Landlords

Why Choose RE Property Agents

Choosing the right agency to manage your investment property will be one of the most difficult tasks you’ll face as a landlord. At RE Property Agents we strive to be one of the best in the industry and to archive this we listen to our clients. Our staff are known for their attention to detail, a strong ethic of personal service and to exceed your exceptions.

Our point of difference - most property managers work for the tenants but we work for the client and 99% of all other real estate’s the Principal is sales trained but our Principal Toni Kuchtin has been in the Property Management Industry since 1999 so she knows a thing or two about property management and you know your property is in good hands.

We have dedicated Property Management staff and all of our staff are fully licenced, fully trained and have an excellent knowledge of the Act and Industry.  Property Management is a complex area and staff are bound by numerous Acts and Legislations so to ensure that we are kept up to date with legislation and industry changes our staff undergo continuous training all year round.  As a property owner you will also have the advantage of dealing with one Property Manager as we are portfolio based and not task based.  

On a daily basis, we demonstrate to our current landlords that we offer the ideal combination of professionalism, experience and commitment. Property Management is much more than just collecting rent or striking a deal on fees “ it is a passion”.

We would also be more than happy to provide you with contact details of our current landlords.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Repairs & Maintenance

Our agency only engages licenced and qualified professional tradespeople.  We have access to a wide range of trades people who have met a stringent criteria. We make contact with the Lessor (unless it is an after hours emergency) seeking their written instructions before arranging any repairs. You also have the option of doing the repair yourself and we can also use the tradespeople of your choice. For emergency repairs we will make contact with the Lessor the next day.

How and when am I paid the rent?

Monies received on your behalf are held in our rental trust account until they are paid to you at either mid-month, end of month or both mid and end of month.  We can also pay for repairs and maintenance, your rates, insurance and body corporate fee’s, keeping everything on one statement for the financial year end.  A copy of the invoices are sent to you with your rental statement.

Rental Payments

We monitor all rent arrears on a daily basis, action is taken straight away from day one. We don’t wait until the tenant is 3 or 4 days in arrears, we nip it in the butt straight away. We send tenants a message via SMS and follow up with a phone call. We repeat this process until the 8^th day when we issue a formal Notice to Remedy, as the law allows at this time. The breach is recorded on the tenants file and you will be notified in writing. If rent continues to be unpaid, we will contact you seeking further instruction to issue a formal Notice to leave when the law allows.  We maintain contact with you until the matter is finalised ie rent is paid or the eviction process concludes.

What is the average length of a Tenancy Agreement?

There has always been this misconception that a tenancy agreement must be for a period of 6 or 12 months but this is not true, the agreement can be for any length of time. It would be our recommendation that a new tenant’s first tenancy agreement be for 6 months to see how the tenant preforms. The Agreement may be re-negotiated before the end of each fixed term and a rent review will also be performed. There are also times where we might suggest a 7- or 8-month lease to avoid the property being vacant over the Christmas period.  We contact you 3 months prior to a lease expiry with options and recommendations.

How often can I inspect the property?

Entry must not be made less than 3 months after a previous entry by the Lessor/Agent but can be made more often if the owner wants to conduct their own repairs. We also encourage our owners to attend routine inspections with our property manager so you can see what we are seeing, after all it is your property. 

What insurance is needed for an investment property?

It is highly recommended to have ‘Landlord Protection Insurance’. We have attached information from Insurance Companies so that you can make an informed choice and by talking with the insurer you can be assured that you have the right cover in place. You should also have building and contents insurance and public liability – content insurance cover things like the carpet, fans, curtains etc. Packages can also be obtained from your current insurer and sometimes cheaper if you are combing policies. All queries about insurance must be directed to Insurance Providers as we are not qualified in this field.

Who pays for the water?

The Lessor is responsible for sewerage and drainage rates, land tax and all corporate charges.  If the property is not water compliant then the tenants are allowed a water usage of 150 Kl’s for a six month period, if they use over this amount they can be responsible to pay the excess. If the property is fully water compliant the Lessor can pass on full water consumption costs to the tenant.

 Tenant Selection

We personally escort each person to the property and never hand out keys. The prospective tenant/s must complete a tenancy application form and provide 100 points eg provide proof of identity with current address, photo ID, income statement or pay slips, and personal referees and rental references. We check all references and their employment history. We are also a member of TICA which is a data base for tenants that have defaulted in rental payments or not behaved in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act. Last but not least we present all applications to the clients seeking their instructions.

Changing Agencies – Not happy with your current agency

No Problems - It’s easier than you think as we do all the hard work for you and it costs you nothing. We contact the current agency and inform the tenant of the change, we also collect all the paperwork and keys on your behalf. It costs you nothing and you can do this whilst the tenant has a lease in place you do not have to wait until the lease expires.  

After hours contact numbers & repairs

We provide to the tenant a mobile phone number for after hours emergencies. If the repair can’t wait we will endeavour to make contact with yourself but failing that we will organise the repair to be fixed and will make contact with you on the next business day. If the repair can wait until office hours we will make contact with yourself before engaging a tradesperson or otherwise agreed upon in your Management Agreement.