Tenant Information
We respect your rights as a tenant to quiet enjoyment and privacy during your tenancy. We are very different from traditional property management companies; we won’t treat you as a number – we take the time to listen to your needs and assist you with a solution.
We do take the management of investment properties seriously and all we ask from you is that you pay your rent on time and, that you care for and respect the property as if it is your own home. We will do our best to assist you with whatever you need during our time together.
Condition and Inventory Report
For your protection, please ensure that you return the signed/amended copy of your property report to us within 3 (three) business days of your lease commencement date. If this is not returned within this time frame, please be aware that the original inspection report will be used for the post vacating comparison, regardless of whether you agree with the original report or not.
Maintenance and Repairs
The Landlord is required to maintain the property in the same condition or as close as practical to that of when your tenancy commenced (fair wear and tear excepted). For this, we rely heavily on our Tenants to help us by promptly reporting repairs required or maintenance that needs attending too. Timely maintenance can save a great deal of trouble and money in the long run. If you ever have any questions or concerns on how maintenance should be addressed, we ask you to contact us so that we can provide clarification or advice where necessary.
Requesting General Maintenance or Repairs
We completely understand that general maintenance and repair will be required from time to time, which might include items such as a loose cupboard door or, a blocked gutter. We always ask that Tenants notify us in writing within 7 days when these types of issues arise, you can email us directly through to assist@eisproperty.com.au
There can also be certain circumstances that may occur where maintenance items are more urgent and need to be addressed quickly and effectively, in which case see below for Urgent and Emergency Repairs.
Urgent Repairs
Urgent repairs arise when an essential service ceases to function. An essential service can include water and hot water services, loss of power, blocked pipes or cooking facilities that cease to function.
Essential services do not include items which can customarily expire from regular use and do require replacement from time to time – such as tap washers. If an urgent repair is required during business hours, please contact the EIS Office directly on 6232 4999.
Emergency Repairs
Emergency repairs are those that could cause injury to someone or major damage to the property and may include broken or burst water pipes, a serious roof leak, dangerous electrical faults, flooding, serious storm damage, fire or any other faults or instances that make the premises unsafe or are otherwise likely to injure a person or cause excessive or lasting property damage.
If an emergency repair is required during business hours, please contact the EIS Office directly on 6232 4999.
After Hours Urgent or Emergency Repairs
If something occurs with the property on a weekend or over an extended holiday period that may be categorised as an urgent or emergency repair and you are unable to reach an EIS representative then, the Residential Tenancy Lease instructs that you may call the property manager’s nominated contractor to attend to the issue.
A tenant may authorise the repairs to be done by a nominated repairer who will be listed on your lease agreement. An EIS nominated repairer will be able to guide you through any troubleshooting issues and/or otherwise attend for attention. In this event, they should be able to invoice EIS for the works direct if warranted.
If you are unable to reach an EIS nominated repairer then, you are authorised to contact an alternative suitable repairer. A suitable repairer is considered a qualified tradesperson in their field who holds a licence (if necessary) to carry out the relevant repairs and is ordinarily employed to do so. Repairs are only to be carried out to the extent that the essential service becomes functional again.
Please be aware that if an afterhours call out is made and the maintenance issue is deemed to be non-urgent or not an emergency, you will be responsible for the additional costs.
Please ensure that you notify our office if you have arranged emergency repairs after hours on the first business day after the event. To ensure EIS are in possession of the full story relating to the urgent or emergency repair, the tenant must supply the following:
· a statement from the repairer, of the apparent cause for repair,
· a copy of the account, and
· a copy of the receipt
Without this information, we are unable to reimburse any accounts paid by you.
Insurance for Tenant Items
Please note that the Landlord is expected to adequately insure the property against fire, flood, and storm damage however, these policies do not extend to Tenant personal belongings (furniture, clothing, electrical and whitegoods etc). It is always recommended that Tenants seek their own advice on for appropriate Contents Insurance to protect these items during the tenancy.
Routine Inspections
As part of our service to both residents and property owners, the Residential Tenancy Act does state that we are to conduct periodic inspections. These inspections allow us to report to the property owners on the condition of their property and equally, to help us resolve any issues residents may have with their tenancy but also assist us in protecting your bond contribution for when you vacate.
Approximately six to eight weeks after a tenancy commences, your Property Manager will conduct an initial inspection of your leased property. As a rule of thumb, the inspections will then occur every four to six months. You will always be provided due notice when your Routine Inspection is upcoming. You are not required to be home for these inspections. If you are a shift worker, it may be possible to negotiate a date and time around your working week.
If you are not able to be present and there are matters you need to raise, we encourage you to leave something in writing in the kitchen where it can be seen by your Property Manager.
Rent Payments
Rental payments are due fortnightly in advance. When you enter a lease with EIS, one of the conditions is that you agree to pay your rent by Direct Debit by granting EIS Property Management the authority to deduct the rental payments from your nominated bank account on the due date. This saves you the worry of remembering when your rent is due and for us to remind you!
If your business or corporation pays your rent, calendar month payments may be arranged by prior negotiation with our office.
We do understand that sometimes life does not always go to plan and therefore, if you are having any issue with meeting your rent payments, please call our Accounts Department or Property Manager to discuss this. It is far better for you to be pro-active and let us know.
Break Lease
We understand that circumstances can change and, for several reasons you may be required to vacate the property earlier than your lease expiry. This is what we refer to as a Break Lease situation.
If you find yourself in this situation, you need to contact our office as soon as possible so your Property Manager can guide you through the process and it needs to be noted that there may be costs and/or obligations to you for this process.
Lease Renewals
Provided that the owner of the property you’re leasing intends to continue leasing their property and that you have consistently meet all the requirements of your tenancy, you may expect to receive an invitation of lease renewal.
If you receive a Lease Renewal offer, it’s of vital importance that you let us know whether you accept the renewal or if you wish to vacate. This advice is required in writing or via email to info@eisproperty.com.au as soon as possible.
Vacating Following a Lease Expiry
In some instances, you may not wish to renew your lease for varying reasons. In this event, you are required to give EIS written notice of your intention to vacate on lease expiry.
You are required to give a minimum two (2) weeks written notice of your intention to vacate prior to the end of your tenancy agreement. This notice can be given up to and including the last day of the fixed term of the tenancy agreement. If you wish to vacate the property during your notice period and in the lead up to your lease expiry, please note that you remain responsible for rent payments ongoing until the date of your lease end.
Once your notice is received, our office will issue you a ‘Notice of Intention to Vacate the Property’ form which will outline your responsibilities up to and including your lease expiry, including a cleaning checklist which clearly outlines the expectations required to receive the return of your bond contribution and is measured against the ingoing Condition and Inventory Report.
Returning Property Keys
When vacating the property, keys are due back to our office by close of business on the day your lease expires. If you lease happens to expire on a weekend or Public Holiday, this is extended until 10AMon the next available business day.
If keys are not returned by this time, additional rent may be charged. Along with the keys (including remotes, fobs, security passes and/or any additional keys you may have had cut), you must also bring any receipts of professional services performed in the property e.g. professional steam cleaning of carpets, professional fumigation where a pet was approved.
Vacate Inspection
Please note that keys must be returned to our office prior to your Property Manager conducting your vacate inspection.
Your Property Manager will then attend the property you have just vacated to inspect and ensure that due diligence has been followed and the property has been returned to the condition it was in when your tenancy commenced. This determination is based on a comparison basis with the original ‘Condition and Inventory Report’ you signed off on and returned to EIS at the commencement of your tenancy.
If there are any discrepancies that require further attention, you will be notified accordingly. Please note that EIS will always try to work in your best interest, however, are otherwise authorised to engage appropriate professional contractor/s to rectify any outstanding items and those costs will be deducted from your bond.
If you are ever unsure of what items to address during your vacate process, it is always best to clarify with your Property Manager prior to vacating to ensure a prompt bond refund process.
Bond Refund
Once the final inspection is complete and all matters are appropriately address, your Property Manager will arrange for your bond to be returned via the Residential Deposit Authority (RDA) website. You will then receive an email from them on how to process the return of your bond. Please note that all residential bonds are held by the RDA and, EIS do not hold residential bonds.