Questions about what tenants can do

Hi,

Our place has now been tenanted since last week. We had to go today to the house today pick up something we had left there so we met our agent there.

We have a townhouse which has a very small front yard. The grass in the front was patchy, but the tenants have basically removed all the grass and it is now just dirt there. I also noticed they extremely trimmed back some other bushes and removed another.

The other thing we noticed was they had changed the curtains on the front windows downstairs and upstairs. The curtains we had there were relatively expensive so I've told my property manager to just make sure they have put the original curtains away.

Being new to having an investment property, I'm not entirely sure what a tenant can and can't do. Are they normally allowed to do what I've described in the front yard without permission and also just swap curtains?

Hope to get some advice.

Thanks

 

Goat, it's normal for tenants to change curtains, they need to reinstall the original ones. I've had tenants change all the toilet seats and put the originals back on at end of lease.

Lawn and garden, they need to make good with any damage done at the commencement of the lease.

This is where a bond and a good condition report really comes in handy.

Let them know that they need to make good with any damage but I think allow them to enjoy the property as long as they are not damaging the property structurally. Lawns are easy to replace.

 

Just ensure that you have the PM document the changes and that you are kept informed so they may be remedied at the end of the tenancy.

Have a read here or here.

Best of luck and congrats on the new investment.

 

I wouldn't wait until they leave to get the grass fixed, it takes ages.

 

Hi @thegoat ,

Does your lease agreement contain a clause for yard maintenance? I have one in mine. According to the clause, the tenant is responsible in the upkeep of yard for the duration of tenancy. So they can't remove the grass in mine.

It would be a good idea to read through the lease agreement again and familiarise yourself to it.

 

We'll find out at the next decent rains they have...

 

Great little thread. I'm just going through the motions of purchasing my first proper investment property and it's out of state to boot so needless to say I'm a little nervous.

 

Don't be nervous, I'm sure it'll be fine. You can use PropertyChat as your support group otherwise

 

All seems to be going well so far but I'm sure I'll be back with some questions soon enough to add to what I've already asked. I've found this forum to be absolutely fantastic so far. Like having 100 mentors and I'm aware of the importance of having a helping hand. Why learn the hard way. If you could all just wish me luck I'm sure the good vibes will convert into $$$ in the pocket and free up some more of my time to go helping others too. I want to volunteer at my local sea rescue group eventually.

 

No such thing as luck mate. Keep going in the right direction.

 

Mortgage just approved! !!!! Hi five that!

 

Yay!