Sunshine Coast rental property advice

Experienced property manager Tamara Wrigley has a few tips for renters who want to get their bond back at the end of a lease.

Tamara Wrigley says taking photos of a rental property as you move in can be very handy when it comes time to move out.

Here are some of my best tips for renters hoping to get the most out of their property and their money back at the end of their lease.

Condition reports

When you are given the keys to a property, you will be given a condition report that documents all rooms, fittings and fixtures in the property and their existing condition.

It’s the tenant’s responsibility to review the report, confirm they agree with the property manager’s assessment and make notes if there is something they disagree with.

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When renting a property, the first and most important step is to review and complete your condition report accurately and diligently when you first move into the property. In the case of a dispute arising – especially if a different property manager (who may be more meticulous that the previous one was) does the inspection – you can simply refer back to the condition report to determine whether the issue was there prior to your tenancy or not.

Photos are important

Most condition reports will also have photos that accompany the report, which you should also review and submit your own if the photos in question do not represent the reality.

An example might be a wide shot of a bedroom wall and a note in the report stating “walls in good condition”; your note in response might be “large black scuff mark on lower section of bedroom wall” which you would then also supply a photo of.

It’s really important to take the condition report seriously, not only because it’s the thing that will determine what will happen to your bond when you vacate, but also because it may come down to your word against that which was recorded at the beginning of your tenancy – especially if your property manager changes during your tenancy.

Rental Bond for Rental Properties

For those new to the rental property market, a bond is a fixed amount of money – usually the equivalent of 4 to 6 weeks rent – that is paid to a specific authority to cover any damage to the property while you live there.

Damage attributed to you will be defined by the difference between the ingoing condition report, which is approved by both the property manager and the tenant, and the outgoing condition report when you vacate.

Rental Bond Authorities

Almost every tenant has paid their rental bond with the full expectation that “nothing will happen” and they’ll get all of their money refunded when they vacate the property.

This is not always the case however and often tenants are left perplexed as to why their bond or a portion of it was retained.

Knowing your rights as a tenant is extremely important for exactly this reason, because you can then be adequately prepared to challenge a damage claim, if you believe it has been lodged unfairly.

Each state in Australia has an organisation to help tenants, private landlords and property agents pay and refund residential rental bonds.

Know your rental rights

As well as being well across the condition report, you should also be very clear on what your rights and responsibilities are as a tenant.

These are detailed officially in your lease agreement and can also be found on your state’s consumer affairs website.

The majority of bond disputes come from the landlord making a claim against the tenant.

If you know what your rights are, you are in a good position to defend yourself against the claim, sort it out and move on.

If however you don’t, you may end up succumbing to the pressure and losing your bond in the process.

Know your authority

Tenancy laws vary slightly from state to state but each state or territory has its own Residential Tenancies Authority or Tenancy Association.

If the landlord is making a claim against you as the tenant, then contact your authority for advice about whether you are actually in the wrong or not.

Final inspections

Another way to avoid disputes is to make sure you do a thorough job of cleaning and repairing the property before your final inspection.

Doing this with the condition report in your hand can be useful so you have something to compare it to.

Things can look quite a bit different over time and your memory is not to be trusted when it comes to how clean the oven really was when you moved in.

If you have the budget for it, getting professional cleaners in and requesting a bond clean not only means you don’t have to do the dirty work, it can also be an endorsement to the property manager that you took it seriously.

Ask before hanging pictures

A common mistake many tenants make is requesting to hang pictures early in their tenancy, but then forgetting the approval came with the condition that all hooks be removed and the wall fixed up.

This is a simple enough job and your local hardware store can advise you on what tools and products you need to deal with this quickly and effectively.

Be a Good Tenant

Being a good tenant is not hard and it will pay off for you in the end.

Keep records of all communications and try to always email your property manager rather than call throughout your tenancy so you have a digital paper trail of your role as the tenant.

It’s also a good idea to read over your lease every time it’s renewed just to make sure you’re still clear on what you have to do and to make yourself aware of any changes.

Tamara Wrigley is a Sunshine Coast-based media commentator, award-winning businesswoman and property mogul, who bought her first property at the age of 21. Follow her Instagram page and Wrigleys Renos renovation page.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast rental property advice