Seeking owner viewpoints on a 'grey area'

Aim: to offer a positive seamless new tenancy experience...

Scenario:
Upmarket property for rent at $950 per week.
Successful applicant: Korean family, fastidiously tidy from previous tenancies, highly successful business couple heavily investing in alternative investments and prefer renting, no history of rental arrears.
Signs 12 month lease and keen to renew as home is well located to the two children's private schools
After signing lease: Wife notices that the whole home has window dressings except for the main bedroom. Requests for blinds/curtains to be installed in main bedroom.
PM highlights to owners that culturally the family value their modesty and sun is up at 4:30 am with no daylight saving in Queensland - the bedroom has double sliding doors to outdoor entertainment area bringing in a lot of light.
There is no legal obligation to do so in Queensland although there are huge value adds to building and sustaining positive relationships with quality tenants.

Owner argues home is as is and will under no circumstances fund window dressings - happy for tenants to purchase and install window dressings to main bedroom

Fellow investors: how would you respond?

 

Are there at least curtain rails or tracks or something, and just no curtains?? Or nothing at all?

 

I would install the curtains, or at least rods for the tenants to hang their own on. Some owners cant see the forest for the trees. What are they up for, $350 or so inc handyman, rod and some blockpouts from spotlight.

 

I would gently let them know that when receiving $950 pw rent the owner could be a bit more accommodating.

If the owner won't compromise then this might have to be the solution. It's not ideal but if the owner is intractable there is nothing else to be done.

 

These are good points. Would the owner install the rail and the tenant provide the curtains? The sales pitch to the owner is that if they hire the contractor they can make sure the job is done to the owner's standard. If the tenant hires the contractor there is no guarantee the job will be done to the owner's standard.

 

Get the best quote to owner and explain the benefit of having good tenant. Ask if tenant willing to go half maybe

 

Come on, really?? Put up some freaking curtains. That is less than one weeks vacancy if they leave. Do the owners live in QLD, without curtains? I doubt it.

 

The owners are renting a property we manage with curtains

 

There is nothing

 

How is this even an issue? What sort of house doesn't have curtains in the bedrooms?

 

I would install the curtains. It's hardly going to break the budget and it will keep the tenants happy.

 

Me too. But imagine if you are PM for this property. The tenant wants curtains and is paying $950 pw in rent. The owner refuses to install curtains. What do you say to the owner to motivate them to put in curtains without getting them off side. Remember, the owner is your customer, they are paying you to do a job. It's not part of your job description to get them off side. On the other hand, the tenants are paying a massive amount to rent the property and have quite rightly asked for curtains to be installed. Solution?

 

Wow.

 

A property manager is a legitimate member of your investing team, as much as your mortgage broker and accountant are. Be the trusted advisor worth listening to, and you'll be listened too.

Should have spotted the property not having curtains when taking on the management. Anything that prevents applications or reduces the potential rent should be rectified. Prevent these types of questions from coming up and all 3 (PM, Owner, Tenant) people's lives become simpler.

Really difficult situation now if the owner doesn't want to budge and perhaps the tenant will need to install their own. Could hopefully compromise by having them install the rail and letting tenant choose their own curtain to go on it. You could sell this to the tenant by reminding them they weren't present when they went through the property and that they get to choose.

 

Good points We thought the curtains were not there as they were being laundered as owners were cleaning up the home at the time...

 

Would the owner grant permission for the tenant to install curtains?

Sometimes that's just the only solution. It's difficult when they dig their heels in like this - been there many times.

I recently spent an hour on the phone with a landlord asking him to make a $500 improvement that would help the tenant - he would not budge, same price range as yours $1000 pw range. Then tenants decided to not renew lease.

Some people are wired to lose money.

 

Option 1 attain quotes and see if they are palatable to the owner

Option 2 request on the tenants behalf that they be allowed to install the quoted furnishings at their cost and their removal at the end of the tenancy

Option 3 You install at your cost the furnishings

Option 4 do nothing - at the end of the day they leased the property and if there is no obligation or willingness on the owners part then you have no further action

 

I would just install the curtains. <$500 on a $950 a week rental is a no brainer for a good tenant. Cost can also be added to depreciation schedule.

 

Every now and then things occur that you have to handle later, that's just business for you. A good business is not the one where things can never go wrong, that's impossible, a good business is one who aims to turn things around the best way possible.