I think it is time for a new property manager

[hsk]

My husband and myself own a very 'average' house in chester hill, sydney, we are starting to think that it is time for a new property manager, as the agent we have at the moment is not working for us. Our latest problem is that there are leaking taps, and when I asked the PM what taps and how many they did not know, so then I asked how much to fix them and they had not idea, well that was about December. So I have sent a couple of emails and rang and finally we are waiting for a plumbing quote... 3 weeks it has been and so I have sent another email and asked what is happening? The PM appologised and said she would ge on to it, so I requested a couple of quotes to ensure they were honest. She was not happy about that, but said will do so, meanwhile the tenant may have had dripping taps since December, next thing they will refuse to pay for any water as the taps are not fixed. Now I just wondered if anyone can recomment a PM for this area of Sydney, thanks

 

[wanelad]

Wow they are pretty slack, I certainly would move on too

 

[morg]

Not sure if it applies in your state, but in WA, tap washers are the tenant's responsibility.

 

[Jamie M]

This is one of the reasons why I prefer to self manage. When we were using PMs, we found ourselves constantly chasing them up about similar issues.

Now, if a tenant has a maintenance issue, they call us and we sort it out straight away - the tenants remain happy and the property doesn't fall down.

Cheers

Jamie

 

[gronk007]

Hi Jamie M,

Just a couple of questions:

1) to be your own PM, do you get access to Tenancy Databases which allow you to sift through the historically troubled tenants? Do you need a license or any qualifications?

2) How many hours a month of your time do you spend being a true PM to your tenants? I'm guessing that most people don't opt to become PMs because of the perceived time they think their landlords will take from them.

 

[Jamie M]

Hi Gronk007

Just to be clear, I'm not advocating that self property managing is for everyone - but it does work for us.

1. No and no. We do carry out reference and employment checks and prefer tenants that have references from property managers.

2. A minimal amount of time. We carried out an inspection on one property last month (took 15 mins) - we haven't had a maintenance call or a late rental payments from any tenants in a while. When we do, we get onto it straight away. When things are going well, property managing doesn't take up much time. It's when things go bad that you'll find yourself involved - which we've been fortunate to avoid so far.

Hope that helps

Jamie

 

[Maazel]

I self manage one property in perth and have a PM for a property in NSW.

If you have a good tennant, Self managing is so easy, i spend about 1 hr every few months, just updating records. Saving alot in fees.

I do my own open houses, and talk to prospective tennants ( i use my own intuition. ) I also for the couple on the short list do a drive by there current house, to see the current state of it. Ring employers, and have even gone into a someones work to confirm details.

I spend a fair bit of time and energy getting a reliable tennant, after that it is very easy to manage.

All the forms anf info you could possibly need are put out by the state gov at
http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/Consu...state/Renting_and_tenancy/Landlords/index.htm


Although i think it is not for everyone. But can be done if you are willing to do abit more work.

 

[morg]

I also for the couple on the short list do a drive by there current house, to see the current state of it.

Now that is a great idea.