Landlord questions.

Management is 7% plus GST of the rent we collect. That covers rent collection and arrears follow-up, routine inspections with photo reports, maintenance coordination, tenant communication and your owner statements, all handled by a named property manager. Leasing a vacant property adds a letting fee of one week’s rent plus GST, plus advertising and photography, and those come out of rent once it’s let, so there’s nothing to pay upfront. A few smaller items, like lease renewals and smoke alarm servicing, are itemised in your agreement before you sign.

Rent is paid to you on the 1st of each month, or on the 1st and 16th if you prefer, with a statement every time showing what came in and what went out. After 30 June you get an end-of-financial-year statement ready for your accountant. Before each lease renewal we review the rent against the current market and give you a recommendation, so your return keeps pace without risking a good tenant.

Every applicant is checked the same way: identity, income, employment and rental references, plus who will live there and any pets. As a guide, rent should be around 30% or less of the household’s gross income, though we look at the whole picture rather than one number. We then bring you our top one or two applicants with a clear recommendation. You make the final call, and we never charge applicants a fee to apply.

We act early. Automated reminders go out from day three, and once rent is seven full days behind we issue a formal notice to remedy the breach. We don’t hold that notice back on a promise to pay unless you ask us to. If you’d rather keep a tenant who’s trying to catch up, we can agree a repayment plan and follow it closely. If the breach isn’t fixed, a notice to leave follows, then QCAT if the tenant stays. You’re told the same day at each formal step.

Yes. Nothing is spent without your approval, except a genuine emergency, where we book the trade straight away and call you. For everything else we get a quote and your go-ahead first, and you can set a standing limit for small jobs. Tenants report issues through our online portal with photos, so jobs are clear from the start. We inspect every three months or so and send you a photo report with anything that needs attention.

It’s simpler than most owners expect. We draft the termination letter to your current agent for you to sign, usually giving 30 days’ notice unless your agreement says otherwise. Then we deal with them directly: keys, documents, the tenant ledger and any funds held. We update the bond with the RTA and write to your tenant, whose lease carries on unchanged. You shouldn’t need to chase anyone.