Tenants

These forms have been supplied to assist you during your tenancy with our office.

Credit card authorisation form for rental payments

Request for maintenance

Vacate Procedure

Notice Of Intention To Leave

Smoke Alarms Fact Sheet

Contact the Property Management department for any further information.

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Once you have found a suitable rental premises, signed the lease and moved in you will be required to continue paying for the privilege of living there. Of course you would have already paid a rental bond, which is lodged with the Rental Tenancies Authority, and two weeks rent in advance. Rent is usually kept in advance by two weeks throughout the duration of the lease. A method of making payment will have been chosen that is agreeable to the landlord or his agent before the lease was signed. There are various choices for this transaction.

Unlike credit cards and cheques, cash payments are free of charges and do not have a waiting period to clear as cheques do. Receipts are given instantly when payment is made, but this is not always a preferred method for many people as it can be risky carrying cash around with us. Even though paying by cheque is an accepted method of payment, other methods are preferred in order to limit the possibility of the cheque bouncing, and then the lessor having to contact the tenant to rectify the matter. An alternative to cheques is the use of money orders however these generally attract small charges.

Although these attract small fees, credit cards are used by many people for the purpose of paying rental charges as they are readily accepted and convenient for the tenant. The downside of the credit card for the tenant however is the bank fees and interest charges if not paid off when the monthly account arrives. If you are renting through an agent ask them if they have bank transfer facility available which can be used to make payments. Paying fees using the bank transfer method is quick, easy and a convenient way of carrying out the transaction. There could possibly be minimal fees charged by your bank depending on which one you deal with.

For those who find it hard to get about through age or disability, they can make arrangements with their welfare centre to have rental fees paid for them to the lessor, and have the remainder of their pension paid into their bank. This saves them having to make a trip to the bank and then another one to the rental office to make the payment personally. If you are one of the many people who do online banking and the landlord is agreeable, you can pay rent directly into an account nominated by him. This is possibly the most convenient and easiest method to use.

So you’re renting a house. You’ve just moved in and you are unpacking all your worldly goods. You come across the box marked, paintings and photos. Where will you put them? Should you hammer in a picture hook and hang them on the lounge room wall. Or should you put a shelf in the kid’s bedroom to show off their sports trophies and special knick knacks? Before going ahead with any such changes, you should probably check with your landlord or agent beforehand, as both of these things would be considered fixtures or fittings.

As a tenant you should only install fixtures and fittings to the rental with written permission from the lessor/agent. By having written permission you are safeguarded from any disagreements later down the track. The agreement should be very specific as to the type of fixture or fitting you are installing and what will become of it upon termination or expiry of the rental agreement. In most cases, unless otherwise agreed upon the ‘fixture’ remains with the property. Your agent should be able to help you if you have any doubts.

The lessor/agent should outline what changes have been agreed upon and any additional terms to the agreement such as whether the tenant has the right to remove the fixture or fitting on exiting the premises. The lessor/agent should not unreasonably withhold their agreement if the tenant asks them to add a fixture to the place. If the tenant thinks that the lessor/agent is being unreasonable, they could contact the RTA’s Dispute Resolution Service.

The agent may be able to help negotiate changes and record any agreements made. Often the agent is given some authority to ok any minor changes in relation to adding fixtures, such as picture hooks and the like.

If the tenant installs a fitting, or makes a change to the place without written permission from the landlord or agent, the landlord can take a couple of courses of action. Firstly, they could consider it a breach of the rental agreement and follow the procedure for resolution. Secondly the can tolerate the breach and consider it as an improvement to the premises that will remain when the tenant leaves. If the tenant wants to take any fixtures they have added, they must repair any damage caused by the removal of these fittings. Consider the adding of any fixtures carefully therefore, and be sure to consult with the agent or lessor.