Kiddies playground across the road...

Advice please,
The dilemma is:
how do you tell if the little ones are going to trash newly renovated house?
any thoughts?
Never rented to a family before, so not sure what t look out for?
thanks

 

The evil glint in the 3 years old's eyes is a dead giveaway.

 

You can expect more wear and tear and mess on a property when little children are involved. Stains on carpets, crayons on walls.
Ensure a really good ingoing inspection - ~ 200 to 400 photos of everything.
6 weeks bond can pay for a lot of cleaning.

It also depends on parents, some parents clean as they go

 

Great advice Xena. But most states only permit 4 weeks bond so you would be in breach in most states: Linky

 

• '666' is usually tattooed on the frontal lobe of the head
• observe the behaviour of the kids (or whether the parents castigate them)

 

As i wrote about in Tenancy Tip Thursday - Rental Bonds SA does have 6 weeks if rent is over 250pw.

 

Has a family applied, or are you just concerned that the property will attract families with small children?

If it's the latter, judge the applicants on their merits. Not all families have toddlers. By the time a child is in primary school they are much less likely to randomly damage the house.

Having said that, one of my ip's was rented for several years by a family with a baby and then toddler. They were excellent tenants and not a spot of damage to my property.

 

@DT - the intricacies of each state's differing tenancy laws. Quite correct DT, I have updated my comment.

 

I guess feral parents might be the type to rent a place with rent less than $250 per week... mental note to self...

Anyway I've got a place rented with a few young children in place and on the rare occassion I'm there they seem to keep the place well.

 

I love the evil look in her eyes.

 

I would worry more about adults than kids.

 

Families can make for great tenants - they tend to stay on longer - especially if their kids are going to the local school. Our best tenants have always been families.

 

I'd be more worried about the ice usage at the park and people "visiting " looking for stuff to hock

 

Thanks,
So the answer is 'Don't rent to anyone who's child is called Damien'
The park has already had all the ice you can poke a stick at.
Another query, the balcony with a 'permitted design' but there are large holes that 'Damien' could throw himself through.. onto the ground below.. the Agent has recommended perspex sheeting to alleviate this problem. Was also thinking about perforated metal screen? Any thoughts?