Today I am discussing whether to allow pets at rental properties.

Although landlords may feel apprehensive, there are some benefits in allowing pets at your investment property.

Most Australian households have pets, with approximately 62% of people owning an animal. So, allowing your rental property to have pets may attract a longer-term tenant or family, which is what landlords desire, as it provides stable rental income.

In addition, allowing pets may enable landlords to aim for a higher return of rent and can assist with renting the property a lot quicker with a larger number of tenant applications to choose from.

At Century 21 Central West we require tenants to complete a Pet Application Form at the beginning of the tenancy, so we can find out what type of pets they have, and the age of the pet, which helps us to ascertain if the property they are applying for will accommodate that type of pet.

During inspections, we will monitor the pets’ living conditions and report back to you, so any issues can be addressed to ensure the property is being looked after.

When a tenant with pets vacates the property, we can enforce a pest spray in the yard and carpet cleaning inside the home.

There are benefits to letting tenants have pets at rental properties, and we recommend assessing this on a case by case basis. For more information on this topic please get in touch with the Century 21 Central West team today.

Changes to the Residential Tenancies Act came into effect on 23rd March this year. Today I thought we should discuss the new break fees for fixed term agreements.

When a tenant signs a lease, they should be committed to staying for the entire fixed term, otherwise the tenant may need to break their fixed term lease which will incur a penalty. This is called a break lease fee.

For tenants that have signed a lease from 23rd March onward, and the lease is for a term of three years or less, their break lease fee will be calculated based on what stage of the agreement they are in.

• Four weeks rent if less than 25% of the agreement has expired.
• Three weeks rent if 25% to 50% of the agreement has expired.
• Two weeks rent if 50% to 75% of the agreement has expired.
• One weeks rent if 75% or more of the agreement has expired.

For example, if two months of a six-month tenancy agreement has expired, that would be 33% of the lease term. Therefore, the tenant would need to pay a fee equal to three weeks rent to the landlord to end their agreement early.

However, if the tenant signed the lease before 23rd March, before the new legislation came in, these fees are not applicable to them. These tenants would still be bound by the former agreement rules.

For more information go to the Fair-Trading website or alternatively, contact us at Century 21 Central West.

Today we are discussing the advantage of using a real estate agent to manage your rental property. Private landlords often feel like agents don’t offer good value for money. They might have had a bad experience with an agent, and feel they are better off doing it themselves.

As agents we are often called to assist private landlords when things turn sour be- tween tenants and themselves. The tenant might have fallen behind with rent and the landlord doesn’t know how to address the issue, or the tenant is not maintaining the property. Quite often we step in as the third party, negotiate, and find solutions. This is where our experience and knowledge of appropriate legislation pays off. We are used to handling all kinds of tenancy related matters, and have the time and energy to commit to it.

We aim to minimise costs for the landlord with professional management and avoid costly bills that they may incur if things go wrong. At Century 21 Central West, we have an experienced team dedicated to the fields of leasing, managing, and maintaining rental properties.

Leasing is the initial letting of the property, from advertising to qualifying tenants prior to letting them have the keys. Managing includes collecting rent on time, ensuring all required documents are completed and keeping up to date with legislation. We also have a routine inspection manager and are proactive regarding repairs and maintenance required.

If you are considering using the services of an agent, contact us at Century 21 Central West for our Landlord Information Package. Email tara.kelly@century21.com.au or call 0418 465 407.

We have had many tenants moving in and out of properties recently, and I thought it a good time to clarify what the term “fair wear and tear” means.

When it comes to Residential Tenancy Agreements, fair wear and tear means the normal deterioration of a property over time from ordinary, everyday use.

Some examples of fair wear and tear consist of faded curtains, frayed cords, furniture indentations and traffic marks on flooring, scuffed wooden flooring, faded or chipped paint or movement cracks.

Some examples of what is not fair wear and tear are missing or torn curtains, large marks or holes in walls, significant damage to flooring such as stains or burn marks, badly scratched or gouged wooden floors, unapproved paint jobs, burns or cuts in benchtops, and damage caused by pets.

The tenant is responsible to rectify any negligent, irresponsible or intentional actions that cause damage to the property. These are things we look for during our regular routine inspections rather than just waiting until the end of the tenancy.

Should we discover that there are some items that need to be rectified, we will ad- dress this as soon as possible to achieve a suitable solution.

Alternatively, if it is the end of the tenancy and damage is noted on the outgoing inspection, we will claim the tenant’s bond to reimburse or compensate the landlord for this.

For more information on this topic please feel free to contact the Century 21 Central West team today.