Forms & Links:
- Residential Tenancies Authority
- Tenancy Handbook
- Application for Tenancy
- Refund of Rental Bond
- Form 13 – intention to leave
The supply of some or all of the following will ensure you of a quick response to your rental application:
• Fully completed application form
• Privacy Acknowledgement Statement
• Proof of income and/or Employment
• Current driver’s license or Passport
• Document with current address
• Reference from previous Lessor or Agent
• Any other information that you believe may be pertinent
General info
ROUTINE INSPECTIONS – Approximately every 3 months , you will receive at least 1 week’s notice of our intention to carry out a routine Inspection on behalf of the Lessor. We report on maintenance that may be required by the Lessor and to check that the terms and conditions of the Lease agreement are being met. This is also a good time for us to chat about your future plans regarding the Lease etc.
You do not have to be present during the inspection, but are welcome to be there should you so wish. A 2 hour time frame window is shown on the notification of the inspection. We conduct many, many inspections on the same day and the inspections are grouped and arranged according to the location of the property, it is therefore not necessarily possible to change the date of the scheduled inspection to a date that happens to suit you better. Requests for specific times on the scheduled day can only be met if the requests are made well in advance.
ENTRY CONDITION REPORT – The report records the overall condition of the home prior to you moving in, such as marks, stains, cleanliness etc. thus ensuring you cannot be held responsible for pre existing “damage”. The report will be given to you along with the keys etc. at the start of your tenancy. You are required to go through the report in detail, record any information you feel is important, sign off on the report and return it to our office within 3 days after taking occupation. This report is referred to when conducting the final inspection upon you vacating the home. Please do not use the report to advise necessary maintenance, use the maintenance sheets provided.
PICTURE HOOKS – You are not permitted to add additional hooks unless permission is granted. Blue Tack has in the past been the cause of discoloured paint, leaving a residue behind and has also resulted in paint flaking or peeling off when trying to remove. You would be held responsible for any repair (which may entail painting) for any damage or holes caused by additional hooks, Blue tack etc
ADDITIONAL PERSONS IN RENTAL PROPERTY. New, additional or replacement tenants MUST be approved BEFORE they move in. Your lease agreement specifies both the name/ s of and the number of occupants permitted to reside at the premises and any variation to those permitted occupants is a breach of your tenancy.
PETS. Unless the permission of the Landlord is obtained, pets will not be allowed. Pets kept without our permission would constitute a breach of tenancy and may cause the issue of a Notice to Leave and/or recompense for damage caused, e.g. replacement of carpets.
There is a provision in the Tenancy Agreement for part of the Bond to be retained for eradication of fleas and deodorising /cleaning if pets have been allowed and these conditions are not met.
ELECTRICITY – Responsibility of the Tenant to connect and disconnect. With the deregulation of electricity there are now many organisations offering electrical supply. They all offer different pricing structures & contract lengths. We are unable to recommend a particular supplier and recommend you visithttp://www.switchwise.com.au for a full list of available suppliers.
Be sure to arrange the disconnection at completion of tenancy.
PHONES – Responsibility of the Tenant to connect and disconnect.
Phone TELSTRA – 13 2200.
Be sure to arrange disconnection at completion of tenancy.
GAS – Responsibility of the Tenant to connect, fill and disconnect.
WATER – Tenants are reliant on rain water. Water can be bought from various outlets on the mounatin
HOT WATER SYSTEM – Many electrical systems are Off Peak which means the heating electricity is only available in off peak usage times, usually between 9.00 pm, and 6.00 am so if you run out of hot water in the daytime it will not reheat until later that night.
LOCKS AND KEYS – All original keys issued to you at the start of the tenancy must be returned. Failure to do so will result in locks being changed at your expense. Please do not change locks or add any new locks without permission from our office. You must supply our office with keys for any new locks.
AIR CON AND GARAGE REMOTES – Failure to return all remotes at the end of the tenancy may well result in either a new air con or garage motor being installed at your expense. All air cons require the remote to change settings and modes and there are many brands and models that the remotes Alone are no longer able to be obtained. Similarly many garage remotes are no longer in stock.
LOCKED OUT – Should you lock yourself out of home outside of office hours, for personal reasons staff are unavailable to assist. It is your responsibility to arrange and pay for a locksmith. During office hours you may borrow the keys we hold to the property, however we are unable to bring the keys to you, you will have to collect them from and return them to the office.
VACATING – Tenants must give two (2) weeks’ notice in writing in the official format i.e. Notice of Intention to Leave (FORM 13) of intention to vacate: Rent is charged until the property is vacated – that is, until keys are returned to this office and is calculated on a daily basis after the expiration of the lease.
MAINTENANCE. Due to our professional indemnity Insurance requirements we are unable to attend to routine maintenance unless brought to our attention in writing. Maintenance request sheets have been provided; these can either be brought into the office or faxed. Alternatively requests for maintenance can be emailed. Please ensure you specify which property you are living in, provide best contact numbers and a detailed explanation of the nature of the problem i.e. specify which tap in which bathroom is leaking etc.
It is important that necessary maintenance is brought to our attention as soon as it is noted. Time frames for having the maintenance attended will vary according to the instructions we have from the landlord and the nature of work. We instruct trades people to make direct contact with you to arrange a time to attend to the necessary repair. Should you not have heard from anyone within a reasonable period of time please do contact us so we can give the tradesperson a friendly reminder.
You are not authorised to contact trades people directly unless there is an emergency situation outside of our office hours. Emergency situations are clearly defined by the Residential Tenancies & Rooming Accommodation Act and include matters that affect safety and security, loss of power, lack of hot water, burst pipes etc. Please ensure the problem is a legitimate emergency before calling a tradesperson as you could be charged for the call out, if the matter was not indeed an emergency.
In the event of tripping safety switches/ power points first ensure all appliances are switched off and unplugged from the power point. Plug in one appliance and switch on one power point at a time to eliminate which appliance/ power point may be the cause of the tripping
TAP WASHERS / LEAKING TAPS – Will be fixed by the Lessor. Notify for maintenance.
BLOCKED DRAINS – Responsibility of the Lessor, unless caused by the Tenant.
STOVE / HOT PLATES – It is the Tenant’s responsibility to correctly use and clean hot plates and oven but generally it is the Lessor’s responsibility to repair any faults.
ELECTRICAL REPAIRS – Responsibility of the Lessor unless caused by negligence.
DISHWASHER. Responsibility of the Lessor unless used contrary to instructions. Please regularly clean filters and check hoses for kinks. Dishes should be rinsed before placing them in the dishwasher and a cleaning agent should also be used at regular intervals, this will assist in ensuring the effective cleaning of your dishes.
BROKEN WINDOWS – Responsibility of Tenant unless broken by storm or a cause claimable under Insurance.
STAINED CARPETS – Responsibility of the Tenant.
COCKROACHES OR INSECT PESTS – it is the Lessor’s responsibility to pest control annually.
POOL FILTERS – Responsibility of Lessor, unless operated contrary to instructions.
POOL WATER TREATMENT – Responsibility of the Tenant. If water cannot be effectively treated, we will arrange a Pool Specialist to call – delay can be expensive. If the problem is mechanical, it is the responsibility of the Lessor, but if it is a problem with chemicals, it is the responsibility of the tenant.
AIR-CONDITIONERS – Please ensure air conditioning filters are regularly cleaned, failure to do so will result in the air con not performing to its optimum and may damage the equipment.
SMOKE DETECTORS – Recent changes to legislation require tenants to clean and test smoke detectors every twelve months. Should you remain in the home for twelve months or more, please ensure this service is performed at least every 12 months. You are additionally required to change the batteries immediately they become spent or when you become aware the batteries are soon to become spent and report to us if any smoke detectors are malfunctioning
GENERAL FIRE SAFETY – We urge you to conduct a family meeting and discuss the do’s and don’ts in the event of fire. Find a way for everyone to sound a family alarm such as yelling, pounding on walls, whistles, etc. In a fire, time is critical. Don’t waste time getting dressed, don’t search for pets or valuables. Just get out! Roll out of bed. Stay low. One breath of smoke or gasses may be enough to kill. Practice evacuating the building blindfolded. In a real fire situation, the amount of smoke generated by a fire most likely will make it difficult to see. Practice staying low to the ground when escaping. Feel all doors before opening them. If a door is hot, get out another way. Learn to stop, drop to the ground, and roll if clothes catch fire. Fire can engulf a house in 60 seconds! Make sure you have a safe and quick method of escape!
LAWNS AND GARDENS – You are required to REGULARLY mow the lawn, weed the gardens and trim the edges. You cannot lop or severely prune shrubs without express permission. It is necessary to water gardens and lawns in dry weather to keep plants growing and to prevent them dying.
BREAKING a LEASE- signing a fixed term Agreement for Tenancy legally binds you to pay rent for the period of the lease or up to the “take over by a new tenant”. You are also obliged to maintain the premises as if in residence. IF YOU WISH TO PURCHASE A HOME DURING YOUR TENANCY PLEASE COME AND SEE US FIRST.
In addition to completing all obligations to the lease Agreement, tenants terminating their tenancies early are required to pay the Landlords reasonable costs incurred in the re letting of the property. These include:
1. The agents letting fee which is the equivalent of 1 weeks rent plus GST.
2. A cost for the marketing and advertising of the home.
3. A Form 13 completed and supplied informing us of your departure.
This applies to anyone breaking a lease for any reason. The owner must not lose any rent or be out of pocket for any expenditure on the changeover.
If the rental property is left in a satisfactory state of cleanliness and repair, you have paid rent up to date, fulfilled all exit requirements, a satisfactory new tenant is found, and you have paid the relevant break lease fees your bond will be refunded in full.
RETURN OF BOND – Final inspections are conducted within 3 business days of vacating. Please note Saturday is not regarded as a business day even though our office is open. You are most welcome to be present for this final inspection, so should any unattended to matters raise their heads you could attend “on the spot” The Residential Tenancies & Rooming Accommodation Act allows for a bond to be refunded within 14 days of vacating the home. Should you have met all your obligations such as returning the keys, cleaning of the home and carpets etc there is no reason why your bond cannot be refunded immediately after the final inspection.