Rudi Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I own a rental property. It's had tenants in for 3 years and this week they moved out. The house was only 5 years old when they moved in. It was lovely - manicured gardens, well cared for house - it had been lived in by a couple of oldies from new. This week the tenants moved out and today we had the exit inspection. It was so sad to see our lovely house and garden in the state that it was left in. The garden had not been tended to for a long time and the house was filthy. The metal blinds are ruined because the build up of dust has rusted them all. They have taken the keys and automatic garage door openers with them meaning we have to get new locks fitted, and new remotes. The garden gate is completely broken and that will need replacing. The stupid thing is, that if they had reported this to us whilst they were in there we would have been responsible for dealing with it, but now, it becomes their problem. They won't be seeing much of their bond back, if any. The cleaning alone has been quoted at $600 and then there are the carpets to be cleaned, the garden to overhaul, new locks, remote, gate etc. So please - next time you complain about your landlord, and how shocking the rental system is over here, think about how it can be from the other side of things too. Love Rudi x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Oh but Rudi, you will be the baddie, you will be one of those greedy landlords who has taken their bond money :wink: I have some great landlords/landladies on my site but the horror stories they have told me makes me feel so sad. We had the same when we owned our own, someone put the red hot iron on the carpet and we had an iron imprint there, but it wasn't them.:wub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Libbysmummy Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Hope it all looks like new for you soon (hugs) it will be our first time renting when we move over and can only imagine being extra carefull with other people's property, more so than with my own! Hope your next tenents take care x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 Honestly, I don't think they expect to get their bond back. It is quite obvious that they just walked away and left it as it was. They had the electricity turned off today, so had no intention of coming back if the inspection showed everything not to be right. I wish I had $2700 I could just walk away from!!! They have not been in to return the keys and left no forwarding address with the rental agent. Love Rudi x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tappers2oz Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Rudi that's awful. I don't understand how people can treat something that is not theirs so badly. I hope the next tenants are lovely and take good care of your property and treat it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 Thank you - we are not having long term tenants in again for the moment - we are furnishing it and renting it out short term, so hopefully we won't have the same issues because it will be regularly cleaned and we will have a gardener to keep the garden nice. I tell you what though - there's good money to be made in bind cleaning!!!!!!! Love Rudi x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ragdoll annie Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Its tenants like that, that give the rest of us a bad name...makes my blood boil it does...........i would be asking tho, why the agents had'nt picked up on any of this if they've been inspecting the property for 3 years?........if the garden hadn't been tended to for a long time,surely the agent would have noticed and should have asked the tenants to put it right. I guess it depends how often they inspect though. Annie x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest31881 Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Oh Rudi , I am so sorry to read what has happened to you. I have had two landlords since being here and both have been good and fair landlords, In fact the last one I had used to call in and drop of a few mud crabs when he was passing. You do not deserve to be treated like this and i trully feel for you.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I totally agree Annie, ,,, the amount of agents i have come across who dont do the inspections as regually as they should is incredible. Maybe if they had to contribute to exit cleaning/repair costs their attitudes would soon change! Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 Its tenants like that, that give the rest of us a bad name...makes my blood boil it does...........i would be asking tho, why the agents had'nt picked up on any of this if they've been inspecting the property for 3 years?........if the garden hadn't been tended to for a long time,surely the agent would have noticed and should have asked the tenants to put it right. I guess it depends how often they inspect though.Annie x When we first started letting it out we had a fabulous agent. She was on the ball and onto things. Unfortunately she left and we got lumbered with someone who really couldn't be bothered to chase things up. I complained about the garden and even went on an inspection around the house and made it clear that I was not satisfied. The agent then said she had followed up on these things and that it was all sorted........... I think she was too spineless to actually follow through with the tenants and opted for the easy life. Anyway, we move forwards. The house will be lovely again and so will the garden! Love Rudi x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flybyknight Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 as a landlord myself, id say chin up! its the buggers that dont pay, and stay for 6 months that truly hurt financially. locks are a doddle, pay a gardener out of the bond too. sit back relax and do it all again. most people, as you can see from this post, are decent. take it on the chin, move on! bet they wish they hadnt moved right on christmas... that bond would have been nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 We put ours with any agency in the uk. Checked them out and seemed all good but then continually placed DHSS residents in there. Needless to say the agency saw bugger all rent! The last person in there put security cameras up and had pictures of us on the walls of the flat! Pics of us collecting mail! He also put a hammer to the walls. W didn't have one wall that was still in one piece! It was hearbreaking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keily Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I own a rental property. It's had tenants in for 3 years and this week they moved out. The house was only 5 years old when they moved in. It was lovely - manicured gardens, well cared for house - it had been lived in by a couple of oldies from new. This week the tenants moved out and today we had the exit inspection. It was so sad to see our lovely house and garden in the state that it was left in. The garden had not been tended to for a long time and the house was filthy. The metal blinds are ruined because the build up of dust has rusted them all. They have taken the keys and automatic garage door openers with them meaning we have to get new locks fitted, and new remotes. The garden gate is completely broken and that will need replacing. The stupid thing is, that if they had reported this to us whilst they were in there we would have been responsible for dealing with it, but now, it becomes their problem. They won't be seeing much of their bond back, if any. The cleaning alone has been quoted at $600 and then there are the carpets to be cleaned, the garden to overhaul, new locks, remote, gate etc. So please - next time you complain about your landlord, and how shocking the rental system is over here, think about how it can be from the other side of things too. Love Rudi x didnt u do regular inspections mrs keily oops sorry just read rest of replies lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 When we first started letting it out we had a fabulous agent. She was on the ball and onto things. Unfortunately she left and we got lumbered with someone who really couldn't be bothered to chase things up. I complained about the garden and even went on an inspection around the house and made it clear that I was not satisfied. The agent then said she had followed up on these things and that it was all sorted........... I think she was too spineless to actually follow through with the tenants and opted for the easy life. Anyway, we move forwards. The house will be lovely again and so will the garden! Love Rudi x Try asking for some of their agents fee back - they obviously didnt do what you contracted and paid them to do! You not got a hope in hell but if you make an issue out of it maybe the management of some of these agencies would make sure some of their employees did what they were paid for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal2 Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 gosh hope I would treat the property as if it was my own, accidents happen just be honest with the landlord, although in this case it sounds like the agent was as much to blame, think I'd rather deal with the landlord direct and be honest Cal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Sorry its happened to you, however investment property is just like any other investment, good or bad. The one thing is that you will get tax relief cleaning it up etc which should help with the pain. People who own houses do not keep them in good repair or do the garden its just life. As for the garden, I think if the landlord is worried about the garden get a gardener to do it. My mum has been renting since she sold her unit and the landlord has a gardener do the garden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 You live and learn. The people did say that they would be getting a gardener in on a regular basis when they moved in which is why we didn't......also with the rent they were paying, financially it was not viable to pay a gardener, and certainly if we had upped the rent to include a gardener we would not have found it easy to find tenants. Anyway, no more tenants - short term lets from now on where the maintenance is done by ourselves and our gardener. We are spending today moving furniture into the garage, so that once the house and carpets are cleaned we are ready to go! People moving in on Friday!!!! Love Rudi x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 We have thorough inspections every three months how on earth could this have gone on so long? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liverpoolloo Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I own a rental property. It's had tenants in for 3 years and this week they moved out. The house was only 5 years old when they moved in. It was lovely - manicured gardens, well cared for house - it had been lived in by a couple of oldies from new. This week the tenants moved out and today we had the exit inspection. It was so sad to see our lovely house and garden in the state that it was left in. The garden had not been tended to for a long time and the house was filthy. The metal blinds are ruined because the build up of dust has rusted them all. They have taken the keys and automatic garage door openers with them meaning we have to get new locks fitted, and new remotes. The garden gate is completely broken and that will need replacing. The stupid thing is, that if they had reported this to us whilst they were in there we would have been responsible for dealing with it, but now, it becomes their problem. They won't be seeing much of their bond back, if any. The cleaning alone has been quoted at $600 and then there are the carpets to be cleaned, the garden to overhaul, new locks, remote, gate etc. So please - next time you complain about your landlord, and how shocking the rental system is over here, think about how it can be from the other side of things too. Love Rudi x Hello Rudi, how sad to read your post you just can't predict some people can you? I am going to have to rent my house in the UK when i move to perth next year and to be honest i am dreading it, i have spent a lot of money and time doing it up, nothing fancy just basic stuff but i would hate to see my property neglected as yours was. Shame the agents were not more vigilant. I rented for a year in perth a few years back and had a dog too, i wa so very careful in keeping the villa up to standard and would have felt ashamed if i had gotten a bad report from the agent. I hope the next tenants you get have more respect for your property. I will have to look for a rental next year in perth when i get my visa, i am dreading it as i hear it is not that easy with a dog, even if he is only small. I have read to get as many references as possible which i will do, these negligent tenants make it harder for the rest of us , hope your next ones are more caring. Ann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcorners Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 At least the rental market in Australia (or in WA at least), is very strong so there isn't long periods between lettings. Our house in the UK was empty for 3 months and we had to drop the price to find tenants. If I were living local I would have managed the letting myself, but (fingers crossed), we have a good agency in control. We are renting here in Kal from a family who manage the lettings themselves. Which is great, they're really friendly and have common sense (unlike the agents!). The house is painted in bright changing-room-esque colours, but they didn't have time between tenants to repaint it. I think it was only empty for a week. Many people on this forum are on both sides of the coin, but its much harder to be a landlord when you're all the way round the other side of the world. Maybe if you live close and want to do a long term let, just advertise it privately so you don't have to rely on idiotic agents? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandJon Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I hate how some tenants give the rest a bad name - and how difficult it can be to tell the difference!! We treated our last place (in the uk) like it was our own, and left it cleaner than when we started it, with the garden much improved. Mind you the landlord and agent still tried to rip us off, but we've argued the case and got most of our bond back (I'm still grumpy about it, I've NEVER lost any money from a bond before!!). The main lesson we've learnt from that can probably be equally applied for landlords as well = Take photos of EVERYTHING (including meter readings). We get keys for our first Aussie property on Tuesday, and husband's job is to take photos and collate into an evidence folder. That way we'll know what to aim for when we leave and it will just stop any confusion. And I would definitely include a gardener (even if that's you incognito!) - just to make sure it's on track. Good luck with the short term - I think it's definitey the way to go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzbound Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Rudi how awful. I am currently renting and previous to this place we rented, I spent 4 hours cleaning just the bathroom. It also had metal blinds and my hands were cut to shreds cleaning them but I wanted to do a good job. I wiped all the walls down too as well as having carpets steam cleaned etc. Its so sad that people can actually do this and get away with it. If I was you I'd make damn sure all the bond was spent replacing your blinds, cleaning and gardening. Are you going to officially complain about the agent? When I first rented this place it was up with one agent and a week after I moved in I got a letter saying another agent had taken over the rental duties. When I spoke to them they said landlord was not happy that previous rental agent had not informed him of the upkeep eg. cleaning gutters, paintwork. The house was filthy when I moved in and I was so annoyed after how I had left my previous rental (not same agents) the person had so obviously just moved out their belongings and not had carpets cleaned or wiped down doors or skirtings. i know its a pain but just common decency to others (IMHO) p.s I would not be a landlord = too much hassle and dishonest people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 Thank Ozzbound. For me, it's not worth the stress to complain to the agent. I hate confrontation and as long as I end up with a clean house and tidied up garden etc then I will be happy. I am not using the agent again........and would not have chosen to be with them - the agent I was using merged with that company who employs LJ and his prostitutes :biggrin: The handyman was there this arvo to sort out the gate - he was a lovely bloke and the cleaner is starting tomorrow. The gardener is coming one morning in the week and the carpets should be cleaned one day this week too. All the furniture is there and ready to go in. Got a very busy week ahead and having a big party at my place on Friday!! Love Rudi x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Why did you not keep on top of them while they were renting the place? could you not see that the place was being run down...if I rented a property I would drive past at least once a month to make sure the place was being looked after. p.s won't their deposit cover your costs anyway, you will probably not be out of pocket and the house will have a new lick of paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 I paid an agent to look after the property for me. I stupidly trusted that they would in fact do what they were paid to do. I made many complaints to the agent about the state of the garden and had expected it to be dealt with. The problem is, that you can only see so much from a drive by. The house will not be painted and yes, I think in my previous posts I have said that the deposit will be covering the costs of cleaning and sorting the garden out, but it does not cover my time and the hassle I am having to organise this just before Xmas, or the fact that they arranged for the electricity to be cut off early so that I now have to sit at the house for possibly 5 hours on Monday waiting for Energex to turn up and re-connect it. The two times I have rented I have treated the homes I was in with respect and ended up getting my full bond back without question. I wrongly assumed that what seemed to be a decent family, who rented the home, would treat my house with the same respect. I am really not sure why this has become my fault somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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