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PROPERTY VIEWINGS

Hicks Property Management has a dedicated full-time Leasing Manager to show prospective Tenants through your property. At Hicks Real Estate we will never hand out keys to any prospective Tenant. At the time of the inspection, our Leasing Manager will personally meet all prospective Tenants on-site, talk to them about their rental needs, and provide each prospective Tenant with an application for Tenancy.

VIEWING COMMUNICATION

Our dedicated team member will advise you before the inspection that an appointment has been made by a prospective Tenant to view your property. Prospective Tenants can view and book an inspection 24/7. We don’t miss any opportunity in securing a great tenant for your property. After every leasing inspection at your property, our Leasing Manager will contact you to advise you how the inspection went and provide feedback from all prospective Tenants. Your Property Manager will also provide you with a written weekly report to summarise the leasing activity. We keep all of our Landlords up-to-date and informed as we understand that communication is extremely important to you during this time.

RENTAL APPLICATIONS

Once a prospective tenant submits an Application for Tenancy, we conduct extensive checks, including a default Tenancy Database search, rental history references from prior and current agents, employment references, and personal references. Once we have completed the application process, we will forward the details in summary to you for the final decision. We believe making this decision together gives you a greater understanding of who is renting your property.

TENANT SIGNUP

Once an Application for Tenancy has been approved, the tenant is sent all the details and documents via docusign.  This email has a video attached explaining all the details and the requirements of the tenants throughout the tenancy.
 We also explain their obligations as tenants and our procedures for rent arrears, smoke alarms, pools, property inspections, maintenance, Entry Condition Report, insurance, keys, end-of-lease requirements, parking of cars, how to pay their rent, and more.Once these documents have been signed, a copy will be sent to you for your records. We will also lodge the Bond with the Residential Tenancies Authority, as legally required. All tenancy documentation is signed, and the required bond and rent monies are receipted before any keys are given to your tenants.

Entry Condition Report

Just prior to your new Tenant moving into your property, your Property Manager will complete an Entry Condition Report on site. This is a seven-page legislatively-required Report detailing the visual condition of the property inside and out, including the condition and colour of all inclusions, for example, walls, floor coverings, light fittings, appliances, gardens, driveway, lawns etc., at the start of the Tenancy.

Your Property Manager will spend up to two hours at your property compiling this Report. In addition, we will take approximately 100-500 photos of your property to further support the report. It is part of our service and office policy that we take these photos to form part of your Entry Condition Report; they are vital evidence if there is a dispute when your Tenant eventually moves out.

KEYS

We are required by legislation to provide to each Tenant with one full set of keys, including window keys, along with one entry set per additional Tenant. Our Agency also holds one full set of keys, allowing us to carry out inspections and maintenance. We do recommend changing the locks after each Tenancy. Hicks Real Estate photocopies all keys given to your Tenants at sign-up. Your Tenants sign the photocopy as part of the entry condition report. We do this for evidence of key and entry items supplied to your Tenant, so if your Tenant loses their set of keys, they are charged the cost of replacing the keys and changing the locks.

Routine Inspections

Routine inspections are carried out by our Property Managers every 17 weeks.  Our Staff are highly trained to identify any potential damage or maintenance as well as completing a highly detailed report.

We will also let you know if we see any preventative maintenance issues, such as floor coverings, guttering issues, etc.

 

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

A Tenant is required, by legislation, to report repairs and maintenance requirements to us in writing. We will contact you via email or phone to advise you of this maintenance and request your instructions in writing. If we do speak with you on the phone, we will follow up with an email as all instructions must be in writing. Therefore, we ask that you respond within 24 hours to our email, even if we have spoken with you first.

Once we have your instructions in writing, we will arrange for our qualified tradespeople to access the property to complete the maintenance required. Most of our tradespeople provide free quotes. If you would like a quote prior to the work being carried out please advise us when approving the work.

Emergency repairs include burst water pipes or hot water systems, no hot water, blocked toilet (if there is only one toilet), gas leaks, sparking electrics, no power (where there is no Energex fault), unable to secure a house or broken locks. Safety issues include loose stairs, handrails or decking boards, broken glass or broken window cords or chains.

In the case of an emergency or safety issue arising, if we are unable to contact you, we will arrange for the work to be carried out as per the Management Agreement, which allows the equivalent of two weeks’ rent to be used for emergency maintenance. We still try and contact you by leaving a voice mail message and sending a text to your mobile, and leaving a message on your home number and work number. We will also contact your Emergency Contact the same way.

We do this as it is deemed an emergency by legislation. We do not want to put you or your property at a potential risk of a claim against you. We do not want your Tenant seeking compensation due to the maintenance not being carried out in the required timeframe. Once the work has been completed we will contact the Tenant to ensure the repair has been effected.

LEASE RENEWALS

Our process for renewing a lease begins three months before the lease expiration. There are a few reasons for this:

1. If you would like the rent to increase for the new lease, we like to give as much notice as possible to the tenants, though there is no required time limit.

2. If you are wanting to ask the Tenants to vacate at the expiry of their lease, we are also required to provide the Tenants with two months’ notice.

3. We like to get an indication, as early as possible, if the property will become vacant. The last thing we want is your property to be vacant. Maximising your rent return is our goal.

We will email or post you (depending on your preferred method) a document three months prior, which will include the date your written instructions are required to be returned, and a general market overview along with our recommendation for the renewal of the Tenancy. We ask you to return the last two pages of this document, giving us your written instructions relating to the length of the lease and rental amount, along with your instructions about servicing the smoke alarms. If you do not return your written instructions by the due date we will attempt to contact you.

If we cannot contact you, as explained previously, we will follow the emergency contact procedure. If we are still unable to contact you, we will issue the Tenants a new lease as per our recommendations in our initial letter to you. However, your written instructions are preferred. Once we have received your written instructions, we will email or post the Tenants their new lease, and, once returned, we will process it through our system, arrange the smoke alarms as per your instructions, and send you a copy of the signed lease for your records. The Tenants are given seven days to return their signed lease to us. If the lease is not returned in this timeframe we will follow up.

If the Tenants have not returned their new lease within one month prior to the expiry, we will contact you to advise you that, in this instance, we recommend a Notice to Leave be issued. The main reason for this is, that most Landlord Insurance Policies do not provide insurance coverage if the Tenancy is a Periodic lease.

Tenants Vacating

Legislation requires Tenants to provide us with a minimum of two weeks’ notice prior to vacating. Once we have this notice, we will call or email you to advise you when the Tenant is vacating your property, and request your instructions in writing in relation to reletting your property. Once the Tenant vacates and hands in the keys to our office, the legislation gives us three business days to carry out the Exit Report. We will book the exit inspection as soon as the Tenants hand in the keys to your property. At the inspection, we check to ensure the property has been left clean, neat, and tidy, including the yard, and to ensure there is no damage (fair wear and tear excluded). If there are items to be rectified, the Tenant is given 24 hours to rectify them. If they are not rectified, we will arrange for our tradespeople to carry out the work and for the amounts to be deducted from the Bond. Subject to legislation requirements, the RTA generally holds an equivalent of four-weeks rent as the Bond. Once your Property Manager has completed the vacate inspection, they will contact you to advise you of the condition of the property.

Once the Bond is finalised and you are satisfied with the condition of your property, it is ready to be relet. If there is money owing in excess of the Bond, the Property Manager will arrange a dispute resolution with the RTA who acts as the mediator. This is where the Entry Condition Report and photos will be used as evidence on your behalf. If this mediation process does not rectify the issues, an Application to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) is submitted to go in front of a magistrate to verify the amounts owing. At this Tribunal Hearing, the judgment made in favour of the Landlord or Tenant is ordered. Boettcher Realty is also able to engage Barclays, a debt collection agency, to recover the outstanding funds, or a claim can be made on your Landlord Insurance. By legislation, we can list the Tenants on a default Tenancy Database.

Properties with Pools

If your property has a pool or a shared pool in a complex, we are required by legislation to have a copy of the Swimming Pool Compliance Certificate prior to leasing the property. The Certificate is valid for two years for a non-shared pool and one year for a shared pool. The pool also needs to be registered with the local council. The Tenants are advised that it is their responsibility to ensure that no items are placed to prevent the gates from closing or that allow a child to climb over the fence. To help maintain the safety and condition of pools, our office requires that non-share pools have monthly pool services completed by a Pool Cleaning Service Provider. The pool owner is responsible for the cost of the service call as well as any parts. The Tenant pays for all chemicals required. The Tenant is also responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the pool.

Smoke Alarms

Legislation requires that the Landlord/Property Owner must have all smoke alarms at their property serviced, tested, cleaned, batteries replaced and the expiry dates checked within 30 days prior to a lease being renewed, and at the beginning of a new Tenancy. We strongly recommend the use of Smoke Alarm Solutions to carry out this service as they also provide us with a compliance certificate that confirms the property complies with the Fire Safety Regulation. Most Landlords use this company or a similar company. In the unlikely event of a fire, one of the first requests by your insurer is for you to show proof that your smoke alarms were compliant with the law and work. It is your choice to service them regularly, but most Landlords employ a company to take on this responsibility. For more detailed information on the packages offered please contact our Senior Property Manager.

Corded window furnishings Compliance

Landlords are responsible for ensuring that the property and the products they provide work effectively and safely and that products come with instructions and safety information, where necessary. This includes window coverings with cords.A breach of The Trade Practices Mandatory Safety Standards carries penalties of up to $220,000 for individuals, and $1.1 million for companies, as well as the risk of compensation claims. Also, as the owner of the property, you have a duty of care at common law which may expose you to litigation should a foreseeable injury occur as result of you failing to take simple steps to remove or reduce the risk of harm.

The new mandatory standards set by the ACCC apply to “suppliers”. A “supplier” includes anyone in the business of leasing the goods. So as a Landlord, you are legally responsible for ensuring that the corded window furnishings you “supply” meet the mandatory safety standards.

The new mandatory standards set by the ACCC make it clear that window furnishings with looped cords of 220mm or greater than hanging at or lower than 1600mm from the floor pose a risk of strangulation to an infant or young child. It follows that if the ACCC foresees the risk and regulates by prescribing new mandatory standards a reasonable person should also foresee those risks. Even if the Tenants have no children, it is reasonably foreseeable that they might have children visit the home from time to time.

Additionally, the obligations of the owner set out in the Residential Tenancies Rooming Accommodation (RTRA) Act are reflected in the Standard General Tenancy Agreements. So, an owner will be in breach of the RTRA Act, and in breach of contract, by failing to repair window coverings or by providing window coverings that do not comply with health and safety regulations, provided that the window coverings are part of the premises (known as fixtures), or an inclusion. Insurance policies vary, but most have an exclusion clause that means that the insurance company does not have to pay out where the owner breaks the law or is aware of the problem and chooses not to act to reduce the risks of harm.

Have all window coverings in your rental property inspected for compliance with The Trade Practices Mandatory Safety Standards. The Inspector will identify potential hazards
in the cord systems of windows and blinds, provide an assessment of whether the window furnishings can be made to comply with current legislation, and carry out the necessary workmanship on your behalf. When the inspection and any compliance work have been undertaken, you will be provided with a Certificate of Compliance. Please ensure your property meets the legislative requirement.

Water Compliance and Water Usage

We strongly recommend that any property with an individual water meter be made 3-star WELS compliant by a licenced plumber. This enables us to pass on the total water usage charges to the Tenant. For example, when your water bill arrives from Queensland Urban Utilities, there will be a base charge and a consumption charge. If your property is not 3-star WELS (water compliant), you, as the Landlord, will be required to pay the base charge plus almost the entire consumption charge.

The Tenant is only liable to pay a small portion of the bill. This is the Residential Tenancies Authority’s (RTA) advice. If your property is 3-star WELS (water compliant), you only have to pay the base charge and your Tenant will pay 100% of the water consumption. Each individual bill can vary by hundreds of dollars; it would be wise to have this service approved for your property. This service to your property is also tax-deductible.

 

Payments of Accounts/Invoices

All invoices for maintenance carried out at your property will be paid on your behalf from the rental monies at the end of month disbursement. If you request to pay these bills directly, please advise your Property Manager at the time of the maintenance approval. If the work being carried out is over $1000, we require you to pay at least 50% of the total invoice before the work commences. We also have the facilities to pay your rates, water bills, insurance renewals as well as body corporate fees and water bills for your convenience. Most Landlords take advantage of our superior systems and services on offer.

Disbursements to Owners

We disburse rental monies to all our Landlords twice monthly, being the sixteenth day of each month or the next business day, as well as the first day of the month or the next business day (public holiday’s taken into account). 

Some landlords take advantage of this service and some prefer to receive their statement monthly. Advise your Property Manager of your preference for disbursement frequency as we individualise to suit your specific requests. Your statement, along with any paid invoices, will be emailed or posted to you the same day the disbursement is processed. You will receive one monthly statement and then one annual summary statement for the Financial Year. This saves you time as you only need one yearly statement for your accountant. we can also send you monthly and annual statements directly as required.

Communication

The quickest and most effective way to contact your Property Manager is via email. Hicks Property Management records every phone call into the office. All Landlord emails are saved to your file, including all your Tenant conversations. We don’t miss anything. We pride ourselves on Gold Star Award-Winning Service.

Our Property Managers call our Landlords regularly just to say hello and to make sure you are receiving the service you expect. We believe the more we contact you, the better our relationship will be.

Each mid-month you will receive our own “Smart Buys” newsletter. This newsletter provides our Landlords with the opportunity to consider another investment property. Every month you will receive our monthly Landlord Newsletter; it’s a great way to keep up to date and includes tips on renting and advice on any future legislation changes coming into effect. We encourage you to read this newsletter as it is very beneficial to you.

The Principal also encourages you to send your feedback as we really want to know how we are going and how we can improve our service. We are in a service industry and your feedback is extremely important to us.

Office Hours

Our office is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. For any after-hour emergencies, please call our office number which will divert to our after-hours mobile. Leave your name, number and the emergency information and a staff member will contact you. We regularly check this message service after hours and over the weekend, including public holidays. Your Tenants are also advised of this procedure prior to renting your property.

 

Some important Legislation Tips to remember

Properties rented with air-conditioners, dishwashers, pools, furniture, fireplaces, and sheds: if these items break down or the Tenants do not have access to them, the Tenants are able to seek compensation from the Landlord until the matter has been rectified.

Safety: the Tenant has rented your property with all safety checks in place. When an entry/exit door, stairs, rails or deck becomes faulty, or there is a gas leak, broken glass or a life-threatening situation arises, we, as your Managing Agent, and you, the Landlord, must act immediately and rectify the situation as soon as possible. This will help avoid any possible legal action or injury to the Tenant or others.

The best way to avoid any compensation or possible legal claims against you and to maximise your returns is to offer your property to the rental market only after having ensured it has:

  • passed a Building and Pest Inspection.
  • is smoke alarm compliant, pool compliant, water-efficient and compliant, blinds and cords compliant and safety switch compliant.
  • had an annual air-conditioner service.
  • a regular pool service program in place.
  • gutters were cleaned and trees trimmed regularly.