A GOOD PROPERTY MANAGER SAVES YOU MORE THAN JUST MONEY
While some landlords do prefer to self-manage their properties for a variety of valid reasons, there are several compelling questions that landlords should consider before making this important decision. The wrong decision can cost more than just money.
The number one question most landlords consider is “should I try to save some money by managing my property myself”? Or “should I put its management in the hands of a professional real estate agency”?
We believe however there are other questions landlords should consider because managing property is not an easy job, so also ask yourself:
Do I have the time to manage my own investment property?
After hours and on weekends, do I want to be chasing rent, visiting the property to look at maintenance, chasing tradespeople who may not have done their job, getting quotes, talking to what can sometimes be complaining, demanding or just chatty tenants?
Tenants can stand you up and just not show up to inspections, again wasting your valuable time. Our office has invested in comprehensive software to ensure we capture all tenants interested in your property. Our online inspection booking system allows tenants to book in to view your property at a time to suit them and reminders are automatically sent. This way we are less likely to get cancellations and results in more tenants inspecting your property. On top of that, if they don’t show we can chase them up, they waste our time not yours.
We know “time is money” and maximizing your income is important so we have proven strategies to find and place suitable tenants in the shortest timeframe possible. One strategy we enact is pre-applications prior to the first inspection. By having (when possible) two or three potentially approved applicants, we can move quickly after their inspection to approve the most suitable tenants. This minimises post inspection processing time and vacancy time and avoids tenants being approved on other properties before they get approval!
Does it make better financial sense for me to pay someone else to manage my property so I can focus on my own job?
Remember paying an agency to manage your property is a tax deduction and costs can be factored into the rent. Often we even get our commission on top of the expected rent anyway!
Do I have the patience to manage my own investment property?
Our personal lives are busier and often more stressful than ever. Do I want more frustration in my life than I already have now?
Do I have the knowledge of tenancy legislation and how to correctly complete all the documentation required to manage my own investment property?
Property management is heavily legislated. As well as Queensland tenancy legislation (Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act) landlords need to comply with consumer protection legislation, smoke alarm legislation, safety switch legislation, privacy legislation, pool safety legislation, anti-discrimination legislation and more!
Property management involves a lot of regulated paperwork, including but not limited to: Application Forms, Entry Condition Reports (before), Periodic Inspection Reports (during), Exit Condition Reports (after), Bond Lodgment Forms, Tenancy Agreements (lease), Landlord Protection Insurance, Smoke Alarm & Electrical Safety Compliance Forms, Notice to Remedy Breach, Eviction Notices, Notice of Intention to Sell, Entry Notices (and all the intricacies of notice periods depending on why you are entering the property), QCAT application forms.
Tenancy legislation and documentation is complicated and reviewed/changing often and with technology changing at a rapid rate and new businesses emerging from the internet, the risk to your investment property is becoming even greater then before (with some recent cases of tenants putting rental properties on websites such as Air bnb and Gumtree to sublet.
It is critical to ensure that you have a rental management team that are across all of the new risks and outcomes, not only in Queensland but also Australia wide.
Tenants are now very well informed on their rights and your responsibilities. A failure to correctly adhere to the legislation or not completing documentation correctly can be a concerning and time consuming task if your required to take the tenant to QCAT (Tribunal)(who may then throw your case out because it wasn’t done right!). In the Tribunal, private landlords are treated no differently to Property Managers so “I didn’t know …” or “I told them” simply is not a defensive argument.
Lead and mentored by a Division Manager who is a very experienced Property Manager, our property management team are highly trained professionals, receiving constant information updates from the relevant authorities, including the REIQ as a member office on legislation and processes. Our team regularly attends professional training courses and are constantly updating their knowledge and skills to ensure they’re on top of their game and the best professionals they can be in the industry. Our property managers are also paid well above award wages to ensure Amber Werchon Property attracts and maintains the best property managers in the industry!
Am I good at keeping records for everything to do with my property and tenancies?
For risk management and tax purposes regarding your rental property, you need to keep copies of all documentation, emails sent and received, letters sent and received, invoices paid and diary notes of all conversations had. We have a comprehensive database that keeps all these records that you can request at any time or can be used as evidence if required. We also provide you with a compiled end of financial year statement of income and expenses that makes your trip to the accountant at the end of each financial year easy and less expensive.
Do I have the experience to manage my own investment property?
If things turn sour with my tenants, can I really handle what may go down? A good tenant can quickly turn for the worst for any number of reasons, often not in their control eg.job loss, ill-health (physical or mental health issues) accident, domestic violence, family drug and alcohol abuse, etc. Property Managers have seen it all and know from experience what to do to minimize risk for you.
Do I want my tenants to know about me and my family, and in particular an upset or angry tenant?
Am I happy for them to have my phone number and know where I live? Personal and family security is a growing concern for all of us nowadays.
Can I keep the relationship with the tenants as a business relationship and not become friendly or feel sorry for them?
Remember this is a business deal for you not a charity. Sounds tough, but that’s how it has to be otherwise it becomes a personal thing and exposes you and involves you in the tenant’s life. Property Managers act as the “third person” in the transaction, keeping the landlord at arm’s length from the tenant and protected.
Can I quickly minimize my financial and/or property damage if the situation turns bad?
Do I have the skills, knowledge and strategies to handle a bad tenant/situation? Our Property Managers do! How much could it cost me if I don’t handle a deteriorating situation quickly or well?
How do I check a new tenant’s application form and history?
Problem tenants will often target private landlords knowing that the landlord has, limited resources to discover the trail of destruction these tenants may have left behind.. Problem tenants are often well versed in “talking the talk” and can be very persuasive, so taking a tenant on face value is not a good risk management decision. We have access to the “blacklisted” tenant database TICA (Default Tenancy Control System), which is a valuable tool for us to reveal listed tenants due to previous defaults and damage to property. TICA is the largest tenant database operating throughout Australia and New Zealand. Our Property Managers are trained to follow a strict process of thorough tenancy checks, regardless of what “first impressions” applicants make.
How can I attract the best tenants? Where do I advertise my property to target the best tenants?
Research shows most tenants now only look at websites rather than newspapers when seeking a property to rent. We advertise rental properties on major property websites, including realestate.com.au and domain.com.au, as well as our website amberwerchon.com.au
Many tenants will approach real estate agencies, after researching rental properties on websites to find suitable properties, well before they would look at the private rentals ads in the newspapers. This is not only for convenience, but also because many tenants prefer to rent through an agency i.e. a ‘third person’ as it removes the emotion from the relationship or they have had bad experiences renting privately.
We have a busy Property Management Department that attracts a lot of tenant interest (not only new interest but also repeat and referral interest. We pride ourselves on looking after our tenants so they want to continue to rent through us and they also recommend us to other tenants. This means we have a growing database of prospective tenants that we can match to our vacant properties.
Do I have the knowledge to know what my rental rate should be and do I have the negotiating skills to increase rent on a regular basis?
Property Managers are up to date on current market rents, the more rent they can achieve the more the agency makes, so it’s in the best interests of the agency to have the highest rents achievable. We will always be recommending rental increases where possible. Private landlords tend to fall into the “they pay and look after it so we won’t put it up”. All costs go up, and you take the responsibility and expenses of owning the property so you deserve the most possible.
Do I have the skills to negotiate new and renewed leases on my terms?
Are you aware of what you can and cannot negotiate in relation to terms and conditions of leases and notice periods? Get this wrong and your lease and tenancy will be exposed if the situation ends up in QCAT.
Who will look after my property and tenants when I take holidays or am unwell?
Problems with properties and tenants won’t wait until you return.
Do I have reliable, licensed and insured tradespeople who will turn up on time, be on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and do a good job?
When it comes to a tenanted property, unforeseen things can happen at any time of the day – and Murphy’s Law dictates that it will usually happen in the middle of the night or on public holidays or at some other inconvenient time! Instead of your tenants phoning you at any time such as midnight on Christmas Day with an emergency report like a blocked toilet leaving you with the burden of finding someone to fix it, we handle it on your behalf (as per your instructions).
Maintenance issues not addressed in a timely or workmanship manner is sighted as a major frustration for tenants. We have a team of fully licensed, fully insured, reliable tradespeople whose first priority is to handle our maintenance requests – ever had to wait and wait for a tradesperson to come to your own home or even ring you back? This can be both time wasting and frustrating. Because of the volume of work they give us, even small jobs are their priority and we get good rates as a result too.
After considering all these questions, we hope that you agree that engaging a property manager to manage your property is the right decision. The next challenge is to choose the right one.
WHY CHOOSE US?
We will:
• Find the most suitable tenant for your property, respecting all your all legal instructions, including permission (or not) to accept pets;
• Use our database, website, and network of contacts to find a suitable tenant for you when your property is vacant, in the shortest possible time;
• List your vacant property on our weekly e-newsletter that is sent to thousands of people in our database;
• Place a highly visible “FOR RENT” signboard outside your property when vacant (with your permission and body corporate approval);
• Provide you with innovative, customized marketing options/proposals to help better promote your property;
• Conduct inspections by appointment, 5 days a week. Our system allows tenants to book in an inspection time to suit them. This maximizes the number of tenants inspecting your property as they choose the time and are not dictated a time by the agency.
• Provide constant feedback to you, including a written weekly report informing you of the enquiry level and activity on your property for lease;
• Process application forms thoroughly within 48 hours of receipt, including TICA check, employment checks, rental history checks and 100 point ID checks;
• Provide professional and efficient services to both you and your tenants. Our office standard is to return all phone calls, emails or other written correspondence with 24 hours.
• Correctly and compliantly complete all lease paperwork, sending you a copy;
• Lodge maximum bonds with the Rental Tenancies Authority within the prescribed time frames;
• Complete a thorough Entry Condition Report, including photos, prior to letting;
• Arrange connection of power, gas, telephone, internet and cable TV (upon request);
• Carry out periodic inspections every quarter (the maximum allowable by law). We take digital photographs of your property regardless of the condition of property and forward them to you along with a detailed inspection report. You are welcome to attend periodic inspections with our property managers;
• Provide you with the quality experience you deserve owning investment property. We have a well resourced and adequately staffed Property Management Department which means you will have a dedicated property manager (rather than a different person who does everything in a task based model) who has the time and energy to proactively and effectively manage your property (rather than just peddling hard to keep their head above water). They will know everything about your property from entry, exit, tenant selection, leasing documentation, rent payments, arranging maintenance, paying accounts and paying you. In addition, you will have access at any time to our Property Management Division Manager who is a very experienced Property Manager. She ensures her team provide to you a Property Management service second to none, and she is always on hand to take care of your property in the event your property manager is busy, sick or on holidays or you just need to speak to someone else other than your property manager.
TESTIMONIES TO EXCELLENCE
Once again you’re outshining my previous agents, thank you for the thorough report
A.Winkel
Marg and I would like to thank you for the diligent and professional service you have provided during the course of procuring new tenants for our properties at Roxy Beach and Kirsten Place. The regular reports and flow of information between all parties during this process has met the high expectations we know Amber Werchon Property strives for. Our collective persistence seems to have paid dividends in so far as the quality of tenant we have secured for these two properties, of course only time will tell, but both tenants appear to be very pleasant and responsible, which in turn makes running the show a lot easier for all of us. Again, thank you for your participation in this process.
N. Cawthorne
The Property Management team at Amber Werchon Property have always placed fantastic new tenants in our property and always tried to get us the most rent possible. Any maintenance issues that arose were constantly dealt with quickly and efficiently, with minimum disruption to our tenants. Thank you!
S. Clarke
Thank you very much for your advice regarding my investment property and the current rental market. Your agency does a great job!
R. Bell
Thank you for providing consistently outstanding service and I will certainly use Amber Werchon Property again to manage my next real estate investment.
G. Diamond
I wanted to write and thank you for assisting with my search for a rental property. I have just been approved for a property in Palmwoods which I applied for yesterday but wanted to advise that your team were fantastic. I have struggled during this process with unprofessional Property Manager’s from other agency’s not returning phone calls after applying for houses for the last 3 weeks. It was great to finally receive personal attention from your team. They were exceptional and I will certainly return to Amber Werchon Property in the future for any rental/sales enquiries.
D. Van Ophem