In this edition: How long will it take for your property to rent? Emergency Versus Routine Repairs – What’s the Difference? Who Keep the Cash… Can a Bond Be Used to Cover Loss of Rent? Cooling House Market Means Good News for First Home Buyers!

January 2015

How to Survive the Summer Scorchers… A Selection of Properties Recently Leased Quote Calendar of Events

Dear Landlord,

Happy New Year!

We hope you and your family

have enjoyed the festive

season. Many of us took a

well earned break while Julie

and Brittney were troopers

working right through to see

properties rented faster for our

owners.

We are all back on deck and

pumped for the busiest couple

New Year rental updates

of months of the year. As you

can see from the Brisbane

statistics the average rents

h a v e o n l y i n c r e a s e d

marginally this year unlike the

last couple of years. The days

on Market for December were

up as well so we know we

have to use all our sales skills

to get the properties rented.

We have added Khayla to the

team this year to assist in the

letting process and getting

the applications processed as

quickly as we can. We ask

that you approve any

recommended applicants with

urgency as there is often

cases were the applicants

apply for more than one

property.

We wish you a sensational

2015!

Best Regards,

Christina and the team Helen,

Julie, Lisa, Haleigh, Brittney

and Khayla

www.propertyrentalsbrisbane.com FREE Information Guide For Landlords & Tenants

How long will it take for your property to rent?

That of course depends on the time of the year so here are the latest statistics for December 2014.

BRISBANE STATISTICS The Market

Source: rentfind.com.au

Emergency Versus Routine

Repairs – What’s the

Difference?

Emergency repairs are repairs

for:

a burst water service or a

serious water service leak

a blocked or broken lavatory

service

a serious roof leak

a gas leak

inconveniences a resident in

gaining access to, or using, the

property

All other repairs are considered

to be routine repairs.

Fast facts

A tenant/resident must notify

the property manager/owner or

manager in writing of the need for

an emergency repair. In an

emergency the nominated

a dangerous electrical fault

flooding or serious flood

damage

serious storm, fire or impact

damage

a failure or breakdown of the

gas, electricity or water supply to

the property

a failure or breakdown of an

essential service or hot water,

cooking or heating appliance

a fault or damage that makes

the property unsafe or insecure

a fault or damage likely to

injure a person, damage property

or unduly inconvenience a

resident of the property

a serious fault in a staircase,

lift or other common area or

p r e m i s e s t h a t u n d u l y

Brisbane, QLD December 2014 Annual Change

Median Weekly Rent - House $ 420 2.4% increase

Median Weekly Rent - Unit/Apartment $ 390 0%

Days on Market (Avg) 30.6 3.0 increase

Days Vacant (Avg) 17.8 1.7 increase

www.propertyrentalsbrisbane.com FREE Information Guide For Landlords & Tenants

repairer can be contacted directly

if the property manager/owner or

manager is unavailable.

If there is a nominated

repairer they should be listed on

the tenancy agreement.

If the property manager/

owner/manager or the nominated

repairer cannot be contacted, the

tenant can arrange a suitably

qualified person to carry out the

repair. The tenant can pay the

repairer themselves and get the

money back from the property

manager/owner/manager or get

the repairer to bill the property

manager/owner/manager. They

should forward all receipts to the

p roper t y manager /owner /

manager who must pay them

back within 7 days.

If the tenant pays for

emergency repairs the cost must

not exceed the value of 2 weeks

rent.

If the tenant and property

manager/owner/manager do not

agree about the emergency

repairs, or if the property

manager/owner/manager has not

reimbursed the tenant within 7

days, they can apply to QCAT for

a ruling.

A tenant should not stop

paying their rent to force the

tenant departed well before its

expiration date, leaving the keys

with the owners’ agent.

It took landlords, Lisa and

Stephen Castieau, seven weeks

to get the premises cleaned up

and new tenants installed and

then only at $10 less per week

than their predecessor had been

willing to pay.

They applied to QCAT for

payment to them of the bond of

$1.5k, plus additional sums for

the cost of cleaning and repairs

and for loss of rent “until the

expiration of the lease” and the

re-letting the property, a total of

$4.5k.

Tribunal member Paul Favell

examined the provisions of the

general tenancy agreement and

the Residential Tenancies and

Rooming Accommodation Act.

While the landlords were clearly

entitled to the cost of repairs and

c leaning, there was no

justification in member Favell’s

view, for the award of lost rent

etc after a tenancy had been duly

ended under a notice to leave

procedure.

p roper t y manager /owner /

manager to undertake repairs.

This is a breach of the tenancy

agreement

Source: www.rta.qld.gov.au

Who Keep the Cash… Can a

Bond Be Used to Cover

Loss of Rent?

Just six weeks after the start of a

Morooka tenancy in June 2013,

police executed a search warrant

to investigate “unlawful use of the

premises”.

Presumably having formed a

“reasonable belief” that the home

had in fact been used for an

illegal purpose, the landlords

served a notice to remedy

breach, relying also on the

tenant’s failure to return the entry

condition report, a smashed

window and damage to window

blinds.

Two days after the expiration of

the breach notice, a Notice to

Leave was served via post

requiring the tenant’s to vacate

the premises on 5 September.

In compliance with the notice, the

www.propertyrentalsbrisbane.com FREE Information Guide For Landlords & Tenants

Cooling House Market

Means Good News for First

Home Buyers!

A new report released recently

shows a cooling housing market

across Australia with strong

growth in Sydney the exception.

The latest edition of the Bendigo

Bank/ REIA Real Estate Market

Facts report, released today by

the Real Estate Institute of

A u s t r a l i a , p r o v i d e s a

comprehensive national snapshot

of the sector using the latest data

for the September Quarter 2014.

At $843,994, Sydney’s median

house price is the highest among

the capitals while Hobart remains

the lowest median house price

across Australian capital cities at

$360,000. This is a significant

d i f f e rence o f $486 ,994 .

REIA CEO Amanda Lynch said,

“The release of these figures is

very timely given the recent

developments last week that saw

analysts shift from expectations

of a rate rise in 2015 to the

possibility of a rate cut.”

“The prospect of not only

continuing low interest rates

throughout 2015 but also the

Given the provisions of RTRAA s

277 – which specify a tenancy is

ended on the expiration of the

notice - a landlord would need to

point to a contract term that

would create such an obligation

on the tenant.

He noted that the only tenant

obligations in the tenancy

agreement enduring after the end

of occupation were to return the

premises to their pre-tenancy

state and to pay the cost of

cleaning and if appropriate, for

pest treatment.

Member Favell also disallowed

the claim for the cost of changing

locks. “No reason has been

established for that expense

since it is submitted that the keys

were returned as required under

the agreement.”

The landlords were successful to

this extent of $774 with $705

being refunded to the outgoing

tenant.

Castieau v Gubecka [2013]

QCAT 644 Member Favell

21/11/2013

Source: Carter Capner Law Blog –

December 2014

possibility of a cut should

stimulate much activity in the

housing market with this report

by Bendigo Bank and REIA

showing the cooling market

provides an ideal time for

investors and first home buyers

alike.”

“With moderating prices in all

capital cities except Sydney and

Melbourne, first home buyers in

particular should feel confident in

being able to enter the market.”

REIA’s Housing Affordability

Report, which we released last

week, shows first home buyers

dropped to a historic low and

made up just 12% of the

owner-occupier market in the

September quarter.

“The comb ina t ion o f a

moderating market and low

interest rates will hopefully

reverse this trend and the

re-emergence of first home

buyers will be good news for

everyone.”

Fast Facts: September quarter

2014

Quarterly Australian weighted

average median house price is

www.propertyrentalsbrisbane.com FREE Information Guide For Landlords & Tenants

How to Survive the Summer

Scorchers…

Top tips for staying safe during

hot weather this summer:

Drink water.

Even if you don’t feel thirsty,

health organisations advise

that you should drink two to

three litres of water each

day during the heat. Try to

a v o i d a l c o h o l i c a n d

caffeinated drinks.

Eat cold foods.

Cooking and eating hot

meals can increase our body

heat, so stick to cold meats,

salads and fruit.

Dress light.

Light-coloured clothing helps

to reflect heat, and light,

breathable fabrics will help

you to feel more comfortable.

$620,901

Quarterly Australian weighted

average median other dwellings

price is $497,239

Median house prices up:

Sydney 3.8% to $843,994

Median house prices down:

Brisbane 1.0% to $465,500

Adelaide 1.8% to $412,500

Perth 1.8% to $535,000

Hobart 5.3% to $360,000

Canberra 1.9% to $525,000

Darwin 1.7% to $610,000

M e d i a n h o u s e p r i c e s

unchanged:

Melbourne at $649,000

For a media copy of the report,

p l e a s e e m a i l

zoe.davies@reia.com.au

Source:

REIA Newsletter–10 December 2014

Limit your time in the sun.

If you are going to be out in

the sun then ensure that you

“slip, slop, slap”. The Cancer

Council has also in recent

years added “seek” (shade)

and “slide” (on a pair on

sunglasses) to the mantra.

Keep your house cool.

I f y o u d o n ’ t h a v e

air-conditioning, keep the

rooms shaded and the air

circulating as much as possi-

ble. You may need to plan

some visits to your local

library, shopping centre, art

gallery or even supermarket

during the heat of the day.

Also ensure that you check on

your elderly relatives regularly, to

ensure that they are looking after

themselves – and don’t forget

about your pets as well!

Source: Real Estate Dynamics

Property News—December 2014

1st January 2015 New Year’s Day (Office Closed) 5th January 2015 End of Month Accounting 15th January 2015 Mid Month Accounting 26th January 2015 Australia Day (Office Closed) 2nd February 2015 End of Month Accounting

A Selection of Properties Recently Leased

Albion Unit $360 p.w.

2 bed, 2 bath, 1 car accommodation

Quote

―I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to al-

ways reach my destination.‖

—Jimmy Dean

Toowong Unit $410 p.w.

2 bed, 1 bath, 1 car accommodation

RE/MAX Profile Real Estate 141 Boundary Road TEL 07 3510 5222 FAX 07 3876 5544

www.profilerealestate.com.au Bardon QLD 4065 Brittney profilemanager@remax.com.au

www.propertyrentalsbrisbane.com PO Box 388, Paddington, 4064 Helen helenbryan@remax.com.au

Julie profilerentalsteam@remax.com.au

Errors & Omissions: These details have been prepared by us on information we have obtained and while we trust it to be correct, is not guaranteed by us and you should rely on your own enquiries.

Taringa Unit $340 p.w.

1 bed, 1 bath, 1 car accommodation

Calendar of Events