For those who self-manage their IPs, what do you do with your properties if you go overseas for holidays or somewhere without phone reception e.g. camping? Do you have someone who takes over as point of contact for the tenants in case there are any urgent issues, and are they usually a friend/relative/handyman? I have not heard of PM's taking on a property for short term periods... would love to hear how private landlords manage this.
Private landlords - how do you go on holidays?
- Thread starter octavius
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We normally ask my father in law if he can be our on-the-spot man if something goes wrong. He has sets of keys to the properties as well. We usually just let tenants contact us directly and we go from there, depending on what the issue is we may not even need to call my FIL for his assistance.
It is a significant problem, but we "get around it" with various methods of relying on other substantial and competent people.....but the amount of money avoided by not employing a property manager for all of the properties makes it a no brainer.
Employing a PM would be financial suicide in this current market for us.
Employing a PM would be financial suicide in this current market for us.
If you just want a few weeks away, you could give your tenants the name and number of your plumber and electrician. It would only be something serious that could not wait (burst pipe, broken HWS) that would need immediate attention. Anything else could wait, and if they know you are away for two or three weeks, at least if they tried to get you, they would know why.
I wouldn't suggest you give the tenants this information.
Contact your electrician and plumber, tell them your situation, and tell them if you need them, you will contact them.
Give your tenants your phone number and email (if you haven't already) If they call with a concern, tell them you will contact a plumber /electrician,( if that is the problem of course.)
Try not to mention you are away on vacation, as many tenants will try to take advantage of the situation.Tell them you will attend to their concern as soon as you possibly can.
Katherine, you may have missed this bit (in red).
Kathryn's advice is not bad advice if you have dodgy tenants or tenants you don't trust, but it all comes down to your relationship with your tenants. Because we manage our properties, we know our tenants well, whereas most who use an agent may never have met their tenant.
And Kathryn, your tenants are not the sort of tenants that I'd tell this information to, but I have no problems telling our tenants we are going away, here is the number for my brother, electrician, plumber etc.
We've never had an issue with this, but I do understand why you would not want to do this.
Wylie,
you're right, I did miss the part high lited in red, but it still wouldn't change my answer.
Tenants should never be given the discretion to call a plumber/electrician...for anything actually.
Our tenants are no different than yours. You just think you can trust them, that's about the only difference.
There is nothing that can't wait a few days, until you can check emails or phone messages.
Wylie,
you're right, I did miss the part high lited in red, but it still wouldn't change my answer.
Tenants should never be given the discretion to call a plumber/electrician...for anything actually.
Tenants DO have the right to call a plumber or electrician to organise an urgent repair, and I believe they have to try to get the property manager (or landlord) initially. If they cannot contact the self-managing landlord, they are within their legal rights to organise a repair if it is urgent.
Our tenants are no different than yours. You just think you can trust them, that's about the only difference.
Honestly, from reading your posts, your tenants are VERY different to ours. And I know I can trust my tenants. We've had a very small percentage of tenants who do the wrong thing. If I didn't trust my tenant, they would not be my tenant.
There is nothing that can't wait a few days, until you can check emails or phone messages.
Seriously... a busted hot water system, busted toilet, a small fire, smashed window from a burglary...???
We put our plumber and sparkie mobile numbers on our leases but ask tenants to call us first. They would only need those numbers if the repair was urgent and they could not get hold of us.
Here is the RTA fact sheet on urgent repairs. The tenant has power here if they cannot contact the landlord or agent...
http://www.rta.qld.gov.au/Renting/During-a-tenancy/Maintenance-and-repairs/Emergency-repairs
for major repairs, that is why we have staff
for everything else
count the number of
"The tenant is so good" threads, compared to
"idiot things the tenant does" threads
The more tenants you've had, the more jaded you become
If tenants complied with their obligations, even minimum standards, there would be no tribunals, no requirement for RTA, simple contracts would be enough.
If tenants complied with their obligations, Somersoft would have little to post about
for everything else
count the number of
"The tenant is so good" threads, compared to
"idiot things the tenant does" threads
The more tenants you've had, the more jaded you become
If tenants complied with their obligations, even minimum standards, there would be no tribunals, no requirement for RTA, simple contracts would be enough.
If tenants complied with their obligations, Somersoft would have little to post about
I've been a landlord for about 35 years and I'm not jaded. I don't deal with nearly as many tenants as you do, but my tenants are different types to the ones you get, as they are different types of properties.
We've never had to go to tribunal. My parents took tenants twice to tribunal, won both times, but that is from hundreds of tenants over the years.
I agree there are plenty of "bad PM" and "dumb tenant" posts here but that doesn't make them all bad.
And there are quite a few "great PM" and "great tenant" posts here as well.
We've never had to go to tribunal. My parents took tenants twice to tribunal, won both times, but that is from hundreds of tenants over the years.
I agree there are plenty of "bad PM" and "dumb tenant" posts here but that doesn't make them all bad
.And there are quite a few "great PM" and "great tenant" posts here as well.
All I can say is "Good Luck" to any Landlord willing to hand over their trust to a tenant...and a blank chequebook (effectively)
Wylie how many burglaries, burst water systems, smashed toilets, and fires have you had,
Ours are "dodgy tenants", ,
yet yours actually do that ??
and you wrote 'We've never had to go to tribunal'
but how much have you given away in tenant no-pay.
because tribunal is too much trouble for only a few hundred dollars
Our tenants pay, every cent, even when they don't want to
We have Different types of properties?
We have
3 bedroom 2 story 5 acre country lot with river, lake, fishing, forest, deer.
5 bedroom 3 story 1 acre estate lot
4 bedroom 3 storey townhouse
1,2,3 bedroom apartments
2,3 bedroom standard homes
2 & 3 bedroom transportables on site lots
bachelors
country and city
we have all types of property, all types of tenants
and they are all untrustworthy
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That is unfortunate for you. We have mostly good tenants, and form a relationship due to self-managing.
I've started another thread asking a few questions about "who pays" in regards to two small "fixes" that probably would have cost us minimum $300 but which we fixed for zero dollars and 20 minutes of our time.
Many people don't want to meet their tenants, want nothing to do with them, but we have always done it, and generally don't hear a peep from them once they are settled in. It is easier for us than falling off a log, but I understand it is not for everyone.
Urgent repairs must be taken care of in NSW- and there is a definition of what is urgent. If the landlord doesn't, or cannot be contacted, then the tenant can arrange to have it fixed, up to $1000. The tenant doesn't, for instance, have to wait for a few days to get a blocked toilet fixed up. This doesn't cover faults caused by the tenant.
Edit: Sorry, Wylie covered the same thing in Qld.
The 99% of tenants who comply with their obligations don't make it as posts. Why complain about something that's not broken?
If drivers drove properly there would be far fewer traffic accidents reported in the media.
I've had more trouble from a bad PM than from a bad tenant- and that damage can cause more than something broken in my property.
Hire a satellite phone ?
That's a great idea...no excuses now
Out of curiousity, how many plumbers/electricians will come when a tenant calls..and then wait for payment from the landlord, without the work being authorized by the owner?
How many tenants are willing to pay upfront for a repairman?
