VIC Stage 4 lockdown leasing process

Discussion in 'Property Management' started by The Y-man, 7th Sep, 2020.

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  1. The Y-man

    The Y-man Moderator Staff Member

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    Well with a further lockdown confirmed until end of October and some empty properties, the PMs have suggested they can allow prospects to do video inspections and the PM would need to approve leases without actually meeting the tenants (obviously they will do do ref checks etc)

    Would you rent to unseen tenants, or leave the prop vacant for another few months?

    The Y-man

    (I was going to ask if prospective tenants can send in a pitch video like my students.... :D)
     
    The Y-man, 7th Sep, 2020
    #1
  2. MB18

    MB18 Well-Known Member

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    The last three leases I've signed and been accepted for I've never actually met the property manager. (If I attend the inspection it's usually an uninterested kid sent out from the office to hold the door open for viewings).

    Only one of those three were even present when I went to collect the keys and sign the relevant paperwork.

    It struck as an anomaly that no effort was made to get to know me as a potential tenant but perhaps now it will be more an overt occurence.
     
    MB18, 7th Sep, 2020
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  3. Lil Skater

    Lil Skater Well-Known Member

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    We can’t do videos unless they’re pre-recorded.

    I’ve leased properties in the past unseen, usually because of someone moving interstate or from overseas - obviously this market is non-existent.

    I have leased one property during stage 4 off a 360 tour. The others we were expecting the restrictions to ease, but now that they haven’t we’ve listed them with as much detail as possible, but I do expect it’s going to be a much longer process.

    Contactless key handover, look ideally we’d be able to explain everything in person - but there’s nothing that can’t be done remotely.
     
    Lil Skater, 7th Sep, 2020
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  4. Kym Ryan

    Kym Ryan Member

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    It's hard to say how long the lockdown will really be in place. The good news is there are still tenants looking for properties and willing to lease by viewing a video only. Our landlords with vacant properties have all been accepting of tenants that have viewed the videos and provided adequate references to support their applications.
     
    Kym Ryan, 11th Sep, 2020
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  5. Tom Rivera

    Tom Rivera Property Manager Business Member

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    No problem with renting to sight-unseen tenants as long as the application otherwise holds up (e.g. good income, rental history, responsive, etc.).

    There is a rare occasion where an applicant doesn't seem particularly impressive on paper, but after meeting them they really stand out- that's probably the only situation you're not going to have the opportunity to come across right now.
     
    Tom Rivera, 21st Sep, 2020
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  6. Michelle Evans

    Michelle Evans Well-Known Member

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    That's the hard part I'm finding. You don't get to give the vibe check. You can have great applicants on paper that don't make good tenants (and you find this out after showing them through the house - you know the ones that bend the blinds to look through them, have their kids run through the house they haven't been accepted for yet putting dirty hands on walls and so on... )

    Social media checks can help but people are getting a little smarter with their privacy settings...
     
    Michelle Evans, 21st Sep, 2020
    #6