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Yes I've had a problem with the smoke alarm 'service' pressure by my PM. Now they even want you to fill in a form of 'compliance' but more ominously I think they actually sabotage existing smoke alarms to pressure owners (especially those not living in the area) to accept their over-priced service. I personally installed and tested a smoke alarm with a ten year battery life. A year later I inspected my unit and found the smoke alarm not working – the battery was taken out and put in backwards. The tenant would have no reason to do this as he was a good long term tenant, while at the time I noticed the person the management company had sent was very tall – they send the tall ones in to reach the smoke alarms without ladders. You might think that this is unlikely – but imagine several hundred properties being charged around a hundred dollars a pop for smoke alarm 'service' every year and the numbers (and the motivation) quickly add up.
Worse, have you had that same dripping tap 'fixed' by their plummer they send you several times in a year? Or perhaps that blown fuse – created by your tenants faulty electrical appliance – now requires the replacement of the whole electrical board even though you've never had a problem with it before? Those things have happened to me and – out of the four or so property management companies only one hasn't gone bad yet – but that one is a family run company whose members I know personally. There are conflicts of interest and fraud in just about every sphere of business – and property management in Australia is no exception. Keep an eye on your PM!
