Sometimes extraordinary circumstances occur and tenants need to break a fixed term lease early. If this happens they must inform us immediately and complete a ‘break lease’ form.
Tenants will still be responsible for any of the costs associated with the signed lease agreement.
Including but not limited to:
On occasions where you choose to keep the property vacant to attend to major maintenance issues will still be the tenants responsibility.
Not always. There are several factors that impact a rent increase. We will conduct an appraisal of the current market whenever a lease is to be renewed and we will recommend a rent based on our findings. Sometimes with excellent long term tenants, it is in your best interests not to increase the rent, or to increase it minimally in recognition of the savings you have made in maintenance and releasing fees.
You must give 60 days and a tenant must give 21 days.
As a landlord, you are responsible for maintaining the property in a safe and habitable condition. This includes addressing major repairs and structural maintenance. Tenants are usually responsible for minor upkeep, such as replacing light bulbs or keeping the property clean.
Cleaning the gutters is typically the owner’s responsibility. Regular maintenance is crucial to prevent damage and ensure the longevity of the property’s drainage systems.
For essential repairs, we will arrange for a qualified plumber or electrician to attend to issues such as blocked drains, burst pipes, or faulty wiring. Promptly addressing these problems is essential to maintaining the property's condition and tenant safety.
Once a new tenant moves into your property we conduct an inspection after the first six weeks to make sure that everything is running smoothly. After this we inspect the property every 3 months. If you have an excellent tenant that treats your property as their own we recommend that you consider every 4 or 6 months for inspections as a token of appreciation.
Generally a bond of four weeks rent is held in a trust account. Sometimes, when a property is rented immediately after an owner moves out, six weeks bond can be asked.
The owner is typically responsible for annual pest control. Regular pest management helps maintain the property's condition and prevents infestations. We recommend 12 month pest control.
Building insurance, or home and contents insurance is required on all properties. We also recommend Landlords insurance to cover potential loss of rent due to tenants absconding or work hardship. This insurance also covers intentional damage.
A Property Condition Report is an important document that is created at the beginning of a tenancy. It provides a legal record of the agreed condition of the property at the time of leasing and at the end of the tenancy the property should be left in a condition comparable with what the PCR shows was the condition at the beginning of the tenancy.
We strongly recommend that you check the PCR and discuss and sign with any changes you feel are valid within 14 days for your copy to be legally valid.
All costs associated with a new tenancy are taken from the first few weeks rent, as opposed to invoiced to you. These include costs such as the leasing fee, electrician fees for RCDs and smoke alarms, garden maintenance and preparation, photographs and the PCR.
The water corporation is the only utility that does not allow the tenant to put the water in their own name. To ensure that there are no late payments, we pay the water out of the rent and then invoice the tenants for the costs.
A diplomatic clause is often used in circumstances where the tenant has to break the lease due to their employer relocating them. This is common with the military, diplomats and the senior executives in global companies.
Yes. Often owners leave older large appliances for the tenants use. They become part of the inventory for the property and therefore must be maintained by the owner. It is also possible to put a clause in the lease that states that if any of the appliances break down that they will not be replaced. This must be established at the commencement of the lease.
Most owners understand that extraordinary circumstances occur and you may wish to break your fixed term lease early. If this happens you must inform us immediately and complete a ‘break lease’ form. It is important to understand that, until a new tenant has been found, you will still be responsible for any of the costs associated with your signed lease agreement.
Including but not limited to;
If your lease is periodic (month to month), you must give the owner 21 days written notice to vacate.
We require a fully completed application form with references and ID.
There are two types of bond in a typical residential lease agreement; the security bond and the pet bond.
Most security bonds are four weeks rent. In some cases, where the owners of the property were the last residents, you may be asked to pay 6 weeks.
Pet bonds are $260 and are for cats and dogs only. If you have a pet at the property, it is a legal requirement that this bond be held and used for carpet fumigation at the end of the lease.
It is your responsibility as a tenant to change the light bulbs when they no longer work. If a light ceases to work, please try changing the light bulb before asking us to call an electrician.
Please call us. We will arrange for a plumber to come for most maintenance issues including blocked drains, burst pipes, leaking taps or reticulation challenges and remind you that you are responsible for dripping taps (washers) or blockages caused by hair or any other item you may have placed into the drains, including grease.
We will arrange for an electrician for most maintenance issues including no electricity, faulty pond pumps or light switches and remind you that you are responsible for light bulbs.
While we greatly appreciate you waiting until the office reopens to report your maintenance issues, we recognise that emergencies do happen and prefer that you call us, even on a weekend.
We remind you that as per your lease, the issues deemed as an emergency under the Residential Tenancies Act, along with the contractors used by Hub are;
You do. We recognise how frustrating it can be when a delivery window is given of 4 hours. However, Hub doesn’t have the time to wait at your property either. The tradespeople can, and do, contact us for keys to access the property for maintenance with your agreement.
When you first move into your new home there will be an initial inspection after 6 weeks to make sure that everything is going well for you, check on any maintenance requests and make sure that you have settled in. After that, inspections occur every 3 months. In some circumstances where you are treating the property as your own the owner will move the inspections to every 6 months. We do not recommend less frequently than that due to insurance coverage.
Cleaning gutters is the owner’s responsibility. We do not want you accidentally injured climbing a ladder to the roof! Please call us if you notice that the gutters need cleaning, it is an important part of keeping the gutters working for a long time.
Processing an application is a complex process. It can take us up to a week to complete that process. All facts and references need to be checked for each applicant and all applications need to be processed before we go to the owner for a final decision.
How long is a piece of string? Don’t you hate it when people answer with that? Depending on the presentation of the property when you vacate, the bond return can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a couple of months. At the moment they are being returned about 3 weeks after we submit the form. However, we will not submit the form for processing until everything is in order. We must complete a final bond inspection, receive the final water meter reading and ascertain if any damages or maintenance need to be paid from the bond.
Yes.
Generally the owner is responsible for pest control and many owners schedule it annually. However, if you have pests in the house due to food left lying around or an unclean environment, the pest control will become your responsibility and cost.
Hub Residential is closed on weekends and public holidays. We recommend that you keep a spare key with a trusted friend or relative, or you’ll need a locksmith.
A Property Condition Report provides a legal record of the agreed condition of the property at the time of leasing. At the end of the tenancy, the property should be left in a condition comparable with what the PCR shows was the condition at the beginning of the tenancy. We strongly recommend that you check the PCR and discuss and sign with any changes you feel are valid within 14 days for your copy to be legally valid.
The Residential Tenancies Act is the Statement of your Rights and Duties. You will have been given a copy by your property manager and it is also available at; www.commerce.wa.gov.au/consumerprotection