Helpful Info

Helpful Property Investment Information

Orbit Property is committed to being communicative, transparent, and making life easier for investors. We’ve compiled some helpful information for prospective investors based on common questions we get asked as well as some handy information that some people forget about until the last minute.

EMERGENCY REPAIRS

A Tenant must notify the Property Manager/Owner in writing of the need for an emergency repair. In an emergency repair the nominated repairer can be contacted directly if the Property Manager / owner is unavailable.

The Tenant must pay for all emergency repairs however they are not to exceed the value of two (2) weeks rent equivalent. They should then forward all receipts on to the Property Manager to obtain reimbursement within 7 days of the repair being carried out.

GARDEN AND LAWN MAINTENANCE

General garden and lawn maintenance is generally taken care of by the Tenant, though it is important to specify this in the General Tenancy Agreement. Any plants and hedges that require  specialist upkeep are usually not the responsibility of the Tenant, unless the Tenant agrees.

GUTTER CLEANING

It is the owner’s responsibility to maintain the gutters at the property. We would recommend that this is attended to once a year to prevent a build of debris possibly resulting in internal water leaks.

LIGHT BULBS

It is not specified in the Act who is responsible for supplying or replacing light bulbs. Common industry practice is that the Property Manager/owner is responsible for maintaining specialised bulbs, and the Tenant/Resident is responsible for the replacement of everyday bulbs.

The Tenant and Property Manager/owner should discuss this at the start of the tenancy and agree who is responsible for maintenance or replacement of light bulbs. This should be detailed in the tenancy agreement. If changing a bulb requires specialist knowledge or specialist equipment, changing the bulb may be part of the Property Manager/owner’s responsibility to maintain the property.

SMOKE ALARMS

Property Owners / Managers must:

  • Install smoke alarms complying with Australian Standard 3786-1993 outside sleeping areas and on each level of the dwelling
  • Replace smoke alarms before the end of their service life (smoke alarms are required to have a recommended service life of at least 10 years under normal conditions of use)
  • Test and clean smoke alarms, replacing any flat or nearly flat batteries within 30 days before the start or renewal of a tenancy
  • Property Owners/Managers must not remove a smoke alarm, remove the battery (other than to replace it) or do anything to reduce the effectiveness of the alarm (e.g. paint it).

POOL LAW AND COMPLIANCE

The property owner must have a pool safety compliance certificate from a licenced pool inspector prior to renting the property and should include a copy of the tenancy agreement. This certificate needs to be updated every two years as per the council regulations. A Property Manager/owner cannot require the Tenant to enter into a maintenance contract or require the Tenant to use a particular company to provide maintenance service for the pool.

Property Investment Information

Get in touch with Orbit Property if you have any additional property investment questions that you would like more information about. Call 0439 840 152.