Unpaid rent, property damage, pets – there are some tall tales told about these subjects, just to mention a few.
Messenger’s real estate writers contacted dozens of property managers to ask for the lines they hear most often from tenants, which make their eyes roll.
We won’t name names, but a list of their responses is to the right.
Many of them, such as, “The house is better now than when I moved in” and “The garden used to be immaculate”, relate to the state of a home.
Real Estate Institute of South Australia spokeswoman Lisa Stewart says these sorts of issues account for most rental-related calls to REISA’s query line as well as the residential tenancies tribunal.
“My advice would be for a property manager, tenant and landlord to do their first and final inspections together wherever possible,” she says.
“Everyone needs to be agreed on the state of a home from the start.”
She adds it is a good idea to take photos of any property damage or marks on the wall before a tenant moves into a home to keep as a reference point.
“It’s also imperative for all parties to go read through the initial inspection list very carefully, and make sure every potential problem is documented.”
Lines and lies to do with pets and rental payment, such as, “I don’t have a dog (despite pet fur all over the house)” and “I paid my rent but it went into the wrong account” also featured highly on the list of property managers’ most-heard lines.
Ms Stewart says honesty is by far the best policy.
“If you are having difficulty with your cash flow or you want to get a pet, talk to your property manager as soon as possible,” she says.
In general, if you’re a good tenant, your landlord will not want to lose you – it’s not in your interests, so talk to the property manager and they may be able to arrange pet approval.
Ms Stewart says gardening and watering are generally solely the tenant’s responsibility. So tenants usually have no cause for complaints along the line of ”I’m not watering the garden if I have to pay for it.”
Original article published at www.news.com.au by Eleanor Miller, News.com.au 22/1/2014