What is it with Property Managers?

What is it with Property Managers who organise a Routine Inspection with the tenant but instead of making an appointment they give a 6 hour timeframe: "We wish to inspect the premises between 10:00am and 4:00pm. If you cannot, or do not, wish to be in attendance at the appointment time nominated above, we will use the master key which we have in our possession."

To me that is very rude and inconvenient to the tenant. If the tenant wants to be present are they supposed to take a full day off work and wait around for up to 6 hours? Surely the tenant deserves a more specific appointment time so they can organise their day, or are they so insignificant their time doesn't really matter to a PM?

I'm currently on the receiving end of one of these letters, and have seen similar ones before from other PM's. I wouldn't dream of putting my own tenants out like that!

So what are the tenants rights in this situation (NSW)? I want to be there for the inspection, I don't want the PM letting themselves in with the master key, I have requested either a more specific appointment time on their nominated date, or suggested an alternative day the following week where I will be available all day. Surely that's not asking too much or being unreasonable? :mad:
 
As a general comment, it is the same with Telstra: "Our technician will be there between 8:00am and 12 noon" or delivery truck drivers - they're the same.
 
Maybe, but I do not believe the PM can enter your locked rented premises without your permission.
The conditions should be on the lease.
 
As a general comment, it is the same with Telstra: "Our technician will be there between 8:00am and 12 noon" or delivery truck drivers - they're the same.

Yes but they are not going into your home while you are not there.

I would want to be there and that arrangement would not suit me. Nor would I expect my tenants to have that put upon them.
 
Can you call the PM and make a specific appointment? We usually get notified by our PM when they are doing inspections and they give a day and a time frame like you mention, but when we want to attend I phone and we agree a time.
Marg
 
I think you'll find if you have been given more than 7 days notice the PM can enter the property without you to complete an inspection.
 
Yeah I've received these sort of inspection times in the past.

It comes across to me as 'since you're unemployed and sitting at home all day we'll drop in some time...'

How the hell do they think I paid the rent each week? Sure wasn't by sitting at home all day from 10-4...

If you ignore one or two they realise their mistake and then send letters with specific times or actually phone to ask what time is suitable. Which is never, when you're a single working person living on your own and renting.

:confused:
 
If you ignore one or two they realise their mistake and then send letters with specific times or actually phone to ask what time is suitable. Which is never, when you're a single working person living on your own and renting.

:confused:

No they simply open their big bunch of keys and let themselves in.
 
jazza, its not you.

everyone gets that same letter - tenants aredont need to be there for appointments, so the pm writes up the easiest thing for themselves..

I've been prsent about twice I thkn for inspections in yers of renting, I thought they wanted me to be there at first then I realised, why ?
 
when i was renting i always found it easier to clean the unit, hide the cat in boarding or at a friends for the day and go to work.

the pm would've let me know if there were any problems.
 
Why do you have to be there? If it's because you don't trust the PM, well, they have a key and could come through any old time they want. (Yes, I know it's not legal, but if you're worried that the PM will steal your stuff or something, then presumably they're not going to be deterred from stealing your property by the niceties regarding notice.)
 
I loath the idea of someone being in my home without me present. Being a SAHM, it usually wasn't a problem. But we would always ring the REA and try and get a more specific time out of them or arrange for them to ring DH 30mins or so before they planned on inspecting, so he had time to get home. If they refused both of these two options, then we would tell them 'no, the time doesn't suit us, you do not have permission to enter' - although they are entitled to do inspections, they CANNOT enter your premises without your consent. After a few of these, they soon come around to the idea of being more specific or ringing.

So glad I am not a renter anymore.
 
I loath the idea of someone being in my home without me present.

It's not, though. It's the owner's home.

If they refused both of these two options, then we would tell them 'no, the time doesn't suit us, you do not have permission to enter' - although they are entitled to do inspections, they CANNOT enter your premises without your consent. After a few of these, they soon come around to the idea of being more specific or ringing.

If the PM told me the tenant refused a 'few of these', I won't be renewing the lease.
 
Last time I was renting I'd get those letters, be slightly amused that they mentioned the wrong unit number (they were managing several in my block), sit at home all day waiting for them, they wouldn't show and I'd get a letter later saying all was fine at unit 10. I was unit 1. This happened several times.

Same PM never responded to maintainence issues (the hot water tap ran CONSTANTLY and I'd get $400 electricity bills for a 1br unit I lived in 3 days a week), never answered the phone, never responded to messages I left with them, gave me the wrong set of keys when I moved in and when I got the right set there was still a tenant living in the house so I had to wait for her to move out so I could move in. Then they'd waltz through at all times without warning when the unit was for sale. Fortunately the place was extremely cheap and in possibly the best location in the entire of Adelaide or I would have been out of there ASAP.

I stopped paying rent 4 weeks before I moved out because I figured it was my best shot of not losing my entire bond. They took MONTHS to actually send in the bond forms. I guess their commission for selling the place outweighed any interest in the tenant.

I don't think I've ever had a competant PM. My experiences with them have put me off them for life.
 
I have been a renter and the REA's that managed the properties were very diligent in doing their inspections. They all sent out the standard letter to inform the inspection time & date and always inspected it themselves, generally whilst I was at work, using their own set of keys.

They effectively manage by exception ie if you really want to be there, you will inform them and come up with a specific time & date that suits. But could you imagine the logistic nightmare trying to manage individual times and dates with every renter on your rent roll. :eek:
 
It's not, though. It's the owner's home.



If the PM told me the tenant refused a 'few of these', I won't be renewing the lease.

It is the owner's house, It is the renter's home. And as such the tenant has rights.

This is about basic consideration. If a tenant is happy for the pm to go through without them present, then there is no problem. But if the tenant specifically rings and attempts to organise a time or a way for them to be present (as is their right) then the pm really should get on board. what was requested wasn't unreasonable (a specific time, or a phone call).

If you are willing to loose an otherwise good (and in my case longterm) tenant because they wish to be present during an inspection, well I guess that is your choice... Personally, I would just be telling my pm to arrange the inspection and be considerate of the tenant by giving them either the specific time or phone call (to those who request it) - it isn't that hard and can go a long way towards staying on good terms with the tenant. :rolleyes:

And I don't care if I am 'just a tenant', I know my rights and will not be walked. When you sign up to be a LL, you also sign up for all the responisbilities and obligations that go with it.

Through my work as a tenant advocate I have seen some appalling tenants (who I wouldn't wish on anyone), but I have also me some appalling LL who have no knowledge of their responsibilities and obligations or who just don't care - LL's like that bring on their own misfortune.

BTW - I would have liked to see you try to evict me over something so trivial end of tenancy or not ;)
 
If you are willing to loose an otherwise good (and in my case longterm) tenant because they wish to be present during an inspection, well I guess that is your choice... Personally, I would just be telling my pm to arrange the inspection and be considerate of the tenant by giving them either the specific time or phone call (to those who request it) - it isn't that hard and can go a long way towards staying on good terms with the tenant.

Yes, it's my choice. Because it's my house. When there are so many tenants to choose from, why should I care whether I'm on good terms with them? Think the tenant will be 'considerate' and pay me more rent if rates go up?

BTW - I would have liked to see you try to evict me over something so trivial end of tenancy or not ;)

It's not an eviction if I just don't renew the lease. I don't need cause. I say I'm going to move back in. What can you do?
 
It is the owner's house, It is the renter's home. And as such the tenant has rights.
I'm with you, rugrat. I think it's a great shame that so many landlords think that people who rent aren't entitled to make a home. Being a tenant is difficult enough without having a landlord with an attitude that they're the gracious landlord letting the impoverished tenant have somewhere to live, like it's some kind of favour. :rolleyes:
When there are so many tenants to choose from, why should I care whether I'm on good terms with them?
My view is "because they have largely unsupervised access to my valuable asset, and the law is largely on their side". ;)
 
It's not an eviction if I just don't renew the lease. I don't need cause. I say I'm going to move back in. What can you do?


oh....I can see you haven't had to deal with a long drawn out eviction before.

It is an eviction. If a lease lapses it automatically coverts into a periodic lease (ie, month by month) unless terminated, which is the same as an eviction. Either way, you have to serve notice and go through the processes, and there are numerous ways to drag this process out if the tenant so wishes. Furthermore, try to evict a tenant 'for no reason' even if you beleive it is within your rights, and see what the tribunnal has to say about it, unless you intend on moving into the property yourself and not renting to another tenant - and even then a tenant with a good knowledge of the ins and outs, is not easy to shift. And then you had better actually move back into the property as you say you will, or you may just be up for damages (in the way of moving costs and the difference in rent i may have to pay) if I am feeling particularly resentful and feel like pursuing the matter after the fact (which i have actually seen happen - although most people do give up by then). And of course the tribunnal would not be looking favourably upon you from the outset, because you had no real cause for eviction in the first instant.

But don't just take my word for it, ask some of the LL's on SS who have had the misfortune of having to deal with 'hard to evict' tenants.
:)
 
Being a tenant is difficult enough without having a landlord with an attitude that they're the gracious landlord letting the impoverished tenant have somewhere to live, like it's some kind of favour. :rolleyes:

I agree, but many do.
Although at times i find it funny, LLs with their big heads, yet the tenant may be an LL as well, or even well off.
It's a choice.

But it is rediculous the way people are treated sometimes, how would the PM feel if they had an inspection with no actual time, have to miss a day at work for some stranger to waltz through their home, I doubt they'd appreciate it.
 
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