All Topics / Help Needed! / Privately renting out my property?

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  • Profile photo of bullet46bullet46
    Participant
    @bullet46
    Join Date: 2011
    Post Count: 51

    Hello,

    I have a few questions that I desperately need answered.

    I have an IP that I have put up for rent on Gumtree. It has received an enormous amount of interest from people that wish to rent it. What I need to know is pretty much everything…

    • Do I need to get a contract/agreement done up to cover myself?
    • Who pays for water/electricity?
    • What dangers haven't I considered?

    I have never rented out a property to a Tennant as I've always built homes to sell. I really have no idea and need some direction to save getting burned down the track.

    Thanks in advance.

     

    Profile photo of MosicLandscapesMosicLandscapes
    Member
    @mosiclandscapes
    Join Date: 2010
    Post Count: 73

    From my experience I would say DON'T DO IT.

    I am having ongoing issues with a privately rented place and I will never do it privately again. The tenants are not paying rent, the place looks terrible and now I have to make a decision on whether I kick them out and go through a PM or hold out and hope what they are promising me comes to pass.

    FWIW, I have a standard rental agreement in place, lodged bond ect. Most of this stuff you can find pretty easily with a google search. They pay water and electricity (the property is in Vic).

    Good luck.

    Profile photo of bullet46bullet46
    Participant
    @bullet46
    Join Date: 2011
    Post Count: 51

    Wow, ok, good advice.

    I was worried about all the things you mentioned. I wonder if it'd be better to get a steady tennant through a PM and then drop the PM once I see that the tennants are doing the right thing…

    Profile photo of kong71286kong71286
    Participant
    @kong71286
    Join Date: 2009
    Post Count: 261

    Hi Bullet46,

    When it comes to renting out a property it is essential to get it right from the start

    Once a tenant moves into a property it can be quite difficult to evict them as the Residential Tenancy Act works more in the favor of tenants

    bullet46 wrote:

    Do I need to get a contract/agreement done up to cover myself?

    Definitely! Without one it will be very difficult to establish or enforce your rights.

    bullet46 wrote:

    Who pays for water/electricity?

    The tenant, as they are the one using the water and electricity (But landlord has to pay council rates)

    bullet46 wrote:

    What dangers haven't I considered?

    As stated earlier, you need to ensure you get the right tenant from the start

    You want a tenant that…

    • Will pay the rent on time
    • That will be considerate of neighbors
    • And that that will look after a property

    Hope that helps,

    Kong

    Profile photo of DerekDerek
    Member
    @derek
    Join Date: 2004
    Post Count: 3,544

    Forget the small change issues an even bigger issue is getting insurance coverage, with public liability included, for a privately managed rental.

    What happens is your tenant injures themselves in/on your property and launches legal action because they injured themselves?

    Profile photo of MikalHowardMikalHoward
    Participant
    @mikalhoward
    Join Date: 2013
    Post Count: 48

    Do not go without a PM! Even if you are a fully qualified PM yourself i wouldn't do it. Use professionals all the time. All costs, as minor as they are for the job they do, are tax deductible. Would you do your own accounting? Would you do your own conveyancing? Utilise the professionals who are trained in their field. It makes even more sense if you can find professionals who also have interest in property investing. They know exactly what needs to be done. The small costs associated with using professionals far outweighs any problems you may have to deal with if you don't know what you are doing. 

    Goodluck with it all. Also, if you've had a lot of interest on Gumtree then surely you will get a great tenant through a PM who will interview all possible candidates. 

    Profile photo of Jamie MooreJamie Moore
    Participant
    @jamie-m
    Join Date: 2010
    Post Count: 5,069

    My wife manages our local IPs.

    It's not for everyone.

    We only ended up going down this path because it was a hassle finding decent PMs.

    It's worked out well for us – and we haven't experienced too many serious issues. Whenever we'd had a problem – we've quickly rectified it, including one visit to the tenancy tribunal.

    You do need to be on top of the tenancy laws in your state – and if an issue arises, document everything and follow every process.

    Cheers

    Jamie

    Jamie Moore | Pass Go Home Loans Pty Ltd
    http://www.passgo.com.au
    Email Me | Phone Me

    Mortgage Broker assisting clients Australia wide Email: [email protected]

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