"Don’t let your tenancy go away with you"

As an added note to my last post here is an excerpt from the most recent Office of Fair Trading Newsletter;

With the holiday season fast approaching, many tenants may be planning to visit friends or relatives or go on an extended holiday. It is good practice to notify the landlord or agent if you are going to be away for an extended period. This ensures that the landlord or agent does not think you have abandoned the premises if they can’t contact you or if your rent payments stop for some reason.

In a recent case, a tenant did not advise the agent that she would be away for several months. There was a banking problem with the tenant’s automatic rent payments and her rent fell behind without her knowledge. The landlord thought she had abandoned the premises and considered terminating the tenancy.

In this case it was simply a misunderstanding that fortunately was able to be sorted out, but it could have resulted in the tenancy being ended while the tenant was away. Just like you might tell the neighbour to keep an eye on your place and empty the mail while you are away, it is a good idea to let the landlord or agent know when you will be absent from your rental property for several weeks or months. It is also good practice to regularly check your bank statements while you are away to make sure your rent payments are continuing to be made.

The full newsletter can be found here; http://node3.enews.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/online/18209992-33.html