take care of it for us.
We went out for a leisurely day with the family, and returned later in the afternoon to find the plumbers packing up, and a small clean up operation happening as there was a good bit of water about the place that had gotten into some garages and the like. We chatted out the front with one of the other occupants of the complex about what needed to be done. It turned out that there was a massive blockage in the main pipe that needed to be pressurised to be removed.
I made my way inside and went to get changed, I walked in through the hallway (barefoot mind) and stopped dead, realising that the carpets were soaked. We’d had a problem with our washing machine previously where it just pored water all over the floor, so I quickly made my way back out to my partner and informed him that “the washing machine has done it again!” I turned back into the unit and could see my footsteps down the hallway. This confused me, as you don’t generally get footsteps showing up in wet carpet.
I slipped some thongs on and made my way further down the hallway and looked into the bathroom. The property was a catastrophe! I’ll let photos speak for themselves.
We immediately tried contacting our property manager, who being on holidays had his phone turned off. So we left a message asking him to contact us urgently.
Without much else of an option we picked up the cat and headed over to our friends place for the night, knowing that this wasn’t going to be resolved by night time.
After a couple of hours we tried contacting our agent again. Still no answer, so we left another message. “Please contact us ASAP, it’s urgent!”
Another couple of hours passed and we decided that clearly our message wasn’t indicating the type of situation we were in, so we called again, this message sounded more along the lines of “Call us now, there is shit half way up the walls of our unit, We need something done now!”
Sure enough a few minutes later we heard back from him. We explained what had happened and he organised to come out and have a look the following day, and bring cleaners with him.
We contacted our contents insurer and went through the process with them, they told us that they wouldn’t be able to get an assessor to the property until Tuesday at the earliest, which we tried arguing with for a while, however there was nothing they could do.
The following day we headed back to the unit and met the agent and his cleaners. The cleaners clearly had no idea what they were in for, as they turned up with a broom, a mop and bucket, and some cleaning products.
Inside, what was brown yesterday, was white today… One of the cleaners pointed to the laundry floor and said with a swallow “Is that white stuff toilet paper?” To which I had the pleasure of replying “Nope, yesterday it was brown”
The agent got the landlord’s insurance on the phone and we spoke to them about temporary accommodation and other issues.
I’ve since learned that the landlord is in no way responsible for temporary accommodation. In these instances where the property becomes unliveable you are presented with what is called a “frustrated lease” which in effect brings the lease to an end. The tenants can move all of their furniture out and stop paying rent immediately without any penalties.*
We were put up in a local hotel for the time that we couldn’t be living in the house.
While the assessors from our insurance company where less then desirable (they took forever to get back to us, they undervalued all of our belongings, they didn’t understand that while they were taking forever, our belongings were steeping in faeces, etc.) The people behind the scenes at the insurance company were incredible. They kept us in contact to make sure we where happy with the process, when we complained about the assessors they got us on a conference call to find out what the delays were – this was great, I got to listen in while the assessor fluffed out some stupid response, and could only manage to apologise.
In the end, the landlord’s insurance company had to replace the carpet and vinyl throughout, pay for our accommodation and reimburse us for the rent that we paid the week we were out of the property and for our excess.
Our insurance company paid to replace our lounge chair, a pine side board, our vacuum cleaner, a stereo that had been sitting on the ground at the time, all of our shoes, our bedside tables and chest of drawers, and they also paid to get all of our clothes dry cleaned. Thanks to our content insurance we really came out on top in the end. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Next up – it strikes again! One of our tenant’s have just gone through the same issue! This time without contents insurance.
*This is the case for leases in NSW. I’m not sure if this is the case in all states.
In our instance, we were living in a unit complex. We awoke Easter Sunday to find all our pipes blocked, and after unsuccessfully trying to unblock them, we found out it was a problem with the entire complex, not just us. This was handy as it meant we didn’t need to contact our property manager, the strata agent would take care of it for us.
We went out for a leisurely day with the family, and returned later in the afternoon to find the plumbers packing up, and a small clean up operation happening as there was a good bit of water about the place that had gotten into some garages and the like. We chatted out the front with one of the other occupants of the complex about what needed to be done. It turned out that there was a massive blockage in the main pipe that needed to be pressurised to be removed.
I made my way inside and went to get changed, I walked in through the hallway (barefoot mind) and stopped dead, realising that the carpets were soaked. We’d had a problem with our washing machine previously where it just pored water all over the floor, so I quickly made my way back out to my partner and informed him that “the washing machine has done it again!” I turned back into the unit and could see my footsteps down the hallway. This confused me, as you don’t generally get footsteps showing up in wet carpet.
I slipped some thongs on and made my way further down the hallway and looked into the bathroom. The property was a catastrophe! I’ll let photos speak for themselves.
We immediately tried contacting our property manager, who being on holidays had his phone turned off. So we left a message asking him to contact us urgently.
Without much else of an option we picked up the cat and headed over to our friends place for the night, knowing that this wasn’t going to be resolved by night time.
After a couple of hours we tried contacting our agent again. Still no answer, so we left another message. “Please contact us ASAP, it’s urgent!”
Another couple of hours passed and we decided that clearly our message wasn’t indicating the type of situation we were in, so we called again, this message sounded more along the lines of “Call us now, there is shit half way up the walls of our unit, We need something done now!”
Sure enough a few minutes later we heard back from him. We explained what had happened and he organised to come out and have a look the following day, and bring cleaners with him.
We contacted our contents insurer and went through the process with them, they told us that they wouldn’t be able to get an assessor to the property until Tuesday at the earliest, which we tried arguing with for a while, however there was nothing they could do.
The following day we headed back to the unit and met the agent and his cleaners. The cleaners clearly had no idea what they were in for, as they turned up with a broom, a mop and bucket, and some cleaning products.
Inside, what was brown yesterday, was white today… One of the cleaners pointed to the laundry floor and said with a swallow “Is that white stuff toilet paper?” To which I had the pleasure of replying “Nope, yesterday it was brown”
The agent got the landlord’s insurance on the phone and we spoke to them about temporary accommodation and other issues.
I’ve since learned that the landlord is in no way responsible for temporary accommodation. In these instances where the property becomes unliveable you are presented with what is called a “frustrated lease” which in effect brings the lease to an end. The tenants can move all of their furniture out and stop paying rent immediately without any penalties.*
We were put up in a local hotel for the time that we couldn’t be living in the house.
While the assessors from our insurance company where less then desirable (they took forever to get back to us, they undervalued all of our belongings, they didn’t understand that while they were taking forever, our belongings were steeping in faeces, etc.) The people behind the scenes at the insurance company were incredible. They kept us in contact to make sure we where happy with the process, when we complained about the assessors they got us on a conference call to find out what the delays were – this was great, I got to listen in while the assessor fluffed out some stupid response, and could only manage to apologise.
In the end, the landlord’s insurance company had to replace the carpet and vinyl throughout, pay for our accommodation and reimburse us for the rent that we paid the week we were out of the property and for our excess.
Our insurance company paid to replace our lounge chair, a pine side board, our vacuum cleaner, a stereo that had been sitting on the ground at the time, all of our shoes, our bedside tables and chest of drawers, and they also paid to get all of our clothes dry cleaned. Thanks to our content insurance we really came out on top in the end. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Next up – it strikes again! One of our tenant’s have just gone through the same issue! This time without contents insurance.
*This is the case for leases in NSW. I’m not sure if this is the case in all states.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tenants and Compensation Part 2
Just an update on the tenant's advocacy problem I'm having.
In the most recent reply I received from Tenant's Advocacy they seemed to have dropped the issues regarding to the oven and the dripping tap - Progress! However they have pushed the fact that due to several rent arrears letters that I have sent to the approved occupant, specifically addressed to him that he is in fact the lease holder at the property, and that due to other instances they can safely say that he has a new oral lease at the property, and is entitled to everything that the original lease holder is.
My concern with whose name the lease was in was mainly to point out that the condition report is 4 years old. Myself, and the landlord are quite happy for him to stay on in the property, and I am even willing to sign up a new lease in his name. This would ensure that he would need to take the time to sit down with me, and go through all of the clauses in the lease. I believe he is entitled to everything the original lease holder is, which includes taking on the original condition report.
They are also still seeking compensation for the time he has been at the property without a working heater. As mentioned previously I stated to Tenant's Advocacy that the condition report states the the heater is not working (In hindsight it should probably say that the heater is unrepairable, but this report was done up before I managed the property.) and that the condition report is part of the lease. So the signed lease indicates that the tenant is aware that the heater is not working.
Tenant's advocacy has told me that this is contracting outside of the law, as all fixtures need to be repaired. They are also seeking a "rent abatement for the withdrawal of services and compensation for economic loss for increased electricity costs and compensation for non-economic loss for frustration, distress, inconvenience and anxiety over the failure of his landlord to undertake the repairs." However we have reminded them that the heater is unrepairable, and as the property was not advertised with a heater and was agreed in the lease that there is no heater then there is no compensation owing.
The unfortunate problem with this situation, is that the tenant is sick, and could really do with a heater coming into these cold nights. His time would be better spent looking for a property that comes with a heater, and not in seeking compensation that he's not entitled to.
The saga continues.
In the most recent reply I received from Tenant's Advocacy they seemed to have dropped the issues regarding to the oven and the dripping tap - Progress! However they have pushed the fact that due to several rent arrears letters that I have sent to the approved occupant, specifically addressed to him that he is in fact the lease holder at the property, and that due to other instances they can safely say that he has a new oral lease at the property, and is entitled to everything that the original lease holder is.
My concern with whose name the lease was in was mainly to point out that the condition report is 4 years old. Myself, and the landlord are quite happy for him to stay on in the property, and I am even willing to sign up a new lease in his name. This would ensure that he would need to take the time to sit down with me, and go through all of the clauses in the lease. I believe he is entitled to everything the original lease holder is, which includes taking on the original condition report.
They are also still seeking compensation for the time he has been at the property without a working heater. As mentioned previously I stated to Tenant's Advocacy that the condition report states the the heater is not working (In hindsight it should probably say that the heater is unrepairable, but this report was done up before I managed the property.) and that the condition report is part of the lease. So the signed lease indicates that the tenant is aware that the heater is not working.
Tenant's advocacy has told me that this is contracting outside of the law, as all fixtures need to be repaired. They are also seeking a "rent abatement for the withdrawal of services and compensation for economic loss for increased electricity costs and compensation for non-economic loss for frustration, distress, inconvenience and anxiety over the failure of his landlord to undertake the repairs." However we have reminded them that the heater is unrepairable, and as the property was not advertised with a heater and was agreed in the lease that there is no heater then there is no compensation owing.
The unfortunate problem with this situation, is that the tenant is sick, and could really do with a heater coming into these cold nights. His time would be better spent looking for a property that comes with a heater, and not in seeking compensation that he's not entitled to.
The saga continues.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tenants and compensation
I'm currently going through some issues with a tenant of mine. Now to start off there are some complications. He's an approved occupant of the property, not the lease holder. So in other words he's allowed to stay at the property, but not really responsible for anything. On top of that, I was informed recently that the actual lease holder has moved out...
There are three issues that are being discussed at the moment. The tenant has not been happy with the responses we've been giving him, so he's taken it further to the Tenant's Advocacy, for them to go into bat for him. I'll be going through the issues here.
1. The orginal lease holder has been at the property since 2006, so his condition report is 4 years old, but of course still valid. One of the items on the condition report mentions the heater that is in the lounge room, and that it is not in working condition. However the tenant has put in a request for it to be fixed, and the landlord has declined it, which she's well within her right to do, as mentioned it states very clearly that it wasn't working at the commencement of the lease.
The tenant only moved into the property with the lease holder maybe 6 months ago, so he wasn't aware that the heater didn't work. The loss of the property's heating is classified as an urgent repair, and should be fixed within 48 hours. This of course hasn't happened, which is why Tenant's Advocacy are more then happy to get involved.
2. Back at Christmas time the tenant reported to our office that the oven wasn't working. We sent an electrician around to have a look at it. He did so and sent in an invoice that read "Oven and grill doors needed adjusting, current oven racks are not the original, have supplied some more second hand racks to help out. Due to the age of the unit it could do with replacing." However the oven was still working.
The tenant came back in after Christmas and reported that the oven was still not working. We sent the electrician back out, and he reported that it was still working, the tenant was still having problems with the racks. So we had the oven replaced.
The breakdown of cooking appliances is also considered an urgent repair, so needs to be fixed within 48 hours, however as the oven was still working this did not apply. The tenant of course felt differently.
3. A tap was reported as dripping, so we sent a tradesman out to fix it. A few months later the tenant reported the tap as dripping again, so we sent another tradesman out to fix it. As far as we were aware between these two times the tap was not leaking. He currently owes over $200.00 in outstanding water usage, and is after compensation of $100.00 of that usage due to the dripping tap because he is now claiming that the tap was never fixed. I have explained to him that unless we know about it there's nothing we can do about it.
I convinced the landlord to offer the tenant $20.00 in the way of compensation for the dripping tap. $20.00 equals approximately 18,000L of water, which personally I believe would not have been wasted in the time that the tap was dripping.
While the matter has not been settled, and I have no real way of knowing what the outcome will be, I am confident that the tenant is just uneducated on what is and isn't legislation. He never had the chance to sit down with me and go through the lease, to understand everything that was required of himself and the landlord. I am hopeful that once this settles he will be a better informed tenant.
I'm explaining all of this for both landlords and tenants out there, please be sure you know where you stand with everything. If you do genuinely feel put out by something that is or isn't happening please contact an advisory service. It can only help.
There are three issues that are being discussed at the moment. The tenant has not been happy with the responses we've been giving him, so he's taken it further to the Tenant's Advocacy, for them to go into bat for him. I'll be going through the issues here.
1. The orginal lease holder has been at the property since 2006, so his condition report is 4 years old, but of course still valid. One of the items on the condition report mentions the heater that is in the lounge room, and that it is not in working condition. However the tenant has put in a request for it to be fixed, and the landlord has declined it, which she's well within her right to do, as mentioned it states very clearly that it wasn't working at the commencement of the lease.
The tenant only moved into the property with the lease holder maybe 6 months ago, so he wasn't aware that the heater didn't work. The loss of the property's heating is classified as an urgent repair, and should be fixed within 48 hours. This of course hasn't happened, which is why Tenant's Advocacy are more then happy to get involved.
2. Back at Christmas time the tenant reported to our office that the oven wasn't working. We sent an electrician around to have a look at it. He did so and sent in an invoice that read "Oven and grill doors needed adjusting, current oven racks are not the original, have supplied some more second hand racks to help out. Due to the age of the unit it could do with replacing." However the oven was still working.
The tenant came back in after Christmas and reported that the oven was still not working. We sent the electrician back out, and he reported that it was still working, the tenant was still having problems with the racks. So we had the oven replaced.
The breakdown of cooking appliances is also considered an urgent repair, so needs to be fixed within 48 hours, however as the oven was still working this did not apply. The tenant of course felt differently.
3. A tap was reported as dripping, so we sent a tradesman out to fix it. A few months later the tenant reported the tap as dripping again, so we sent another tradesman out to fix it. As far as we were aware between these two times the tap was not leaking. He currently owes over $200.00 in outstanding water usage, and is after compensation of $100.00 of that usage due to the dripping tap because he is now claiming that the tap was never fixed. I have explained to him that unless we know about it there's nothing we can do about it.
I convinced the landlord to offer the tenant $20.00 in the way of compensation for the dripping tap. $20.00 equals approximately 18,000L of water, which personally I believe would not have been wasted in the time that the tap was dripping.
While the matter has not been settled, and I have no real way of knowing what the outcome will be, I am confident that the tenant is just uneducated on what is and isn't legislation. He never had the chance to sit down with me and go through the lease, to understand everything that was required of himself and the landlord. I am hopeful that once this settles he will be a better informed tenant.
I'm explaining all of this for both landlords and tenants out there, please be sure you know where you stand with everything. If you do genuinely feel put out by something that is or isn't happening please contact an advisory service. It can only help.
Viewer Discretion Required
As the title recommends, please only view this entry if you have a strong stomach.
Luckily, I didn't experience this first hand, one of the other property managers in the office was called out to a property the other week. The tenant was quite concerned that they had received an explicit threat in their mail box.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
If you can't tell, it's an animal heart...
When my colleague attended the property the tenant was no longer alarmed, they had remembered finding out that the previous tenants worked at the abattoir, and he know believes that it was supposed to be a joke by someone who knew the previous tenant, and not a threat. However he had still called the police to the scene. They didn't seem too concerned either. They had organised for forensics to come and pick it up, but apparently they never came.
We're not paid enough for this nonsense!!
Luckily, I didn't experience this first hand, one of the other property managers in the office was called out to a property the other week. The tenant was quite concerned that they had received an explicit threat in their mail box.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
If you can't tell, it's an animal heart...
When my colleague attended the property the tenant was no longer alarmed, they had remembered finding out that the previous tenants worked at the abattoir, and he know believes that it was supposed to be a joke by someone who knew the previous tenant, and not a threat. However he had still called the police to the scene. They didn't seem too concerned either. They had organised for forensics to come and pick it up, but apparently they never came.
We're not paid enough for this nonsense!!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Another messy one
They come in all shapes and forms, but this one must take the cake, not only was there clothes, rubbish and dirty dishes every where, but this one also had adult nappies scattered about this place. So it's clearly just laziness...
Yes, that's kitty litter on the bathroom floor.
Be happy you can't smell this house, or that you, unlike me on this day, are not leaving this house, now covered in fleas. According to the neighbour, the RSPCA turned up the day after she had moved out, to seize her pets. It's a bit sad that they weren't there earlier to help the poor animals.
The thing that still makes me laugh about this tenant, is she tried to tell me that she didn't clean because she had OCD, she believed if she started cleaning she wouldn't be able to stop...
Yes, that's kitty litter on the bathroom floor.
Be happy you can't smell this house, or that you, unlike me on this day, are not leaving this house, now covered in fleas. According to the neighbour, the RSPCA turned up the day after she had moved out, to seize her pets. It's a bit sad that they weren't there earlier to help the poor animals.
The thing that still makes me laugh about this tenant, is she tried to tell me that she didn't clean because she had OCD, she believed if she started cleaning she wouldn't be able to stop...
some back stories
So of course, as soon as I decide to start writing about everything that goes on in Property Management, the worst I have to deal with is piles of paperwork!!
so, here's some old stories that have happened in the past, to showcase some of the nasty things we have to put up with.
For example, here are some photos of a house during a routine inspection.
(Sorry for the bad quality of some of these images)
The sad - and scary - thing is, she had children living with her, and didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with the way she lived...
so, here's some old stories that have happened in the past, to showcase some of the nasty things we have to put up with.
For example, here are some photos of a house during a routine inspection.
(Sorry for the bad quality of some of these images)
The sad - and scary - thing is, she had children living with her, and didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with the way she lived...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Introductions
I have been working in Property Management now for over 5 years, and even though I only work in a town of around 50,000 people, I get my fair share of trashed houses, funny stories and disgusting living standards.
What I hope to detail here are stories of what we go through on a day to day basis.
In this position you need to be a jack of all trades, you need to be a builder, an architech, a horticulturist, a therapist, a mediator, a negotiator, a lawyer, an insurance broker and the list continues.
I will attempt to answer any questions or queries you may have, as a landlord or a tenant in NSW Australia.
All stories that will be included either will not include details, or will have names and addresses changed for privacy reasons.
This is a good guide to read before deciding to jump into the land of owning investment properties.
What I hope to detail here are stories of what we go through on a day to day basis.
In this position you need to be a jack of all trades, you need to be a builder, an architech, a horticulturist, a therapist, a mediator, a negotiator, a lawyer, an insurance broker and the list continues.
I will attempt to answer any questions or queries you may have, as a landlord or a tenant in NSW Australia.
All stories that will be included either will not include details, or will have names and addresses changed for privacy reasons.
This is a good guide to read before deciding to jump into the land of owning investment properties.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)