If you’re new to property investing in North Lakes, Mango Hill or surrounds, or have repair costs that could’ve been avoided, you’ll want to read on.

As a landlord it’s your main responsibility to ensure the property is well maintained and safe for tenants to live in. That’s quite a responsibility! Lucky you don’t have to do it alone. So let’s jump in and see how it can be done with minimal headaches.

Start Strong

Prior to entering your first lease and before any tenants move in, it’s recommended you walk through the property with your North Lakes Rental Manager to identify any current or future issues.

This can include items not compliant to current legislation, or areas viewed as unsafe and requiring immediate attention.

There’s also an opportunity here for a switched on Property Manager to recommend renovation improvements to help you achieve a higher rental price or attract the best tenants. This is how you know you’ve found a really good one!

If you happen to live interstate like a lot of our clients and can’t be there in person, your Rental Manager would be happy to do this on your behalf and report back to you.

Know Your Obligations (QLD Rental Laws)

Once occupied, tenants are required to report any repairs to the Rental Manager in a timely manner. (See here for Pool Maintenance obligations for both Tenant and Landlord.)

Similarly, a Landlord is required to respond and undertake repair requests within a reasonable time-frame.

If however repairs aren’t made in a timely manner, tenants can file a Notice to Remedy Breach giving 7 days for the repairs to be completed before further RTA action can be taken.

So to prevent negligence on your part, respond to emails and phone calls promptly and give your Rental Manager the approval they need to arrange everything quickly. Make sure you notify them if you are unreachable for a time.

“Can a tenant organise repairs themselves and forward an invoice for payment?”

Well, yes and no.

Routine Repairs have to be reported to the Property Manager in writing. Once approval is received by the owner, the manager will organise the work. This is the required process for all repairs.

However, Emergency Repairs can be organised by a tenant only if the agent/owner cannot be contacted and the cost of the invoice is to the maximum value of 2 weeks rent.

It’s important to note an emergency is not determined based on how quickly the tenant wants it fixed, but whether it poses an issue to their safety. A full list can be found here.

(No, getting the washing machine fixed because the tenant needed to get the kids soccer jerseys done before the big game is not on the list. You’re welcome.)

Prevention Maintenance

Regular and thorough inspections performed by your Rental Manager are crucial in identifying possible issues before they arise. Knowing problems in advance is always beneficial to the Landlord so you can budget for lessor repair costs, prevent damage to the property and avoid emergency situations.

Items noticed during an inspection can be things like carpet wear and tear, paint chipping or cracking, large overhanging trees, worn appliances etc. So be sure to address issues before they get worse when they’re brought to your attention.

Further, it’s important that the agency managing your investment property is using reliable, licenced (if required) and insured contractors to perform any work at your property. Be sure to ask.

Choose Wisely

You may have noticed that your Property Manager carries much of the responsibility in ensuring things run smoothly with the maintenance of your property. For this reason make sure you choose well! Not all North Lakes Property Managers are alike.

Keeping happy paying tenants is essential to having a successful investment property. Following the advice given in this blog will definitely help you do that as well as minimise unnecessary repair costs.