The record breaking Lismore flood has seen the CBD go underwater and more than 15,000 homes are estimated to be flooded in Brisbane. While some of the rain has eased across QLD flood warnings are still in place and the weather system is continuing to head south into NSW. Disaster assistance has been activated for…
We’re in for a wet summer according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), who have officially declared that La Nina has returned to the eastern states. Now is the time to ensure the properties you manage are adequately prepared. With persistent and at times heavy rains lashing the eastern states over the past few weeks,…
With some states and territories changing their legislation to allow tenants to make ‘minor modifications’ to the property they are leasing in order to make it feel more like home – without landlord consent in some cases – what can you, as a property manager, do to protect your landlords in the event that a…
Experts warn Australia has a largely unrecognised problem of sub-standard housing with more than a million Aussies reported to be living in poor or very poor conditions, according to a study of rentals across Australia. The ABC reported a story that sheds light on this hidden reality. David Billet and Craig Vrybergen have both been…
An online survey conducted by REA of 6700 Australian renters in December 2020 shed light on the current rental landscape in Australia. Its findings are important for property managers as it is only when you understand who your renters are, what they value most and what concerns them most that you can develop a meaningful…
Did the COVID-19 crisis have you working from home for some of this year? If so you’re not alone. With EOFY almost upon us, it’s important to know that there are certain expenses you can claim a deduction for if you were forced to work from home due to the health crisis. This may result…
The REINSW refers to the upcoming NSW rental reforms as “sweeping changes”. So exactly what is changing and how much of an impact will those changes really have on you, your landlords and tenants? All states and territories in Australia have now responded to demand for minimum housing standards for tenants. As a result we…
With much of Australia struggling through a long drought, bushfires burning in large parts of New South Wales and Queensland and no decent rain in sight, it’s important to understand the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords in these situations. Bushfire season has started very early this year with some of the worst fires…
By now you would have heard the news about the QLD government’s proposed rental reforms and the subsequent responses from the REIQ and others about Stage 1 of the proposal. But what are the reforms trying to achieve? Rental reforms are nothing new in Queensland and elsewhere. In July this year New Zealand implemented national…
Legislation generally requires that tenants leave a property ‘reasonably clean’ when their lease ends in order to receive their full bond back. But how do you define something as subjective as the term, ‘reasonably clean’? Those of you with teenagers will appreciate that not everyone will agree on the definition of cleanliness. While you could…
New tenancy reforms for victims of domestic violence in NSW commenced on February 28, 2019. Designed to improve protection for tenants and/or their children living in a domestic violence situation, the new law allows the tenant to terminate their tenancy immediately, without penalty, if they or one or more dependent children are experiencing domestic violence…
One of the benefits of renting is that when something goes wrong in the home, the tenant need only pick up the phone or lodge a request online or via their Maintenance Manager app, if their property management agency uses it, to get it resolved. But while the landlord is responsible for most of the…