demanding tenants.

[startled...]

What are your ways of dealing with demanding tenants.....The ones who when there is a problem tell you "I KNOW my rights"

eg.. when the lease was up I asked did they want another...NO I KNOW my rights..I dont have to...which was fine, iI didnt mind


More recently after quite a few minor demands..I put the rent up, and to be honest it was quite a lot but still under market value...The day I did I had a phone call from the agent stating the tenants had rung stating the need for pest control, the tiles in the laundry had lifted and a downlight had blown in the kitchen

I went around to stick the tiles down and was asked about the light when I was there.....I said I wasnt prepared to pay an electrician for one light, the NEXT day I had a written form from consumer affairs ( the tenants had filed out) saying I had 14 days to fix it.

The agent is reluctant to do anything about getting rid of them and I am so annoyed I have to give into their demands....if they couldnt see because of the light it would be differnet but there are 3 working ones in the room....

Any suggestions ( or sympathy) would be great

 

[f4j]

They are on month to month now....so replace them.

 

[RPI]

I'd tell the agent to harden up or change agents. I personally don't want to know about this little rubbish anyway but when I was starting I did do the maintenance on my properties. I ended up aying I was a handyman from the estate agent because it gave me a better insight into the tenants and also they just ignored me when I was there. I personally would get rid of them, especiallly because it is under market rent at present. SOund like they are children, they push your boundaries and the more you give the more they take.

 

[startled...]

The agent says if I try to evict them they can go to the tribunial and say it is because they are exercising their rights....

 

[yieldmatters]

What are your ways of dealing with demanding tenants.....The ones who when there is a problem tell you "I KNOW my rights"

eg.. when the lease was up I asked did they want another...NO I KNOW my rights..I dont have to...which was fine, iI didnt mind


More recently after quite a few minor demands..I put the rent up, and to be honest it was quite a lot but still under market value...The day I did I had a phone call from the agent stating the tenants had rung stating the need for pest control, the tiles in the laundry had lifted and a downlight had blown in the kitchen

I went around to stick the tiles down and was asked about the light when I was there.....I said I wasnt prepared to pay an electrician for one light, the NEXT day I had a written form from consumer affairs ( the tenants had filed out) saying I had 14 days to fix it.

The agent is reluctant to do anything about getting rid of them and I am so annoyed I have to give into their demands....if they couldnt see because of the light it would be differnet but there are 3 working ones in the room....

Any suggestions ( or sympathy) would be great

You are telling me as a tenant I don't have to replace my own light bulbs???!! I had no idea. I must get more up to date.

 

[startled...]

Its the transformer gone on the downlights which need an electrician by law.

I wouldnt mind but they have three other lights in the kitchen

forgot to say the tenant is an electrician.....

 

[Dazz]

Any suggestions would be great

Grab a full copy of the RTA in the state in which your IP is....and read it cover to cover, then read it again and just for giggles, again once more, taking notes on the side this time.

When it's contents are fully and totally understood, you will be in a position to change your nickname.

Job sorted - next....

 

[nonrecourse]

Improve the amenity

Its the transformer gone on the downlights which need an electrician by law.

I wouldnt mind but they have three other lights in the kitchen

forgot to say the tenant is an electrician.....

Best option is to serve them with notice to vacate and on the notice say reason; to renovate and improve amenity. When they are out fix the light and raise your rent

With most rental properties there are always things that need attending to and if you improve the property you can attract a better tenant

 

[startled...]

Grab a full copy of the RTA in the state in which your IP is....and read it cover to cover, then read it again and just for giggles, again once more, taking notes on the side this time.

When it's contents are fully and totally understood, you will be in a position to change your nickname.

Job sorted - next....

Thanks for the reply Dazzling but not really much help.

I have read the book more than once and really didnt find anything to giggle about...

I was hoping someone might have some suggestions on how I can get around what seems to be a very one sided situation..

Has anyone had experience with the tribunial.
Has anyone evicted tenants using the no reason clause.

 

[wylie]

Have only experienced the tribunal in person once, went with my parents to get cleaning reimbursed from tenants who sound very much like your tenants. Mum had not increased their rent in line with market, and when she told them the rent would be rising considerably, they announced they were going to buy anyway. There had been no issues with these tenants, but mum didn't really like them. They were very messy and the house looked "rented". No other issues really, except then turned nasty and left the house very dirty.

We got cleaners in and asked for reimbursement from the bond.

They took mum to the tribunal, and she won . I took photos the day they left. Photos don't lie and they didn't really have a chance, but plenty on the forum who have had the opposite experience.

My mother actually did take another tenant to the tribunal several years ago, and won that one as well. She was just trying to get the tenants to either pay her rent on time or leave. Tenants ended up being told they had one month (I think) to leave, and during that time, if they were late by even one day with their rent, the eviction was immediate.

So for us, the tribunal has been very fair, but I know it goes the other way too, possibly more than we realise.

If I had these tenants you describe, I would be fixing the light. It is a safety issue and they should have a working light. But I would be giving them notice that you will not be renewing their lease. When you do it, make sure you have an inspection and take photos of how the place is NOW. If they trash the place or leave it dirty, you have photos.

We self manager, and have started taking photos of each house prior to tenants going in. The photos and the condition report are a strong document if the tribunal ever has to decide whether the house has been left dirty or damaged.

Perhaps organise landlord insurance before you decide you will be evicting them (or not renewing their lease). Perhaps you need to paint and refurbish the place and need the house vacant

 

[f4j]

The agent says if I try to evict them they can go to the tribunial and say it is because they are exercising their rights....

So what?
You are ending the lease as you want to renovate/paint/live there yourself.

Can they prove different?

 

[kathryn d]

More recently after quite a few minor demands..I put the rent up, and to be honest it was quite a lot but still under market value...The day I did I had a phone call from the agent stating the tenants had rung stating the need for pest control, the tiles in the laundry had lifted and a downlight had blown in the kitchen.

Any suggestions ( or sympathy) would be great

From now on, put the rent up to market value.
Right now, you probably don't need a reason to give them notice.
Let them prove you are being vindictive.
Maybe you should get another PM. Yours seems to be working for the tenant.

 

[Dis]

If I were in your shoes, I would write a polite but firm letter along the following lines.

- The current environment is financially difficult for both tenants and landlords

- The rent has recently been increased but you have tried hard to keep it below market value for the benefit of an existing tenant

- Your ability to keep the rent below market value is in part contingent on your ability to keep costs down
- With regard to the tenant's concerns
1) The tiles have been fixed with your time and labour
2) The light will be repaired when an electrician is on site doing other work. You are reluctant to call out a tradesperson when there is no loss of amenity due to 3 other lights being in the room (note: the tenant's case in tribunal will probably be based on a loss of amenity - I don't see any)
3) Pest control (with the exception of termites) is the responsibility of the tenant unless the infestation was present before the tenant moved in. Attention to food disposal and can of insect spray / rat poison is sufficient for most cases.

Lots of tenants threaten to go to the tribunal simply to add urgency to the request / demanding personality types.

An eviction notice just after a rent increase and repairs demand will probably ring alarm bells at the tribunal IMHO. However in a few months I would inform them that you will be renovating. With all the repairs it sounds like the whole house needs an overhaul!

 

[kissfan]

The agent says if I try to evict them they can go to the tribunial and say it is because they are exercising their rights....

So are you (exercising your rights), to get rid of them.

Give them a BS excuse, like, I'm moving my family member in. Ok, your family member has a change of heart and you get another tenant in there.

Regards
Marty

 

[skater]

Has anyone had experience with the tribunial.
Has anyone evicted tenants using the no reason clause.

Yes & Yes.

Don't sweat it. Sometimes the tribunal sucks, sometimes it doesn't, but it has been my experience that the problematic tenants who use the tribunal as a threat do not follow through with it. If they sense that you are new to the game they can sometimes try to play hard ball but rarely will they pay the piddly amount to go to tribunal unless they have truely been slighted.

The agent says if I try to evict them they can go to the tribunial and say it is because they are exercising their rights....

And you are within your rights to get rid of them. Since the lease hasn't been renewed & it has lapsed to a month to month, you will have to give them notice. Like most of the others have said, just tell your PM that "My situation has changed & I need the IP vacant. I need to renovate/move into it/family member needs it, whatever excuse you like. They can whinge to tribunal all they like, but it is withing your rights to have vacant possession of your property.

Next, I would interview the other PM's in the area, as it sounds like yours is not working in your best interests. A good PM will be able to reduce the amount of nusiance calls from PITA tenants.

 

[handyandy]

The agent is reluctant to do anything about getting rid of them and I am so annoyed I have to give into their demands....if they couldnt see because of the light it would be differnet but there are 3 working ones in the room....

Any suggestions ( or sympathy) would be great

I can understand your annoyance as I have been there myself many times. It really is the hard part of IP's where the demands from tenants are completely out of line with what home owners would be prepared to do in their own.

It appears to me that the PM just wants an easy live and the tenant has presented no problem in paying thus no reason for PM to get involved. Remember passing repair messages along to you involves little or no work on the part of the PM and certainly no responsibility.

I think you made a mistake saying anything to the tenant, expecting the tenant to be reasonable, you will now have to respond to the demand fix the light and grit your teeth.

After fixing the light and an appropriate duration of time (2 months) instruct the agent to terminate the tenancy giving no reason. I have done this on a number of occasions and have never had to front up at the tribunal.

Bottom line is that the tenant had the choice of tenure when you offered an renewal of lease, this was refused and now things have changed and need the property vacant.

The thing that always makes me reluctant to change tenants is the amount of work that the changeover imposes on me in bringing the property back up to the level that I like to present.

Cheers

 

[startled...]

I think they will go to the tribunial, they were asked to leave for renovations last time ( which is what the previous PM told me) Being new and naive I believed it and signed the lease...I have since found out they were painful there and the owner just needed an excuse.

What sort of reno would I need to do ? I know the plumbing needs doing...would that be enough if challenged..

 

[skater]

What sort of reno would I need to do ? I know the plumbing needs doing...would that be enough if challenged..

You don't have to detail the renovations you plan on doing, but if it helps, then plumbing can certainly be inconvenient to a tenant. IMHO, the best reason to get rid of them is to say that your circumstance has changed & you need to move into it yourself.

 

[startled...]

The problem with that is you then cant rent it out for 6 months, and I think they would use that...I mean anyone going to the tribunal over one light is certainly out to make life difficult. Besides they "love' the house and dont want to move..they just want cheap rent and everything done when they say so...which for important stuff is ok..The light is just..you put the rent up here is what you get for doing it....

 

[skater]

The problem with that is you then cant rent it out for 6 months, ....

I don't know where you heard that, but this is incorrect. Best get a new PM.