Everything You Need to Know About Renting with ManageMe
By Norah Gibson
Have you been approved for a rental property with ManageMe? Congratulations! The next step is signing your Residential Tenancy Agreement so you can settle into your new home without delay. To help you get started, here’s everything you need to know about renting with us.
1. Residential Tenancy Agreement Details
Before signing the agreement, we recommend that you check all the details. Make sure your name and other tenancy holders’ names are correct. As well, ensure that the property address, rental term, rental amount and lease’s start and end dates are accurate. Checking these details gives you peace of mind that everything is what you expected.
2. Rent
You should also be clear about the rental amount and how it must be paid. Make sure you check what date you must pay it by and the frequency, such as fortnightly, monthly or another arrangement. When it comes to how you pay your rent, we will help you set up your payment method during the tenancy acceptance meeting. Just remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that the right amount of funds is in your nominated account.
3. Bond
The bond is a payment that is held in trust by our agency before we transfer it to the Residential Tenancies Authority. It allows us to hand the property back to the owner in the same condition that we gave it to you. You must pay your bond when you accept and sign the agreement. We will let you know in advance the amount that you are required to pay. At the end of your tenancy, your bond’s settlement should happen within five days of vacating the property, provided there are no disputes.
4. Utilities
As the occupant, you must connect and pay for your utilities. We will let you know what needs to be connected at your new home. When it comes to water, you will usually need to reimburse the owner a percentage of the total water consumption. Once you have signed the agreement, we can organise the connection of many utilities on your behalf.
5. Maintenance
At ManageMe, we have two maintenance categories – urgent and routine. Urgent maintenance is emergencies. You must report these to us immediately by phone, so we can organise repairs. We classify all other maintenance as routine. You must report any routine maintenance to us in writing by email or post using our maintenance reporting form. If you do not report maintenance and the property suffers further damage, you may be liable for the extra repairs. However, we always take fair wear and tear into consideration.
6. Keys
On the day that your tenancy commences, we will give you, and any other tenant signatories, your keys. We are not allowed to hand over keys before this date due to insurance obligations. If you need the keys earlier, we must change the agreement to the date you take possession of them. You must sign to confirm that you have taken the keys and need to return these same keys when you eventually vacate. If you need to change locks or add locks during your tenancy, you must make this request in writing. No changes can take place until the property owner has approved it and all parties have signed an Addendum to the Residential Tenancy Agreement.
7. Entry Condition Report
An entry condition report is a detailed report about the condition of the property from the start of your tenancy. You must note any changes you find about the property’s condition on this report, then sign and return it to our office within three days of the start of your tenancy. If you return it to us later, we will use our original entry condition report to determine the property’s condition at the start of your tenancy should any discrepancies or disputes arise when you vacate. When you vacate, we will complete an exit condition report and compare it against the entry condition report. If there are any changes to the property’s condition, other than fair wear and tear, you must pay for further cleaning or repairs before we refund your bond.
8. Residential Tenancy Agreement Changes
If a change means a change to the original terms and conditions of the agreement, then you must provide us with a written request. Examples of changes include extra occupants, additional pets, changing locks, adding curtains, painting walls and hanging pictures. At ManageMe, you are not allowed to make any changes until you have received written confirmation that we have approved your request and prepared an Addendum to the Residential Tenancy Agreement. Once this addendum has been accepted and signed by both parties, you can then make your requested changes.
9. Lease Break
If you have to break your lease, we will assist you with finding replacement tenants. However, the property will not be listed until the Authority to Act on Your Behalf form has been completed, signed and returned. Keep in mind that if you move out before your tenancy term’s expiry, you must take care of the property until a replacement tenant has moved in. You will also have to reimburse the property owner for all costs related to finding a replacement tenant.
10. Property Assessment Inspections
At ManageMe, we inspect each property every 17 weeks, regardless of when your tenancy commenced. We will send you an entry notice at least one week beforehand to remind you of your upcoming inspection. We will also send you a maintenance reporting form to fill out. You are welcome to be at the inspection, but we cannot change its time and can only provide you with a time range. If you are not home, we will let ourselves in with our management keys.
11. Rental Arrears
If you pay your rent late, this is called rental arrears. At ManageMe, we have a zero-tolerance for rental arrears. If you do go into arrears, our process to get immediate payment is:
- Day 3 – We send you a friendly SMS reminder
- Day 5 – We send you another SMS reminder
- Day 7 – We call you to let you know that failure to pay your rent will result in issuing a formal written breach notice
- Day 8 – We issue you a formal written breach notice via email
- Day 12 – We send you a follow-up SMS reminder
- Day 15 – We issue you a formal written notice to leave via email
- Day 18 – We contact you to seek a resolution and remind you of our vacating procedures
12. Residential Tenancy Agreement Expiry
At ManageMe, our tenants have fixed-term tenancy agreements and tenancy terms. That’s because we believe that fixed-term tenancies protect both you and the property owner. This means that even if you only need a short-term period, a tenancy renewal agreement must be accepted and signed. When your tenancy term is due to expire, we will contact you approximately three months before the expiry date. If the property owner is happy to offer you a renewal, we will let you know the new rental term and rental amount, as well as the date you must sign your renewed tenancy agreement at our agency.
If you would like to learn more about renting with ManageMe, contact us today. Our team will be happy to answer any questions you may have to make sure you have an enjoyable experience renting with us.
