Tenants Vacating a property

If your lease is within the initial term it is known as a “Fixed Term Tenancy”. If the fixed term is nearing its end date, you are only required to give a minimum of 14 days notice. This notice must however, be given prior to the expiration of the lease.

Once a lease term expires the tenancy is known as a “Periodic Tenancy”. If you are ending a periodic tenancy, then the minimum you need to give is 21 days notice.

Should your circumstances change and you need to break a fixed term lease, you are legally within your rights to do so. The terms of this type of vacate are set out in your lease agreement. The best action to take is to speak with your property manager, who will work with you to achieve the desired result.

It is against tenancy legislation to cease paying rent with the intention of using the rental bond for rent. The rent must continue to be paid and the bond totally intact at the time the final inspection is undertaken. Failure to comply with this term could impact on future rental references.

The main reason for hold ups with bond refunds is properties are not ready for the final inspection. Further work to be done after the final inspection can be inconvenient and time consuming and even costly. You will receive an “exit inspection guide” which lists all the items that need to be tended to prior to the final inspection. Be sure to follow this guide closely, to avoid having to either return to the property yourself or pay contractors to return and tend to outstanding items on your behalf.

See that all keys, remote controls or other means of access have been returned to the office, prior to the final inspection.

It is also very important to understand that how well something is cleaned depends on whether it is actually deemed clean at all. Do not expect too much of yourself. Moving house is very tiring and returning to clean after you have moved can see the standard of cleaning compromised. We strongly recommend employing a professional cleaner to undertake the vacate clean for you. This is the best way to avoid extra costs associated in rectifying any cleaning issues and delays in the refund of your rental bond.

When returning possession of a property, the carpets must be in the same clean condition as they were at the commencement of your tenancy. In most cases the best way to ensure this is the case, is to organise the carpets to be professionally steam cleaned. It is important to consider that although the cheaper ‘do it yourself’ hire machines may seem initially more cost effective, they are not as powerful as those used by a professional cleaner. This being the case you may need to still have the carpets professionally cleaned even after you have paid to hire the ‘do it yourself’ machine.

The final inspection cannot be undertaken until the property is fully vacated, cleaned, grounds and gardens tended to and keys etc returned. It is imperative to note that if a time has been made to conduct the final inspection and you feel the property will not be ready in time, it is in your best interests to give us a call and change the time. We do not wish to travel to the property for the purpose of conducting the final inspection unless the property is 100% ready. We do reserve the right to charge a fee, if after arriving at the property at the agreed time, we are unable to complete the inspection, and have received no communication from you to alter the inspection time.