SA - maintenance request

Looks like my property need to get the under sink thingie unblocked and some electrical work done. One quote was provided on Thursday arvo and another found its way this arvo but the tenant's family is whinging I'm not processing this in a timely fashion. What the...

I've googled this and SACAT's site didn't really specify a timeframe in which I'll need to respond other than "reasonable". So what is reasonable defined as?

Also, can anyone recommend me a sparkie too please? The ones my agent wanted to engage can't give me a quote other than their hourly rate. $85/hr for a qualified sparkie and $35/hr for an apprentice.....

Thanks

 

Hi,

"Reasonable" is mentioned in about 50 different places in the legislation and has no concrete definition. It's determined by the severity. The tenant can send you a breach (remedy) notice saying fix it in X days or we're moving out. SACAT can also impose $X a day penalties if certain parts of their home aren't working.

Communicating with tenants and letting them know something is being worked on is the best approach to take. Keeping everyone involved up to date saves a lot of headaches later on. This time of year though, most good trades are booked out since they took the Christmas period off and now have a back log of jobs to get through.

For a sparky, try Scott from SH Electrical on 0407 224 946. Can recommend a plumber for the sink issue as well, if needed.

 

If tenant seeks compensation please note that getting quotes for small electrical or plumbing work may not be considered "reasonable" and it may cost you more in the longer run if compensation is granted.
Electricians/plumbers generally don't quote - our plumbers and electricians just go out and do it, get it done, finish it, end of story.

The tribunal would be looking for immediate action, one to two business days to get electrician out or plumber and they should call within 24 hours to make an appointment.

 

It depends on the work. I had some electrical work quoted in Adelaide about 6 months ago. It was a reasonable sized job. Quote process was fast and job started quickly.

As a PM You obviously know your tradies and trust that they will give you a competitive price.

I don't find this is always the case with PM's - sometimes I feel I pay much higher for things they organise for me than if I got quotes myself ( based on my Canberra PM).

 

I think it's generally a good idea to get a couple of quotes for things.
Some will say they trust their PM to do the right thing, but getting an idea of it yourself can't hurt.

 

I wouldn't be so concerned if they're able to give me a ROM quote +/- 25%, at least I have something to work with whereas just quoting an hourly rate and said they'll do it as quickly as possible isn't going to cut it.

Thanks for your recommendation @D.T.

 

The sink isn't entirely blocked, it just doesn't flow as well as it should and by all accounts it doesn't stink or anything like that.

The electrical work...
1. One of the light switch doesn't work.
2. The telephone sockets are faulty (I suspect there hasn't been a line there for years)
3. Some of the wall sockets doesn't work either.

Will get them to speak to DT's recommended sparkie for a second opinion.

 

Great post, just getting things done is the right way to go. Getting a quote for $100 worth of work and then choosing someone else is a good way to annoy people.

Being a pm can be a double edged sword sometimes. Some trades will do good priced work because they want the repeat business. Some will charge more because most PMs will forward it into landlord without questioning it. I know one maintenance firm who charges a certain PM a surcharge because he messes them around.

There's been a couple of times now where I've needed a trade in my ppor or one of my places and I've used that as a test prior to using them elsewhere.

 

I also find with electricians they can give rough prices for each component over the phone. Ie. new light switch is $x. They can also tell you their call out fee and which components might be included in that. I've used hi pages several times for electricians and they've given me fixed prices before te job.