Tenants and damage

Discussion in 'Property Management' started by Liarliar, 6th May, 2017.

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  1. Liarliar

    Liarliar Well-Known Member

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    This morning I went into one of my IP's.
    It has foreign students as tenants.

    I was there with a handyman to fix the reported flyscreen .
    Whilst I was walking thru my IP I noticed the curtain hooks are bended down as though someone had hung something on there.

    I asked the leading tenant leasor and he just shrugged his shoulders.
    I remember these hooks cost me nearly $10 each from Bunnings and then got a handyman out to put them up so i was very pee'd off .

    I then noticed a scratch on one of my kitchen cupboards as if simeone got a knife or something and scratched a 15cm scratch on the front !

    The bathroom mirror had a crack in it but i didnt mention to them i noticed this.
    The mirror was expensive around $399 and only just put in before they moved in.

    Should i tell the Property Manager to do a inspection or do we wait for their Lease to be up ?
    They need to pay for this !!!
    I was really angry even though I didnt say anything to them .

    The mirror was a nice mirror , I lived with mirrors for years without breaking them so how can they break it in it 2 months of tenancy !!
     
  2. Liarliar

    Liarliar Well-Known Member

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    I find out you cant put nice things in your IP 's

    You cant give as the saying goes " strawberries to pigs "

    I try to make my IP's nice by having nice things in there but people just destroy it and im expected to go to work everyday and pay for these things for them.

    The curtain hooks were those traditional ones now they are bent downwards, one of the wall lights looks as though they have broken a bulb inside it and now cant get it out !

    My $399 bathroom mirror has a crack in it !!!

    I mentioned to them about my curtain hooks but just a shrug of the shoulders from this guy !!!
    He then had the cheek to ask me if i could replace a light bulb in the kitchen.!!
     
  3. thatbum

    thatbum Well-Known Member

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    While it sucks to have these things happen, you probably need to start taking it a bit less personally if you want to survive as a landlord, stress-wise.

    You should take steps to sort out how the damage was caused (and therefore who is liable for it), but leave the emotions out of it.
     
  4. WestOz

    WestOz Well-Known Member

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    Why did you go, to check the place out?

    Some people aren't cut out for the stress involved with residential property investing.
    If things like this are going to cause so much stress perhaps get out of it, invest in something you have more personal control over, shares perhaps.
    Or maybe get into light industrial, three concrete walls and a roller door, tenant pays all outgoings etc.
    Lifes to short to stress about this stuff.
     
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  5. JacM

    JacM VIC Buyer's Agent - Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat Business Member

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    Mention your observations in writing to the PM and ensure that at the next routine inspection, he/she address those issues with the tenant and/or any other issues. Depending on the damage the PM might ask them to rectify it before he/she returns for another inspection, wait till the end of the lease and they're leaving and take repair money from the bond, or issue them breach notices demanding rectification and potentially also eviction at the same time. You don't want things to get so significantly damaged that the bond doesn't cover it. Your insurer won't be impressed if you were aware of a pattern of behaviour of damage and didn't do anything to minimise the losses.
     
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  6. Biz

    Biz Well-Known Member

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    Clearly the students are having sex all over the house and causing damage in the process.
     
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  7. SeafordSunshine

    SeafordSunshine Well-Known Member

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    Dear Liar Liar,
    just a thought,
    perhaps because the majority of your tenants have not signed the lease, they don't feel responsible for the place?
    Would you consider asking them all to sign the lease next time?
    I hope this helps
     
  8. dabbler

    dabbler Well-Known Member

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    Because, they do not give a rats backside, also, most thing owners have a never ending stream of money to spend, welcome to being a rich LL :)
     
  9. dabbler

    dabbler Well-Known Member

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    Yep, no one to live in a place who is not on the lease and checked out.

    PS regarding waiting till lease end to fix, well, yes, if it is minor, but at this rate, there will be no money left to cover, I would ask PM to get them to pay for large items as they trash them, it may also stop them from being broken, now they know you have been there, do nothing and seems you do not care.
     
  10. Liarliar

    Liarliar Well-Known Member

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    Yes I will get onto the PM on Monday to arrange s property Inspection.
    These tenants have complained about everything and I have done repairs and made things nice for them in their 2 months of tenancy only see them break the things I bought.
    Just the tenants attitude made me angry when he just struggled his shoulders at the curtain hook being damaged .
    He had complained earlier there was no curtain hooks so I specifically went to Bunnings by bus and had to call me all the way back and I got nice ones then I had arrange a handyman to put that up as well as a curtain and nice curtain , all together that cost me $200, only to see the curtain hook now bent downwards.and him shrugging his shoulders .

    How can a bathroom mirror have a crack in it ?
    They must of hit it with something ?
    I realise their foreign students but they are getting cheap rent than normal , and yes I have purchased a light bulb for them too , you don't get many landlords doing this , just I feel hurt they pay me back by disrespectfing my property.

    I will have to get into the Property manager about this , she appears to be a very confident type lady and hopefully she will sort things out .
     
  11. dabbler

    dabbler Well-Known Member

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    Do not put yourself in a position to be let down.

    It is a business proposition, charge them market rates and do not cater to the non essential requests, as others say, not worth being emotional over if you can help it (although I know it is hard to be a robot)

    I am thinking they said something about no hooks, but no so they could hang curtains, maybe they hang a few ducks from there ?

    Do not go to the property with handymen etc and have a gander, send the PM and get them to take pics, let them manage, and turn down the non essential requests, part of the reason I pay a PM is to be a big filter.
     
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  12. Joynz

    Joynz Well-Known Member

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    You had me at '...Bunnings by bus...'

    Though I can't quite picture what you mean by curtain hooks being bent down? Do you have a photo?
     
  13. Ted Varrick

    Ted Varrick Well-Known Member

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    Surely students wouldn't indulge in this kind of disrespectful behaviour.

    @Liarliar , given your handle, are you taking the **** or looking for a good reason to put the rent up?
     
  14. Xenia

    Xenia Well-Known Member

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    Specify exactly what needs to be done. Ie replace mirror. Re- hang curtains correctly, and how - ie a qualified and licensed trades person (not a DIY by the tenants) and a time frame.

    Get PM to arrange a trades person if they don't do it.

    Scratches can be rectified at end of lease by compensation - they can't replace the entire bench top.