This quick reference guide draws on all the great member contributions we have had on apmasphere recently. It gives you an outline of some of the most commonly asked questions in property management (and more importantly, the answers) and is a great tool to refresh or update your best practice knowledge.

1) Can a tenant conduct maintenance themselves?
The legislation states that the owner of the property is responsible for all maintenance on the property which would include organisation and costs. But in many instances, maintenance items are of a minor nature, for example replacing tap washers, replacing flywire in a screen or regrouting a tile that has fallen off the wall. So is it ok for a tenant to make those repairs? Read more.

2) Why can’t I look at tenancy applications?
A reasonable question from a landlord, don't you think? While there is a right and wrong way to deal with the matter of a tenant's personal information, ultimately the answer sits in the grey area of law otherwise known as the Privacy Act. Get the facts.

3) Do I still need to go to a scheduled tribunal hearing?
What do you do if you have a scheduled tribunal hearing for a 'Notice to Vacate for Rent Arrears' but three days before the hearing the tenant pays? It can be difficult to answer this given the different levels of flexibility that we've all experienced whilst in attendance. The insight from Emily.

4) When should I hand over keys for a new tenancy?
This is a pretty straight forward answer and you all know it, but how many of you have been guilty of doing it wrong – mainly when you were new to the job and hadn’t learnt many of the hard lessons yet? Specifically, you should make sure a number of other tasks have been addressed prior to the tenant taking possession of the property. Here’s a quick checklist.

5) Why can I only get the depreciated value of my carpet?
The ATO describes effective life as ‘the period of time that a depreciating asset can be used by any entity to produce assessable income’. This table of common depreciable assets can help landlords understand the effective life of items in their property and better assess their tax and valuation position. View effective life schedule.
 

6) What can you expect when buying a rent roll?
IS there anyone out there who has ever bought a rent roll and felt joy longer than 10 minutes? Not likely given this is one of 'those' situations where you can’t go to school and learn how to do it, you can't even pay for someone to do it for you. It's all pain and like Winston Churchill said “When you're going through hell, keep going.” Read about a recent purchase. 

7) Why do I need landlord insurance and what does it cover?
Unfortunately, these days no matter how well a property manager does their job, some things are beyond their control. These include loss of jobs, domestic disputes, tenant illness or death, breaking of leases for personal reasons etc, as well as many accidental damage situations. Read what is covered by landlord insurance. Learn more about landlord insurance.

8) How do I calculate break lease fees?
When it comes to a break lease situation, the agent walks a fine line as there is a legislative duty of the lessor (therefore the agent as well) to mitigate a tenant’s loss in a break lease situation. This generally means that the lessor/agent must do all that they can to assist the tenant in a break lease situation to reduce any possible loss. See the process and fees explained.

9) Why do I have to pay fees to pay the rent?
The question of fees is probably one you wish you didn’t have to answer. But the fact is, a payment system not only makes life easier for a property manager, it actually gives the tenant some pretty compelling benefits too. Understand the benefits to tenants.

10) Can I enter a property if I have served notice and not heard from the tenant?

Inspecting a person's home is not the easiest job in the world. Sometimes it stimulates the curiosity, sometimes it gives you great decorating ideas, but there are other times when the whole experience is downright unpleasant. Read more.

The list is by no means exhaustive, so feel free to add your own experiences in the comments section below. And if you think a friend or colleague might like to read this article, just use the forward to a friend link at the top (visible once you are logged in).

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