Perhaps some crew with real estate experience can chime in here on a real world case i am giving some moral support on.
i have a close relative that has been renting a property for a year
A nice lady who takes pride in a property / gardens and asks for maintenance as and when the need arises -
3x1 - unit / duplex - northern suburbs of Perth $380 per week - signed on a year ago when Rents were around $350 - 360 for similar - on the verbal promise of a long term rent (i know - never take an agent on a verbal promise)
1 person in the unit (less wear and tear than a shared set up)
Rented as heated / aircon
Had multiple issues with maintenance not attended to in a timely manner
1.Reticulation not working - took 6 weeks to fix - tenant had to replace sprinkler heads at own expense.
1a.Gutters not maintained as per contract - water seeping in to gyprock ceilings
1b.no keys supplied to open window locks for 6 weeks - unable to ventilate property in summer
2. Aircon not functioning - took 6 months to replace ( a whole summer no aircon)
3. No key to allow back door to be locked - 6 weeks
4. Smoking downlight contacting insulation - 2 months for attendance to issue - no fire dome attached - just moved insulation. After 1 year fire dome arranged to be replaced - but still not in place
5. Blocked drain in shower - 6 weeks to attend to issue
5a. Damp from shower crossing in to cabinet - not attended to despite multiple requests. Mould / smell emanating from cabinet
6. Renter arranged old gas appliances (heater / oven)to be exchanged via government swap program- manager / owner managed to delay replacement of Gas heater and sabotage replacement of Oven.
7. No functioning heater in property from Jan to the end of july - 4 ft flames coming out of old gas heater when ignition attempted - eventually replaced via government program
8. Manager / owner insisted on placing a vent in wall where old heater was removed - old heater used asbestos flue - which was disintegrated during removal - vent to wall cavity filled with loose asbestos particles / fibers. 3 months left unattended
After multiple requests for issue to be sorted renter has taped and alfoiled ventilation duct - now zero ventilation in room.
9. Oven (the one that was going to be replaced by govt program for free sabotaged by owner / manager) goes out
leaking gas
- Gas co / govt program reluctant to replace due to verbal abuse from manager / owner
Oven unusable for 2 weeks now - still not replaced.
After all this - owner / manager have decided that $50 rent increase per week is in order. $380 rent now boosted to $430 per week - no negotiation - take it or leave it.
Similar properties renting at $390 to $400 based on research of 7 similar properties in area - yes the rental market has tightened in Perth - welcome to the boom
Of course there are 2 sides to every story - property manager saying that its not a personal decision - simply getting the most from an investment.
I had heard that it is a good idea to get a good tenant in long term with investment properties.
Rent never late - manager argues that the tenant was difficult due to constant maintenance requests - i suspect the rental increase is hardball tactic to remove tenant - is this legal ?
Some maintenance delays explained away as "no money in trust fund account" - is this acceptable / legal ?
Does the owner / manager have a case to answer to for rent charged on a property where the property is incomplete- or even systemic property mismanagement ?
Wow im glad i dont rent.
For 380 a week she could move to the outer burbs and purchase a new home. Why pay of someones elses morgage?
yes - moving is always an option - not sure about breaking the agreement though - doesnt that place the renter on the foul side of the contact ?
typically it costs $1500 to move when you factor in new connection fees / removal van hire etc etc etc - not to mention the double rent overlap as its nearly impossible to get rental agreements to bookend with each other on the same week
Check out the army of miserable movers on any given weekend in your suburb - the wagons with beds on the roofs and Barbies in trailers - this endless shuffling from one property to another seems pointless.
Keeping in mind the large cost to the renter of moving - Can and Should owners / managers be made to me more accountable when they really drop the ball ? Should the small claims tribunal come into play ?
I'd try the rental bond authority, or whatever it is in WA. Almost definitely the owner has to answer for something.
Renting is hit and miss.
Im probly wrong,,it happends sometimes
but I think there is a limit (leagally) that they can increase rent by per year or 6 months.
I thought it was $15 or $20????????????????
In my years of renting its usually goes up by $10,,when they feel the need.If its anything to go by, they have increased my rent by $10 twice in 4 years.
I think she should move. Her landlord and property manager sound like arseholes. I have some rental properties including an old house. Because it's old it needs maintenance. So if something needs to be fixed I fix it myself or get a tradesman in to fix it. I think renting is a two way street. The tenant should pay the rent and not wreck the place. The landlord should ensure the place is habitable.
i agree. get out of there but definately call REIWA and have everything in writing. stick it to them!
6 months waiting for repairs??????
They should be reducing the rent in compensation, but, good luck with that.
Has the rental agreement run out? In NSW when they do it's a 3 week exit process on both sides. If the agreement is still in play then I would not think that they could put the rent up until its over. So perhaps that is what they are saying - that it will go up when it expires if she wants to stay.
It also could be the agent playing games as they have not done their job well - covering their asse.
In Sydney rents are still mad. In Manly a mate f mine was telling me that he turned up to rent a joint for $460 and 30 others were keen so it went to a bidding war and the owner got $520 for it in the end. Madness. Glad I do not live there anymore.
Or the owner is just being a jerk. My mum loves long term renters - she is scared of putting their rents up in case she offends them or they decide to move on!
Yep, bad landlord.
We had a 4 bedroom place (almost) right on the beach between Nth Steyne & Queenscliff, in Manly. We ended up with a 10 year lease.... 1 year leases were re-signed ever few years. I was there from years 3-8 roughly. The house was "Melrose" at 28 Pacific Street Manly. Fun times.
We had nearly every one of those probelms at some stage... it was an old house... But we had 2 plumbers (at least 1 plumber through the entire journey). The plumbers had tradie mates. All problems sorted in no time. We sent the occasional bill to the owner's mum. Owner lived overseas. Owner was the brother of a very famous Aussie actor.
We even did a bathroom refurb for them, to solve the damp and drainage issues. We scraped it in cheap for about $5k. Came up really well. Thanks trady mates!
We were paying roughly $150-$200/week "unders". Under market value. Lucky to have a rich landlord, who we didn't bother.
www.google.com:443/maps
28 pacific street, manly, nsw
The vacancy rate in Perth is down to 0.7% - anything less than 2% is a landlord's market and indicative of rising rents.
Nasty inconsiderate people come as landlords and as renters. Either way, they are best moved on from as soon as possible.
However, the tight vacancy rate means that getting a new lease on anywhere decent is becoming a race - need to rock up early, charm the landlord, have no pets/good references etc etc.
Don't get me wrong, the landlord sounds like they suck. But some of these things cut both ways - like you say 2 sides to every story.
If you get a good tennant don't put up the price, if your on a good deal as a renter don't pester the landlord.
No one's ever going to be happy here, her or the landlord, it's like listening to your mate when his wife/girlfriend buggers off
There is a legal case won by a number of tenant against their property managers for non-compliance with the tenant agreements. There will be a clause in there that says something about quiet enjoyment of the premises. The tenant sued for a return of the rent for non-compliance with required maintenance. There a few legal precedents now http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/consumer/article/-/10242906/TT_Tenant_s_rental_triumph_-_12092011_files/ This is just one.
But I think the writing is on the wall to move out and to visit the www.rentalagreementsdiy.com.au/tenancy_laws_in_australia.php for further advice.
Wow $380, that's sooo cheap... reminds me of the good ol'days.
My landlord/agent is a farking runt... never does jack either.. wait that's their name Jackson Roe.
Anyway get the repairs done yourself, send them the invoice... may take a while to get the money back, but no AC can be a killer... not in NSW, cos it's FARKING freezing all year round, there's never any wind and the Sun's always blanketed out by thick grew clouds.
FARK you NSW! More like NoSunWind
Im Renting in FreMcmantle for 240 Jizzles a week for a 1 bedroom misery in a 6 bedroom house that is brand new, its crusty as, and riddled with the cliched pommy backpacker from hell, I know Im being taken for a ride but my family think my title is Pip and have Great Expectations, I try to remain humble. Ms Estella is a BBW ;0 and Global McWarming will throw every account off balance.
