Tenants - Frequently Asked Questions

The ingoing property condition report outlines the condition of the property at the commencement of your tenancy and will be used when you vacate the property to determine if there is any damage to the property during your tenancy.

Please ensure that you return your signed/amended copy of your property condition report to us within 7 days of the tenancy start date. If this is not returned please be aware that the original inspection will be used for end of tenancy comparison, regardless of whether you agree to the original report or not.

At the start of your tenancy you will be required to pay a rental bond which is equal to 4 weeks rent. The bond will be lodged with the NSW Office of Fair Trading and is held as security against any unpaid rent or damage to the property. Your bond will be refunded to you after you have vacated the property provided that your rent is up to date and there are no monies owing for cleaning or repairs to the property.

It is the tenant’s responsibility to arrange for the connection of all utility services such as phone, electricity and gas to your new rental home in your own name. When you leave the property it is also your responsibility to arrange disconnection of all the utility services. Failure to do so may well lead to the next tenant of the property continuing to use the utility services in your name.

By selecting the “Connect Now” option on the application form, this process will all be done for you.

Albury Property Rentals has Zero Tolerance Policy for Late Rent Payments.

When you signed the lease you agreed to pay the rent, and pay it on time. Therefore, if you believe you may be late with a rent payment, you must notify us at least 3 working days beforehand so we can inform the landlord to prepare and make other arrangements with their mortgage payments, should this be required. In some cases we ask you to do all that you can do to borrow the money from other sources (i.e. your family, friends, employer, bank, credit cards, pawnbroker etc.) should you not be able to make a payment on time.

However, should we not be contacted our policy will then be: if you continue to be in arrears for 14 days a Termination.

Notice will be issued on the fifteenth day. You will then have to or pay the rent straight away or vacate the property.

Sometimes, some tenants are continually late with payments. If we have a tenant who is consistently behind despite all of our best efforts, we will recommend to the landlord that this lease not be renewed. The tenant will then be required to vacate the property at the end of their lease and also be furnished with a poor performance reference should a new landlord or agent require one.

Please note that we do not accept cash at the office for security reasons (exceptions only with prior arrangement).

Please ensure your rent is always paid in advance. Some tenants find this concept hard to understand, and some mistakenly believe that the first 2 weeks rent paid is held in trust for use at the end of tenancy, like a bond. It is important to note the first 2 weeks rent paid is for your first 2 weeks of tenancy.

Rent in advance concept is simple to understand. If you go into a shop and you select a can of drink from the fridge. If you open the can, drink the contents and then walk to the counter to pay you would agree you might find the store owner not pleased with your actions! The right thing is to pay for the can of drink first, then consume the contents after paying!

Paying rent in advance works exactly the same way. You purchase the time period in advance, and then consume the time period by dwelling in the property. Once the time period is finished or consumed, you then pay for the next time period again before using it, by continuing in the lease and dwelling in the property. This is the meaning of rent in advance.

It is your responsibility as a tenant to make sure that your keys are kept in a safe place. If you lose your keys or get locked out you can contact your property manager during business hours and the office set of keys may be available to be loaned out. If you call a locksmith it is at your own expense. If the locksmith changes the locks/keys, you must notify your Property Manager immediately and supply a copy of all new keys to Albury Property Rentals within 24 hours of them being changed.

If for any reason you want to change the locks at the property you must get permission from your property manager first and, if permission is given, you must supply us with a spare set of keys at your own expense within 24hrs of the locks being changed.

Before making ANY changes to the property, including picture hooks and painting you must gain written permission from your Property Manager before any work is carried out. You will be required to submit in writing what exactly you want to do. The Property Manager will then consult the Landlord. The written approval may require you to return the property to its original condition upon vacating.

Emergency items are generally those that could cause injury to the tenant or damage to the property, and may include:

* Water pipes have broken or burst
* Blocked or broken toilet (if a second toilet is not available)
* Serious roof leak or gas leak
* Dangerous electrical fault, dangerous power point, loose live wire etc.;
* Flooding, rainwater inundation inside the property, or serious flood damage
* Serious storm, fire or impact damage (i.e. impact by a motor vehicle)
* Failure or breakdown of the gas, electricity or water supply to the premises
* Failure or breakdown of an essential service or appliance on the premises for water or cooking
* Hot water service failure on a weekend, or long weekend (this would not be considered an after hours emergency if this occurs on a week night)
* Fault or damage that makes premises unsafe or insecure
* Fault likely to injure a person, cause damage or extreme inconvenience.

After hours emergency repairs. Should an emergency repair be required after hours then you need to phone the office number 02 6021 6779, the phone will be diverted to one of our mobiles. If unanswered leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible. If the problem is a Fault or damage that makes premises unsafe or insecure or a Fault likely to injure a person, cause damage or extreme inconvenience or more damage is likely to occur then call the tradespeople that are listed on your lease to get urgent attention. It is always important to know if a repair is an emergency or a general repair. Getting this wrong may be costly to the tenant if the repair is conducted afterhours!

If you have not been approved to have a pet reside at the rented property, you must submit a written request to your Property Manager. Only once you receive written approval and sign a Pet Agreement can you have a pet in or on the property at any time. Any damages caused to the property (including gardens) by an animal will be your responsibility to repair.

Tenant Contents Insurance

It is crucial that you affect your own tenant contents insurance.

It is important to note that should your goods be damaged or destroyed by circumstances affecting the owner’s property (i.e. fire, storm damage, power outages etc) then your goods and possessions are not insured by the owner.

Example One: An electrical fault in the building starts a fire and the property is destroyed. Your possessions will not be covered by the owner’s insurance.

Example Two: You are away on holidays and the power cuts out due to an electrical fault in the building. Your return home to find your fridge/freezer goods spoilt. The owner’s insurance will not cover your fridge/freezer goods.

Example Three: A storm blows a tree onto the house and in the process, your belongings are damaged. The owners insurance will not cover your possessions.

In all cases above, quality tenant contents insurance should cover your goods for these given examples. Please check with your insurer however for the cover they can provide you. You need to ensure that all your goods are adequately insured. The owner/agent will not be liable for damaged or destroyed tenant possessions.

Your tenancy agreement states the maximum permissible number of people who can occupy the property. If there is any change in either the original occupants or any additional occupants, please notify your Property Manager immediately. You are not allowed to sub-lease your property without the landlord’s consent. So, if you want to do this, talk to us first.

You must always notify your Property Manager if you wish to have another person reside at the property. This person must complete a tenancy application form and be approved by the owner prior to moving in, regardless of whether their name will be included in the lease agreement or not.

Should you believe for any reason the smoke alarm(s) installed are not working or the batteries are not functioning, please let us know immediately. Protect your safety by being vigilant and report to us any issues, in order to ensure your safety in the case of a fire.

Notice in Writing

When you intend to vacate the property, in all instances we require your notice in writing on the prescribed Notice to Vacate, which can be downloaded from our website, signed by all tenants on the lease, and handed, posted or faxed to our office. (In this case an email notice is not legally sufficient.)

Ending a Fixed Term

If you are leaving at the end of your current fixed term lease, we require at least 14 day’s notice in writing. Please note that this amount of notice needs to commence when we have received your notice, not when it was posted.

Ending a Non-Fixed (Periodic) Term

If you are leaving on a non-fixed term (periodic) lease, we require at least 21 day’s notice in writing. Please note that this amount of notice needs to commence when we have received your notice, not when it was posted to us.

Getting Your Bond Back Quickly- Criteria

At the end of your tenancy you will no doubt want your bond refunded quickly after you vacate. For your full bond to be paid quickly, you will need to ensure the following:

a) Rent -any outstanding rent is paid promptly.

b) Property Ready - the property is cleaned, carpets professionally cleaned and grounds returned to their ingoing condition. Please follow the final vacating guide available from our office. The property must also pass the final inspection conducted by this agency.

c) Outstanding Accounts - please ensure that any monies outstanding like water, any damages, compensation amounts and break lease fees are paid.

d) Keys - ensure that all keys, remote controls etc. have been returned. Once these criteria have been met we can then refund your bond. Delays to this in all cases relates to one or more of these criteria not being met.

Outstanding Rent

Please note that it is against the tenancy legislation to withhold rent at the end of your tenancy with the intention for this to be deducted from the bond. Your rent must be paid in full, leaving your bond intact.

Cleaning

Please use the ‘Getting the Property Ready for Vacating’ guide Available from our office. It is also important to understand that cleaning thoroughness can be hampered by tiredness after moving into another property. We encourage you to employ a cleaner so this process is not compromised. Should the cleaning process not be completed thoroughly, this can result in extra costs associated in rectify any cleaning issues and will also delay the return of the bond.

Carpet Cleaning

Please ensure the carpets are professionally steam cleaned. Be aware that using cheap ‘do it yourself’ carpet cleaning hire machines may initially save on cost, but in the long run may cost you a lot more, as they generally do not have the power to get carpets properly cleaned. This can result in professional carpet cleaning still being required, after you have paid to hire a machine as well.

The Final Inspection

Only once the property has been fully vacated, cleaned and grounds made ready with keys returned can we commence our final inspection. It is important to note that if a final inspection time has been made and you are aware that you will not be fully ready for the inspection, please call us as soon as possible to rearrange another time. We do not wish to travel to the property ready for the inspection and find the property not 100% ready. In some cases we may need to charge a fee should we not be able to complete the inspection and no communication received by you to transfer the appointment time.

NATIONAL TENANCY DATABASE

The national internet tenancy database is a collection of tenancy information on an internet website lodged by real estate agents, mostly regarding tenant default action like property damage, outstanding monies and eviction. All agents use this database to lodge tenant details. However, when agents are processing application forms, this database is also cross-checked. We are confident that should an agent checking an application find tenant default details lodged; the application will be promptly declined.

So, we urge all of our tenants to ensure they pay their rent on time, keep the property clean, maintain the grounds and ensure the tenancy is finalised satisfactorily with no monies left owing, to avoid an unfortunate lodgement of their details on the National Tenancy Database.