How Much Do Property Owners Really Know?

I’d like to tell you a story….a true but very sad story about one of my former tenants and the problems they have experienced at the hands of one of the worst property managers I have ever heard about.

About two and a half years ago I leased a brand new property in Tarneit to a middle aged couple who had relocated from Kalgoorlie to Melbourne for business reasons.  During their tenancy, the rent was paid by direct debit and was never one day late over their two year tenancy; the property was maintained in an exemplary condition, both inside and out; and at the time of their vacating (they had to move back to WA for health reasons), you could not have believed that the home had been occupied; it was absolutely spotless!

I had occasion to contact the tenant this week with a general inquiry about the property they had been leasing and was told their property management experience in Perth was nothing like what they had experienced in Melbourne.

2 Melbourne Properties for Sale

True Property Management currently has two properties listed for sale:

24 Delias Rd, Tarneit, Vic 3029
11 Zara Ave, Tarneit, Vic 3029

Both properties are currently leased and would be ideal for an astute investor.

You may notice that we have listed on http://www.realestate.com rather than our own website.  Why?  Most real estate agents spend the majority of their time and effort on their sales business. This means that their property management clients are typically treated to second tier service. 

At True, property management and looking after our investment property owners is our core business. This means we are focused 100% on providing you with outstanding property management service.  In the case of the two properties above we were approached and asked to list on their behalf.  

We are also often approached to assist buyers in purchasing their investment property.  With our experience we can advise on:

• suburbs which high occupancy
• what features to look for
• who to contact for a building inspection
• financial advise
• future planning developments

If you are interested in either of the above properties or simply wish to 'pick our brains' on investment opportunities, contact us today.

Renting Property in Australia

Renting property in Australia

This page provides general information on renting or buying property in Australia. If you require specific information related to your circumstances, we encourage you to source advice from a qualified real estate, property or relocation services professional.

Alternatively, after you have read all of this and gone through the various websites, you may realise that it may be easier to pay for the services of a relocation service provider who can make recommendations based on their local knowledge or a property broker/consultant or buyer's agent that can work on your behalf.

There are also several resources produced by state governments (usually from their Consumer Affairs Departments) and these are very useful for people renting or buying property in Australia.

Changing the Locks on your Rental Property

A landlord must provide locks to secure all external doors and windows of rented premises. If any party to a tenancy agreement changes these, they have to give a key to the other party as soon as possible.

A tenant must get the landlord’s consent (which must not be unreasonably withheld) if they want to change a lock in a master key system. If the tenant believes the withholding of consent is unreasonable they may apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to change the locks.

Rooming house owners are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure security for a resident’s property in their room.

Family violence situations
Under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, a ‘protected person’ can change the locks to the property if the ‘respondent’ is excluded from their home.

Property Maintenance - Who is Responsible?

Every time you enter into any legal, contractual agreement, you are bound by the requirements laid out in the agreement that you signed. So, before you sign your next lease, make sure you understand who does what when it comes to rental property maintenance and not only what's expected of you as a tenant, but also what you can expect from your landlord.

The Victorian Tenancy Agreement states:

Property Maintenance: Urgent repairs:
If a tenant or resident requests urgent repairs, the landlord or owner must respond immediately.