Urgent Help! Tenant Application...

Dear Brains Trust,

Some of you may remember I own an IP in Bathurst which has been vacant now for 5 months (4/5/6 bedrooms and fully furnished).

The agent called today with an application Yay!

A family with 4 kids (11/8/5/5mths) and an 'outside' dog (which they never are especially with young kids who leave the door open)!

My dilemma is...do I approve them[/COLOR]?

Many people would be saying...dont be stupid, its been vacant so long, just do it and get a tenant.

They want it empty so I have rooms and rooms of stuff to move and they want it by next Friday (but are flexible). The furniture thing isnt the big problem, the dog is...

I have been reading past posts where ppl have mentioned how they have some sort of incentive to allow pets...extra per week (like a payment for the privilege of having a pet) or a non-refundable pet deposit. I have asked the agent about these options and they say its against their policy.

I am hoping that my insurance will cover potential damage to carpets as wee and poo stains dont come out with simple carpet shampooing (which tenant may insist is sufficient) and get into the underlay....the whole carpet will be need to be replaced....the 4 week bond wont cover this and carpets cannot be replaced in patches.

Any suggestions? I am already giving the house away to them cheap for what it is just to get a tenant.

I have heard that a 6 week bond can be charged if pets are involved. Is this true and/or valid for NSW?

They also want a 12 month lease which means if the dog does damage I cant get rid of them or increase the rent. Can I request a 6mth lease (see how dog and kids go) and then extend at that point (with possible rent increase)? They might not want that becasue there is no security for them in terms of a house but from my point of view it gives me the chance to monitor the dog...

Thanks in advance,

Peta
 
if youve been waiting 5 months i would jump at it, get them in, dont put any un-usual or different terms just cos they have a dog, make sure the lease has a condition that they repair / make good any damage the dog makes, outside dog is generally rubbish
 
If your PM states its not policy for them I would be stating it not my policy to accept you as my PM.

The question "who is working for who" needs to be asked.

You are running a business and the PM is one of your employees.

Maybe this, along with the PMs performance in finding a tenant for you, is just highlighting just how good they really are??!!

When you find a new PM make sure you put a pet bond clause in the lease.

Hope this helps.
 
I am unsure about legislation in NSW - but I would say jump on the tenant - its been vacant for too long.
Make sure that the lease incorporates a specific additonal condition that should the dog cause any damage (internal or external) the tenant must reinstate the condition of the property back to its original form at the written request of the agent/owner - at the tenants cost.
If you are worried about the dog, make sure that you take a heap of photos before they move in so you can show the condition of the property before the dog was there.
 
If I recall correctly your mother is now helping you hold this property? I think both morally and hard headed business dictates that all checking out well with this tenant they should be accepted.

In this tenant's favour - they want 12 months - given you have taken 5 months to let it a long lease is great! Snap it up!!

The dog issue - they have been honest. They could have lied and snuck the dog in later. Their honesty would go down well with me.

If a clause about rectifying any damage caused by dog could be inserted that would be a good safeguard. Pets have never caused us any issue whatsoever. And most families come with pets. They come with kids too and they are often more trouble :) With kids the dog may truly be an outside dog due to child safety. Ours went from inside dog to outside with the arrival of children.

Me personally I would give a big sigh of relief and sign them up rather than try to scare them away with extra demands.
 
It is most likely the dog will do less damage than the kids. I'm not sure why you are even hesitating....

Dear Brains Trust,

Some of you may remember I own an IP in Bathurst which has been vacant now for 5 months (4/5/6 bedrooms and fully furnished).

The agent called today with an application Yay!

A family with 4 kids (11/8/5/5mths) and an 'outside' dog (which they never are especially with young kids who leave the door open)!

My dilemma is...do I approve them[/COLOR]?

Many people would be saying...dont be stupid, its been vacant so long, just do it and get a tenant.

They want it empty so I have rooms and rooms of stuff to move and they want it by next Friday (but are flexible). The furniture thing isnt the big problem, the dog is...

I have been reading past posts where ppl have mentioned how they have some sort of incentive to allow pets...extra per week (like a payment for the privilege of having a pet) or a non-refundable pet deposit. I have asked the agent about these options and they say its against their policy.

I am hoping that my insurance will cover potential damage to carpets as wee and poo stains dont come out with simple carpet shampooing (which tenant may insist is sufficient) and get into the underlay....the whole carpet will be need to be replaced....the 4 week bond wont cover this and carpets cannot be replaced in patches.

Any suggestions? I am already giving the house away to them cheap for what it is just to get a tenant.

I have heard that a 6 week bond can be charged if pets are involved. Is this true and/or valid for NSW?

They also want a 12 month lease which means if the dog does damage I cant get rid of them or increase the rent. Can I request a 6mth lease (see how dog and kids go) and then extend at that point (with possible rent increase)? They might not want that becasue there is no security for them in terms of a house but from my point of view it gives me the chance to monitor the dog...

Thanks in advance,

Peta
 
Hi Peta

Firstly congrats on finally getting an application.

With so many good properties available for rent in Bathurst, I too would be snapping them up.

Our IP's in Qld have a standard clause in the resi lease for the tenant, on vacating, must fumigate and make good any damage that pets have caused. On the standard resi lease in NSW this is not included, and we haven't had the need to include it so far, but I am sure that this would be possible with a special condition. In most of our IP's it would seem that 2 dogs each are the norm, but we have had no problems (touch wood) whatsoever with pets.

When getting into this game we had to step back and ask ourselves what is the worst thing that tenants can do to this place? For us it is the house burns down. Hopefully that won't happen but if it did our insurance will cover this. We only hope that nobody gets hurt if the worst does happen.

With that in mind what is the worst thing that a dog can do to the property?? Dig holes in the garden, tear the gauze on the screen door, soil the carpet? Red wine or red cordial also does damage to the carpet.

It took us a while to let go and not worry about gardens and chipped paint or even ripped windowscreens. While ever the property has a good tenant and a decent property manager paying you the rent, then IMHO everything else is fixable.

Sunshine
 
For gawd's sake you have been having all these problems getting tenants and now you have some you are going to fuss about one bloody dog???

By the way I don't have any pets and I don't particularly like dogs (for myself) but a lot of people do and it is reasonable for them to want one in a property which looks like it has a decent yard.

Like others said, kids can do more damage than dogs.

If you start fussing around now with putting conditions etc in you may just lose these tenants.

If the tenants have passed muster ACCEPT THEM!!!
 
Yeah, maybe weigh up what you think is wrong with having a dog and compare that to norrmal tentants - any worse ?

If worse, can problems be fixed at the end of lease ?

e.g. It is not up to the tenant to say normal carpet cleaning is sufficient if it isn't
 
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Thanks for all your responses.

I phoned the agent this am to approve their application only to be told that they have withdrawn it. The agent just said she had a feeling that there was a family problem of some sort.

Back to drawing board.
 
Thanks for all your responses.

I phoned the agent this am to approve their application only to be told that they have withdrawn it. The agent just said she had a feeling that there was a family problem of some sort.

Back to drawing board.

I woud ask your PM to call them and find out why they did withdraw it. I often learn a lot more from the rejections I get than the acceptances.

I would also respond to applications very quickly - I usually accept with the hour. We lost one tenant as we did not prcoess an application the same afternoon it was handed in. By the next morning she had already signed another lease.
 
ST you beat me to it, the dog may do no damage at all ...

Don't waste another minute and start getting the rent coming in not just the loan payments and expenses going out.
 
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