Pointless IP - how to proceed

How about a security screen door and bars (decorative) on windows ... if thay's how they got in last time?
(Personally, I never even close the back door but I had a friend who requested this before she moved into a rental.)
A camera would give me the creeps.
Also, fences around the backyard for dogs.
If hubby not working, can he go down and paint and clean, etc?

 

Good stuff, hope it works out for you.

Couldn't hurt if it creates a deterrent and gives the new tenants some peace of mind.

 

it doesn't really need any immediate work as the previous tenants did a bit of work on it when they moved in (they were only in the house for about five months) and cleaned it pretty well when they left. I also had the PM organise for the lawns to be mowed and garden tidied up recently.

I guess I'll see how we go with the current queries and then decide on further security measures from there

 

Yes I am surprised you haven't installed one. little things like that can make all the difference. I don't think you need to be paying any-one $34 a week to monitor it. I bought a security camera to retain a tenant who was concerned and wanted to leave he installed it himself and it cost about 4 days rent, he was happy, caught some kids breaking into a car , kicking fences carrying stolen equipment. The police knew who they were when shown the recording.

 

+1
Change asking to $185 and drop the free month.

Sone Tenants only see what's 3 feet in front of them

 

Would we have any luck if we went to a new insurer?

 

EBM have no limit on vacancy but have a higher excess if over 60 days iirc

 

There you go, that could be a short term solution if you can't find a tenant within your current timeframe, at least it will be insured if something did happen.

 

That's great - thanks so much! Will give them a call shortly.

 

Bit of an update - unfortunately, none of the three emails i received eventuated into anything. I have dropped the rent to $190/week without the free month. It's getting quite disheartening. I really hope we can get someone in soon

 

That's unfortunate, but hang in there.
How did you go with insurance?

 

Sorry to hear that Cimbom. Hopefully the reduced rent will spur some interest. From what I can see in the suburb, there are lots of properties offering free rent at the moment with a higher weekly rental figure.

My tenant is out of her lease period now and I'm very keen to get her re-signed. If property prices weren't so ***** down there at the moment I think I'd be offloading mine.

 

I have taken out the EBM insurance mentioned. They said that the highest excess I'd need to pay is $2000, depending on the length of vacancy, which I was happy with. They don't have any upper limit where they stop coverage.

Yes, it's been listed on Gumtree for about six weeks. It might just be my luck but the only emails I seem to get through there are time wasters who don't even bother to call the agent or arrange an inspection after making the initial contact ("is the property still available?").

beachgurl, I think most of the other landlords have a similar idea to what I was trying to do - offer the free weeks/month but keep the rent higher so that the yield looks better when they put it up for sale (as soon as it's tenanted).

 

Good stuff, you can sleep at night knowing you won't lose the lost if it burns down - knock on wood <taps head>.

 

+1 on the security camera idea as a good deterrent. I've got 3 IP cameras covering the outside of my PPOR and we've had neighbours down the street whom we'd never met in the past ask if their son can park his car in front of my place because they noticed we have the cameras and feel their car is safer in front of my place than their own. I was dumbfounded that people took that much notice of them. Good I say.

 

I would want that kinda vacant IP to just somehow burn.....And get a refund on replacement value!

Did hear a story of this sort where the IP was 100-120k. Got burnt. The owners got a decent pay out. They could "move" a house on to the block and keep the rest for investing.

 

I kind've would too - but I would hate to not be insured if it happened.

 

Yep, wouldn't that be nice lol. I might delete it off Gumtree and put it back on in a few days or a week so it's fresh again

 

Just updating you about this - still nothing unfortunately. Not sure how much longer I can bother keeping this up