Adding Value and Increasing Your Return     Many investors are often open to increasing the rental return on their investment property – who wouldn’t be? But there are differences in maintaining the rental value or increasing it.  Knowing the difference between these two items can also improve the saleable value of your asset in the …

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An Idea to Help You Recruit Staff!       Finding it hard to recruit employees? Have you considered providing accommodation for your new staff as an incentive to make your business stand out from all of the others?     With many businesses booming post Covid, there are more and more job opportunities available …

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An insight into what gutter cleaning entails. Gutter Cleaning helps- PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM WATER DAMAGE Gutters operate by channelling water away from your home as it runs off your roof. When gutters become blocked with debris, water may pool around the base of your home, causing damage. Additionally, clogged gutters might cause roof leaks. …

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An insight into what is external house soft washing     Soft washing is a process in which a combination of non-abrasive, low-pressure water jet and biodegradable chemicals are used. It will help you have a cleaner house or building, while giving you longevity in house and building finishes and reduces bacteria and germs in …

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The Bond Dispute Process   Tenants have vacated, but there are issues. What happens now? All tenants have an obligation to return a property back to the original condition as at the start of the tenancy and outlined in the Entry Condition Report. The only exception is for wear and tear. This is explained in …

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When Damage Occurs at a Rental Property       Accidental damage can occur, at any time, to a property.  Intentional or malicious damage (graffiti or smashed walls/windows) is certainly another issue during a tenancy and would be handled differently than accidental damage.         Unintentional or accidental damage is the most common …

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Who Pays for Water?     You’ve just received the Council water rates and your jaw dropped! Have the tenants been singing in the shower? Or is there a possible water leak? It is reassuring to know that you are able to bill your tenants accordingly for their water usage, if you fit the following …

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TOP 7 UNFLUSHABLE TOILET ITEMS     It may seem like common sense to not flush anything down your toilet that is not human waste and toilet paper, but you will be surprised at the things we come across that block our toilets, sewage tanks and pipes. In this article, we will cover the top …

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Should I Sell or Should I Hold?     We are fielding quite a few calls about the sales market and whether or not investors should sell their rental properties now or hold on for further increases. I wish we had a crystal ball prediction for you but this climate is something we have not …

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Needing Support in Natural Disaster? Following the severe flooding in South East Queensland, there are support systems in place to help alleviate any hardship tenants may be experiencing. Please click on the following links the REIQ (Real Estate Institute of Queensland) has provided to find assistance- Residential Tenancy Authority Support- All information and natural disaster …

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MOULD – WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?          Deciding who is responsible for cleaning mould depends on how it appeared in the first place. Generally, if the mould is a result of problems with the property, it is the owner’s responsibility to make any necessary repairs and clean the mould. If the mould is from …

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5 Ways to get a quick bond refund!  Don’t clean the property yourself  This can often be difficult and sometimes costly. But there are many cleaners that will do parts of the cleaning or you can do most of it and ask them to come through and “detail” the property to ensure it is cleaned …

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5 Tips to Pass Your House Inspection       Property Inspections can be a daunting experience, but it is important to remember that agents must complete inspections as part of their obligations to the owners.    Often this is not a pass or fail test but an overview of the property, what maintenance is …

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Why the Tenant Pool Is Now a Lake       The rental market is still very tight with only 234 properties available in Toowoomba (realestate.com.au as at 04/01/2022). Just to give context, generally this figure is more than 1000 at this time of year! So what is causing this irregular market? Well it could …

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Property Register for Domestic Violence Sufferers         Imagine if you could make a positive impact on women experiencing domestic and family violence in your community The Priority Project is a new solution to help women experiencing domestic violence secure housing and avoid homelessness.         How The Priority Project would …

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New Rental Reforms are In!     But the good news is that they are quite minor and won’t impact tenancies as much as the original Greens Bill would have.   We will be working closely with our tenants and landlords to make sure each tenancy is compliant and to ensure everyone is educated on these …

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Stand Out from the Crowd: Tips on Getting your Application Approved     How can you stand out in the multitude of applications received for rental properties at the moment? Toowoomba is experiencing a very high demand of rental properties at present. To give you some context, generally at this time of year there are …

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TIPS TO BRING BACK YOUR LAWN THIS YEAR       Did you know that it is a legal requirement of your lease to ensure you maintain the gardens and lawns to the same condition they were at the start of your tenancy? This can be hard if you are not used to having a …

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Thinking of Selling Your Investment Property? There are several things to consider when selling a tenanted property. With the market quite hot, many investors are considering this option but you do need to weigh up some options before deciding on selling the property and potentially disrupting the tenants. When deciding to sell your investment property …

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Your Insurance Claim Is Settled – but Doesn’t End There!     After you’ve breathed a sigh of relief that your insurance claim has been made and settled, you may wonder what happens next. You see, it is not over for your landlord insurer – and may not be over for you either. “Subrogation” – …

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Changing Rental Agents? 5 Common Questions and Answers           Changing property managers is less painful than you think. In most cases, the transfer can occur within 30 days and have very little impact on your tenants. In this blog, we breakdown the 5 most commonly asked questions when changing agents.    What impact does changing …

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Toowoomba Floods – What Have We Learnt? With the 10 year anniversary of the Toowoomba floods, many tenants and owners are asking “what have we learned?”. From my personal experience of that day- it was scary, unbelievable and something I do not ever want to go through again. But from the whole experience, I learned that it …

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Are you missing the money boat?         Whether you have purchased an established or brand-new investment property, maximising the value from your property is a top priority     What is property depreciation?  Tax depreciation is a tax deduction claimed for the natural wear and tear of an income-producing building and its …

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3 Tips to Help Get Your Pet Approved     Did you know that 61% of households in Australia own a pet according to RSPCA? (updated 6 March 2020) Unfortunately for pet owners that need to rent, their furry, feathered or scaly companions can make it difficult to find a new home when the time …

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5 Maintenance Must Dos for Landlords     Spring-time is a fantastic time of year. Flowers are out in bloom and Toowoomba comes alive for the Carnival of Flowers. With so much happening, it is often forgotten that Spring is the start of the summer storms. Storms can cause a lot of damage, as we …

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Separation or Divorce         Did you know that there are over 40,000 divorces in Australia every year?    Any marriage or couple break up can be a difficult time for everyone involved. This can be even more problematic when there are contracts/leases involved.        One of the most common questions …

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Think you have insurance, think again   Insurance is one of those necessities in life where you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t. We pay premiums for years and never make a claim, but come the time that you do have to make a claim, you can get a nasty surprise …

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6 Reasons Tenants Leave       A vacant property can and does affect not only your cash flow but your yield. A quality property manager and a solid marketing plan can help find a tenant quickly. But often, being aware of why a tenant is leaving can save you the added costs of securing …

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10 Warning Signs It’s Time to Change Property Managers Having an investment property is a great investment and long term financial plan. Ensuring you have a good team assisting with the set up and management of this investment is the key to success. A good financial planner, accountant and property manager are the 3 essential …

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HOW IMPORTANT IS THE ENTRY CONDITION REPORT? Completing a thorough entry condition report may seem like a tedious task, particularly when you are in the middle of moving.  However, this document is one of the most important documents in your tenancy. The Entry Condition Report is the basis of the condition of the property when …

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Sharing a house? – Here are 6 Tips Before Signing a Lease. Agree on everything BEFORE signing the lease. Many tenants decide to share accommodation with a friend or colleague after viewing some properties that are just out of financial reach. Suddenly, the thought that halving the rent with someone could mean you can afford a …

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Environmentally Conscious A world of energy efficient appliances and strategies is here. We need to be more conscious than ever before of saving money and protecting the environment. Not just for ourselves and our own homes, but for our tenants and investment properties. Here are a few tips to help in the home: Switch to …

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Have you ever played Chinese Whispers? One person says a sentence, which is repeated as it passed along the line, eventually coming to the last person. When you compare the first sentence to the last it is always vastly different- but how do people get it wrong?  Misunderstandings, misinterpretations, miscommunication and some details being more …

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  In the property management industry – this can be code for, I forgot the inspection and am covering for the fact that we bought a dog and didn’t ask. Sometimes it might actually be that they have a family member who needed their fur baby sat for a small amount of time. There are often …

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If you’re looking to rent your out your property, professional photos are a small  investment that will pay for themselves many times over. The Three P’s make all the difference in minimising your vacancy period – Position, Price and Presentation. Professional photos are essential for the 3rd ‘P’ – Presentation. Here are nine reasons why …

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