At the end of March Rentwest celebrated a big milestone - we reached our 1000th property under management. Thank you to our wonderful owners for helping us reach such an impressive achievement.

We've put a few photos of the night up on Facebook.

Strong winds and storms can cause all kinds of headaches for property owners and tenants. We’d like to give you an idea of what we do when we get a call from a tenant telling us there’s been some damage to your home. While all situations are different, the procedure remains basically the same.

Here’s what happens:

1. Your tenant will contact us about the damage.
2. Your Property Manager will contact the appropriate maintenance company and ask them to fix anything that needs urgent repairs. They’ll also call you to advise you of the situation.
3. During this phone call, we’ll confirm your insurance details. We’ll also ask you for written authority to deal with the claim.
4. Your Property Manager will contact your insurer and advise that a claim is pending.
5. The maintenance company will go ahead and make the necessary temporary repairs and quote to repair or replace any other damage.
6. Your Property Manager will send your insurer a quote. We’ll advise you when this is done.
7. Once the quote has been approved, your insurer will get in touch with the maintenance company directly.
8. Repairs will be carried out.
9. The maintenance company will send an invoice straight to your insurer for payment.

Simple, right? The most important thing to remember is to keep your insurance cover up to date. If you’re not sure what your policy covers, be sure to check it now.

Finding the right tenant to move into each property that we manage is a big priority for Rentwest. After all, we want to make sure that both our tenants and owners are happy. So when you submit your application form we do a couple of things behind the scenes to make sure we organise a perfect match.

We always check references
References come in really handy for determining who we rent a property to. A member of our property management team will always follow up on the references that you provide at the time of application. We’ll have a chat to your referees and we’ll ask a few questions about your previous renting and employment history.

We check national renters databases
We run the name of each potential occupant through two national lists – the Tenancy Information Centre of Australia (TICA) and the National Tenancy Database (NTD). If your name is on either of these lists you’ll have a difficult time renting a property. If you have a good rental history though, you won’t have any problems. In fact the only way you can get on either of these lists is if you’ve had a serious lease breach like:

• not paying your rent
• intentionally damaging a property
• failing to make a payment when directed by the Tribunal
• termination of a lease by the Tribunal as a result of breaching the lease agreement

Once we’ve performed the necessary background checks, we compile a short list of candidates and present it to the owner. The owner is responsible for making the final decision.

Finding the right rental property can be a daunting experience for tenants. We sincerely hope that your application process with Rentwest was a positive one. We’re always keen to receive feedback from our tenants so if there’s anything you think we can do better, please let us know.

In 2009, new smoke alarm regulations (Building Amendment Regulation 2009) came into effect which state all rental properties must be fitted with hard-wired (mains powered) smoke alarms. It also became the responsibility of the property owner to ensure that these smoke alarms were maintained and in working order at all times.

RCD’s
Changes to the Electricity Act 1945 that took effect on 9 August 2009 require all residential homes to be fitted with two residual current devices (RCD’s). As a landlord, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your property has these RCD’s fitted before a new tenant takes up occupancy or before August 2011 for continuing tenancies. We’ve been informed that electrical inspectors will be monitoring leased properties for compliance. If your property is in breach, you could be facing a penalty of up to $15,000.

If you’re unsure of your responsibilities, or if you would like more information about installing smoke alarms and RCD’s, please contact us.

(Image credit: Bob Jenkins)

Regular property inspections are important for a number of reasons.

1. We can check on the general condition of your property.
2. We ascertain whether maintenance and repairs need to be done.
3. We check to see if any seasonal repairs or capital works issues need to be addressed.
4. We touch base with tenants.
5. We use the opportunity to review the rent being charged on the property.

What we do during an inspection.
A routine property maintenance inspection is carried out every three months and takes about 15 minutes to complete. During the inspection, our Property Managers;

• Check that the gardens, lawns and exterior are neat and tidy and in good order.
• Check the general cleanliness of the interior; including the oven and griller, bathrooms, toilets, carpets/floors coverings, light fittings, bench tops and surfaces, exhaust fans, mirrors, curtains, windows and flyscreens etc.
• Ensure any pets kept on the property are not causing damage.
• Note the condition of any recently repaired areas of the property.
• Check for seasonal maintenance issues that need to be taken care of.

We’ll also have a quick chat to the tenants (if they’re in attendance) and make sure there are no outstanding maintenance issues or changes to their situation that we need to be aware of.

If there are any major issues or breaches of the lease, we give the tenants 14 days to rectify the problem before going back for a second inspection.

Once the inspection is done, your Property Manager will complete a written report. We’ll include any relevant photographs and suggestions for preventative maintenance that may need to be carried out in the next few months. We send a copy of this report to the property owner and keep a copy on file for our records.

A well-maintained property will appreciate rather than depreciate in value, so it’s important that we keep an eye on the general upkeep and condition of all the properties we manage. If you have any questions about our regular routine property inspections, please get in touch.

Maintaining your rental property is just part and parcel of investment property ownership. At Rentwest, we want to make sure we’re maximising your rental income as well as optimising the long-term capital growth of your property. One important way of achieving this is through regular maintenance and repairs.

You’ll be notified of maintenance or repair requests after one of our scheduled inspections or if a tenant lets us know about a problem. When we contact you we’ll provide you with a report that details the repair requested with supporting photos (if available) and quotes to complete the work. It’s in your best interests to respond promptly to any maintenance requests because:

• it shows the tenant that you care
• it reduces the possibility of a liability claim if there is an injury stemming from the item that needs maintenance
• it increases the possibility that you can successfully negotiate a rent increase.

Next time you receive a maintenance or repair request take action quickly. If you have any concerns or questions, or if you’d like to discuss your maintenance schedule and budget, be sure to let us know.