[Bbay2Oz]

There is something called a condition report that you sign at the start of your tenancy. This report is typically prepared by the real estate agent and talks about the condition of the property in glowing terms. At the end of your lease many unscrupulous agents/landlords will try and sting you with a huge cleaning/repair bill that will be deducted from your rent bond.

Being forewarned is forearmed. I can't stress upon this enough.

Be very careful and look at the property with a fine tooth comb. Take LOTS of photos. Note down every little dint, scratch, tear and spot in the condition report. Remember, no damage is too insignificant/small because the landlord/agent will sting you for it. You could always fight it out at the tribunal as fair wear and tear but then why let it go to that stage? In most cases the landlord/agent will back off once you show them photos and you stand up for yourself.

In the unfortunate event you are having problems with your RE agent/landlord then do contact the following body for free advice:

Tenants Union of Victoria

http://www.tenants.org.au/ for NSW

http://www.tuq.org.au/ Queensland

http://www.tutas.org.au/ Tasmania

 

[gg3103]

There is something called a condition report that you sign at the start of your tenancy. This report is typically prepared by the real estate agent and talks about the condition of the property in glowing terms. At the end of your lease many unscrupulous agents/landlords will try and sting you with a huge cleaning/repair bill that will be deducted from your rent bond.

Being forewarned is forearmed. I can't stress upon this enough.

Be very careful and look at the property with a fine tooth comb. Take LOTS of photos. Note down every little dint, scratch, tear and spot in the condition report. Remember, no damage is too insignificant/small because the landlord/agent will sting you for it. You could always fight it out at the tribunal as fair wear and tear but then why let it go to that stage? In most cases the landlord/agent will back off once you show them photos and you stand up for yourself.

In the unfortunate event you are having problems with your RE agent/landlord then do contact the following body for free advice:

Tenants Union of Victoria

Tenants NSW for NSW

Tenants' Union of Qld Queensland

Home - Tenants' Union of Tasmania Tasmania

Thank you Bbay2Oz. That is really valuable information. Just to prepare myself for my eventual movement to Oz, do you suggest hiring a lawyer to help you go over the finer details of these agreements and condition report. Or is it a simple matter that one can carefully read and understand?

 

[Bbay2Oz]

Thank you Bbay2Oz. That is really valuable information. Just to prepare myself for my eventual movement to Oz, do you suggest hiring a lawyer to help you go over the finer details of these agreements and condition report. Or is it a simple matter that one can carefully read and understand?

lol, no you don't need a lawyer. The tenancy agreement is standard so don't worry. It is the condition report that you should look at carefully and make sure you provide your comments.

When we were renting I took about 300 photos of the property. The agent had described it glowing terms, executive type property blah...blah. When we ended our lease recently they tried to sting me for my bond. I gave it back in good measure (I guess they weren't expecting that as they probably imagined we were some meek, fresh off the boat migrants). I got back every cent of my bond.

 

[gg3103]

lol, no you don't need a lawyer. The tenancy agreement is standard so don't worry. It is the condition report that you should look at carefully and make sure you provide your comments.

When we were renting I took about 300 photos of the property. The agent had described it glowing terms, executive type property blah...blah. When we ended our lease recently they tried to sting me for my bond. I gave it back in good measure (I guess they weren't expecting that as they probably imagined we were some meek, fresh off the boat migrants). I got back every cent of my bond.

That's really good to know. I have added this to my to-do list while looking for rent-out options. Thanks again.

 

[sharemyhead]

I gave it back in good measure (I guess they weren't expecting that as they probably imagined we were some meek, fresh off the boat migrants). I got back every cent of my bond.

Ha ha, that was good to read.
They don't know the kind of struggles every Indian has to go through every day...
Meek.. naah.. we are a fiery lot.

Kudos,
sharemyhead

 

[anj1976]

most people dont bother initially, neither did we, now i understand things and do regret not taking pix, but cant help it, can we. when we moved in, i had an 8 month old and for us it was insane, peak winter time, so much to unpack and a newly crawling baby..but as they say, you learn from your mistakes, good thing is we do not have a very big house and there isnt much maintenance that goes into plus we did not buy much furniture on purpose, did not want the lil one to bump around, now that she is walking and is a grown up, i was thinking of buying but a friend suggested, if you plan to buy your own in near future then manage in as little because moving with so much furniture is a headache, that left me wondering, is it worth it and i decided against buying any bit. our lease ends early august (6th to be precise), lets see how things roll, have asked the agent to continue it for another year till we prepare ourselves for the future

 

[lifeisgood]

hiring a Lawyer?
lol, you must be kidding .....

Thank you Bbay2Oz. That is really valuable information. Just to prepare myself for my eventual movement to Oz, do you suggest hiring a lawyer to help you go over the finer details of these agreements and condition report. Or is it a simple matter that one can carefully read and understand?

 

[gg3103]

hiring a Lawyer?
lol, you must be kidding .....

Actually I was bit skeptical since it is going to be a totally new country where we would have no ideas about the fineprints of these agreements. So thought may be a lawyer is required.

 

[Maz25]

Actually I was bit skeptical since it is going to be a totally new country where we would have no ideas about the fineprints of these agreements. So thought may be a lawyer is required.

As long as you note down every last mark, scratch, etc, you'll be fine but as has already been said, agents are just crooks. Wherever you go in the world, they will find ways and means to sting you. I think that sometimes it's so much better to just buy and be done with these meddling individuals who insist on traipsing through your house every few months! At least if you put a Mark on your own wall, you do not have to worry about it!

 

[svp]

There is something called a condition report that you sign at the start of your tenancy. This report is typically prepared by the real estate agent and talks about the condition of the property in glowing terms. At the end of your lease many unscrupulous agents/landlords will try and sting you with a huge cleaning/repair bill that will be deducted from your rent bond.

Being forewarned is forearmed. I can't stress upon this enough.

Be very careful and look at the property with a fine tooth comb. Take LOTS of photos. Note down every little dint, scratch, tear and spot in the condition report. Remember, no damage is too insignificant/small because the landlord/agent will sting you for it. You could always fight it out at the tribunal as fair wear and tear but then why let it go to that stage? In most cases the landlord/agent will back off once you show them photos and you stand up for yourself.

Thank you so much. I have been reading most of your posts and this one as useful as your other posts. I really thought rental is not a big deal when the Company bears the cost, but guess it is better to check it out as some Companies do impose conditions on fair wear and tear and anything over and above a fair wear and tear will have to be borne by the employees. Thanks again for the post.

 

[teresacastillo]

thanks for the tip, my last agent did the same, so hopefully I had prepared photos of every single side of the house to prove it was like that when we arrived !