Ok, so I have been renting a 2bed unit, while waiting for vacancy in the house that I just bought. It was a 3 month lease until 28/02/09. My house was vacant the first weekend of Feb so I decided to move in over that weekend. I gave notice to the property manager at the beginning of Feb, that I would be terminating the rental by the 28/02/09 i.e. by the end of the contract.
All fine.. property manager calls me to say they have a prospective tenant, and when does it suit me to show him through. I say that afternoon is fine I just need to rearrange all my moving boxes (as this was before I moved out). Everything is fine, I move out, the said weekend. Property manager calls me the following Monday to ask when I can have the carpets cleaned and the final inspection done... the sooner the better because the prospective tenant would like to move in that Thursday, and the sooner the better for me too, because then I would save about 2.5weeks rent. Sweet I think, that is definitely worth saving.
So I call the carpet cleaner that the property manager prefers.. can't get an appointment until the Friday (day after the tenant wants to move in). Call the property manager to let them know... they beg me to try find a different one, so this poor new tenant can move in. Ok Ok I say and spend another half hour of my work time to find a different carpet cleaner for the next day.
So carpets are clean, unit is clean, and at final inspection everything is spotless (property managers words).
So the day after the final inspection I call the real estate agent/property manager that manages the unit, to get a final statement of things. I explain the situation to the bloke that I speak to on the phone, that my lease is up at the 28/02/09 but that since they have already found a new tenant I won't have to pay rent anymore.
This is where it all gets interesting and I start loosing my temper...
Bloke on the phone says.. ah no, we don't have a new tenant for that property and you will have to pay rent until 28/02/09 which is when the new tenant will move in. HA I say that is quite amusing.. since I have just gotten off the phone with the electricity and gas company who tells me that somebody else has already disconnected my gas and electricity. He answers well that is a bit premature.... Here I start to really angry
I tell him that by all accounts I have been informed by people in his office that a new tenant is moving in that day, and that I have been inconvinienced by carpet cleaners etc. for the unit to be ready for the new tenant, and that I am more than happy to drive around to the unit and physically see for myself whether there is a new tenant or not, and that I am quite happy to come back and pick up the keys to the unit and keep them until 28/02/09 (I am fuming at this point). He says "you do that" and hangs up on me!!!! WTF NOT HAPPY.
This is Friday afternoon at 4.30, so I leave work early, get in the car and race down to this freaking property manager to give them an earfull. I arrive, and the bloke that I spoke to on the phone comes to the reception and says.. can I help you? Yeah freaking hell you can, you can give me the final statement of my rental! Which unit were you renting.. I tell him and he says OOHH you are Goldfish! A very cranky YES from me.
So the whole office is just sorting out my paperwork! So I get to stand and wait for 10 min. Then somebody comes and says that I owe them $350... I just give her a mighty filthy look.. and she says.. oh that is right, you didn't break your lease. NO I DIDN'T - TRY AGAIN - AND A BIT HARDER THIS TIME!!
Next thing I get presented with a check of half a weeks rent! Win for me!
Then onto the bond issue. Well they say.. we shall just fill out your information on this bond form, then you sign it and we sent it off, and you get your bond back. Great I say, would you mind filling out the amount in that empty box where it says amount? Off she goes again and comes back with the owner of the real estate agency herself. Now the owner explains to me that XXX who did the final inspection, is not at work today because her brother in WA has been in a terrible car accident, so they don't have access to the final inspection paperwork, and surely I can understand that. Hmprfff I say, not pushing the issue.. I will be back on Monday and you'd better have it sorted by then!
I should say that it is the first time I have rented in Australia.. and I honestly did not expect property managers to be so freaking dodgy, maybe I am just a bit naiv! Unfortunately for this real estate agency/property manager, I happen to work with the lady that owns this unit (and they know that) , and guess what I will be telling her tomorrow at work!
Sorry but I just needed to vent! I was absolutely furious on Friday, today I am a bit more calm, but I hate to think how many tenants are being ripped off like that.
If you made it through the post, thank you for reading.. and then perhaps you can tell me if this is normal standard in Australia?
Cheers,
Goldfish
All fine.. property manager calls me to say they have a prospective tenant, and when does it suit me to show him through. I say that afternoon is fine I just need to rearrange all my moving boxes (as this was before I moved out). Everything is fine, I move out, the said weekend. Property manager calls me the following Monday to ask when I can have the carpets cleaned and the final inspection done... the sooner the better because the prospective tenant would like to move in that Thursday, and the sooner the better for me too, because then I would save about 2.5weeks rent. Sweet I think, that is definitely worth saving.
So I call the carpet cleaner that the property manager prefers.. can't get an appointment until the Friday (day after the tenant wants to move in). Call the property manager to let them know... they beg me to try find a different one, so this poor new tenant can move in. Ok Ok I say and spend another half hour of my work time to find a different carpet cleaner for the next day.
So carpets are clean, unit is clean, and at final inspection everything is spotless (property managers words).
So the day after the final inspection I call the real estate agent/property manager that manages the unit, to get a final statement of things. I explain the situation to the bloke that I speak to on the phone, that my lease is up at the 28/02/09 but that since they have already found a new tenant I won't have to pay rent anymore.
This is where it all gets interesting and I start loosing my temper...
Bloke on the phone says.. ah no, we don't have a new tenant for that property and you will have to pay rent until 28/02/09 which is when the new tenant will move in. HA I say that is quite amusing.. since I have just gotten off the phone with the electricity and gas company who tells me that somebody else has already disconnected my gas and electricity. He answers well that is a bit premature.... Here I start to really angry
I tell him that by all accounts I have been informed by people in his office that a new tenant is moving in that day, and that I have been inconvinienced by carpet cleaners etc. for the unit to be ready for the new tenant, and that I am more than happy to drive around to the unit and physically see for myself whether there is a new tenant or not, and that I am quite happy to come back and pick up the keys to the unit and keep them until 28/02/09 (I am fuming at this point). He says "you do that" and hangs up on me!!!! WTF NOT HAPPY.
This is Friday afternoon at 4.30, so I leave work early, get in the car and race down to this freaking property manager to give them an earfull. I arrive, and the bloke that I spoke to on the phone comes to the reception and says.. can I help you? Yeah freaking hell you can, you can give me the final statement of my rental! Which unit were you renting.. I tell him and he says OOHH you are Goldfish! A very cranky YES from me.
So the whole office is just sorting out my paperwork! So I get to stand and wait for 10 min. Then somebody comes and says that I owe them $350... I just give her a mighty filthy look.. and she says.. oh that is right, you didn't break your lease. NO I DIDN'T - TRY AGAIN - AND A BIT HARDER THIS TIME!!
Next thing I get presented with a check of half a weeks rent! Win for me!
Then onto the bond issue. Well they say.. we shall just fill out your information on this bond form, then you sign it and we sent it off, and you get your bond back. Great I say, would you mind filling out the amount in that empty box where it says amount? Off she goes again and comes back with the owner of the real estate agency herself. Now the owner explains to me that XXX who did the final inspection, is not at work today because her brother in WA has been in a terrible car accident, so they don't have access to the final inspection paperwork, and surely I can understand that. Hmprfff I say, not pushing the issue.. I will be back on Monday and you'd better have it sorted by then!
I should say that it is the first time I have rented in Australia.. and I honestly did not expect property managers to be so freaking dodgy, maybe I am just a bit naiv! Unfortunately for this real estate agency/property manager, I happen to work with the lady that owns this unit (and they know that) , and guess what I will be telling her tomorrow at work!
Sorry but I just needed to vent! I was absolutely furious on Friday, today I am a bit more calm, but I hate to think how many tenants are being ripped off like that.
If you made it through the post, thank you for reading.. and then perhaps you can tell me if this is normal standard in Australia?
Cheers,
Goldfish