Tenant Ends 12 Month Lease after 1 month

[HomeBuyAU]

Plus she has only given 2 weeks notice but my pm said she will have to pay up to 6 weeks if I don't find tenant. She has a housing department place apparently...

The hard part is that I'm now living overseas and she was also overseeing my mail and I had my possessions stored in the basement of the unit. She was meant to be a friend but it goes to show you can trust few people these days.

I'm now trying to decide if I should fly back there and first check on my possessions and also sort out my mail. The unit is badly in need of a paint job inside and some walls have lots of nail holes etc. The place would rent for a lot more painted up and plastered.

I'm also wanting to sell the place but i planned that for another 2 years as I have fixed the rates for 2 years plus as it had some termites a year ago I thought it would not be such a big deal in a couple of years. I will probably need the money in 6 months anyway if I want to carry on living overseas which I do for now. If I sell the property I will have enough to invest in some business here etc.

Would you buy a ticket and come back and sort out this if it was you? I have my pm thank heavens is a nice lady and is going to help me. But I still think I might need to get back there and if I do make it worthwhile and do the work. I could then rent it out much higher and maybe even stick it on the market or at least when I do want to sell it the place will be looking newer.

 

[matto_]

As for tenant breaking lease, she has to pay rent until you find another "suitable"candidate, up until a certain amount (6 Weeks sounds about right).

As for flying back to make sure all ok, do you have family/friends nearby? Other thing, not sure how much flight tix would be, but surely a local tradie organized by the pm would be cheaper than flight, in addition to diy.

 

[HomeBuyAU]

As for flying back to make sure all ok, do you have family/friends nearby? Other thing, not sure how much flight tix would be, but surely a local tradie organized by the pm would be cheaper than flight, in addition to diy.

The tickets will be around $500 each way plus some travel expenses. Yes she suggested her handyman could get the walls etc improved at low cost so that is an option. I would rather hold onto it for another 2 years If I can and then give it a proper reno job then. But I'm mainly worried about my stuff stored in basement and sorting out my mail etc. If I have to go back for that then I might as well make it worthwhile and do the renovation while the place is empty.... I guess I'm just thinking out loud, I'm interested to know what others would do if in my situation? I don't trust the tenant, she has been lying to me and I'm worried about my stuff stored in the basement. It is not worth a great amount but I don't like leaving it there now for her to pick at and then a new tenant will also have access to it... She has already taken over my post box and has been reading my mail. there is more details that is not worth going into really...

 

[HomeBuyAU]

Also I would like to buy some things like jewelry for my girlfriend another laptop that I can do on ebay which might make it worth it too as these things where I are now are more expensive and harder to get good quality.

 

[womble66]

You might like to read this if the property is in NSW under the paragraph called "Breaking the agreement without penalty".

http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/T.../Ending_a_tenancy/Breaking_a_lease_early.html

Basically as you have state the tenant has accepted an offer of social housing (eg. from Housing NSW) then your tenant can break the agreement early without penalty and only has to give 14 days written notice to end an agreement early.

Another example of where the LL gets screwed.

 

[Scott No Mates]

That's what it comes down to Wombles, the tenant can break the lease to accept a public housing place but you need to get a copy of the letter from DOH as evidence to release them from their obligations. No point being a soft touch.

 

[HomeBuyAU]

well that makes it interesting then if she can get away with 2 weeks in this case so in a way that makes it more of a reason to come back now as it might beharder to find a tenant in 2 weeks, a good one anyway. If I go there and make the place better I can advertise it while I'm there and maybe have a tenant move in the day I finish.

I did speak to her and she sounds OK as far as all the other things go but she has a reason as she wants to use the space for awhile.

I might have to get over there I think. ...