In this edition: How long will it take for your property to rent? Water Invoicing and the Law Don’t Get Burnt by the Building Code… Smoke Alarm Compliance

May 2016

Air Conditioning – Getting in Early to Save $$$ and Hassle… A Selection of Properties Recently Leased Quote Calendar of Events

Dear Landlord,

We had a good turnout during our

Property Investors Information Night

held on 20th April. Speakers Adam

Bradley from Australian Property

Finance gave a great overview for

saving on your investment property

and James Chang from Yellow Brick

Road had an abundance of great

advice on financial planning and how

to plan ahead. Christina shared tips

on how to remain competitive in the

rental market and protecting your

investment. We received some great

feedback and will update you on our

next one when the date is confirmed.

If you would like to receive a copy of

the slide presentation, please

contact profilesales@remax.com.au

Mother’s Day Champagne High Tea Invitation and Rental Updates

(Nicole).

With Mothers Day just around the

corner, we hope you are able to

attend our High Tea & Fashion

Parade at Keri Craig Emporium on

the 6th May 10am to raise money for

Make-A-Wish. Treat yourself or bring

Mum along for a fun morning of

fashion, styling tips and other

exciting guest speakers! We look at

this as an opportunity to get to know

our clients better while supporting a

great cause. There are still some

seats available if you would like to

join us. Please see below invitation

for more details.

If you are considering building

please let us know. We have started

working with someone who can build

a two level home that council will

approve to rent the levels separately

while from the outside it just looks

like a regular home.

Your Property Management Team,

Christina, Helen, Iszabel, Alex,

Kobe, Katrina, Anita and Verna

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 April.

BRISBANE STATISTICS The Market

Source: rentfind.com.au

Brisbane, QLD April 2016 Annual Change

Median Weekly Rent - House $420 0.0%

Median Weekly Rent - Unit/Apartment $390 2.6% increase

Days on Market (Avg) 32.7 3.5 increase

Days Vacant (Avg) 20.1 3.0 increase

no legal requirement for a water efficiency certificate from a plumber although

it is recommended best practice to provide evidence to the tenant should there

is a dispute about the property being water efficient. Amos v Krans & anor

[2015] QCATA 69 (A tribunal case) stated that the lessor has the onus to

prove that the property was water efficient.

It is recommended that the lessor obtain a water compliance certificate on an

annual basis and or at the end of each tenancy in the event of tenant dispute.

Below is information form the RTA about proving that a property is water

efficient.

At the start of the tenancy agreement, the lessor/agent and tenant

should negotiate arrangements for water charging. The presence of

water efficient devices should be noted on the Entry Condition Report

(Form 1a).

Lessors/agents should be able to demonstrate the presence of water

efficient devices where it may be unclear, such as by providing copies

of:

plumbing reports

Water Invoicing and the Law

How can the lessor/agent prove

the premises are water efficient?

Our agency strongly recommends

that lessors invest in obtaining water

compliance certificate. Our advice is

mainly in the event of a dispute by

the tenant that the property is water

efficient. On your behalf, we could

use the certificate as evidence in the

dispute. Please note that water

compliance certificates may be

needed to be updated to ensure that

no changes have been made by

tenants during a tenancy. There is

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

receipts

packaging

warranties or instruction manuals for taps and showerheads,

etc.

For any water fixtures produced from 2005 onwards, the easiest way

to check if they meet the required efficiency standard is to look for

products with a WELS rating of three stars or higher. WELS is

Australia's water ef-ficiency labeling scheme which rates fixtures

including taps, showerheads and toilets according to water efficiency -

the more stars the better. To find out more about the scheme or

search the registered product database, visit www.waterrating.gov.au.

Sourced from www.rta.qld.gov.au

Don’t Get Burnt by the

Building Code…

Smoke Alarm Compliance

Buying a home or investment

property is likely to be one of

the biggest investments most of

us will ever make.

When purchasing a property,

most Buyers are aware that they

should have a Building and Pest

Inspection performed, to give

them peace of mind plus some

understanding of whether the

property has any major problems

and how they will affect the

property over time. Rarely

however, do Buyers ensure that

the smoke alarms are compliant

as part of this process.

If you do not have working smoke

alarms installed in your home,

and a fire occurs; according to

the Metropolitan Fire Brigade you

are 57% more likely to suffer

property damage or loss, you are

26% more likely to suffer a

serious injury, and you are four

times more likely to die. Smoke

alarms detect smoke well before

any sleeping occupant would and

provide critical time to implement

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

actions to save life and property.

Smoke alarms are designed to

detect fire smoke and emit a loud

and distinctive sound to alert

occupants of potential danger.

This is especially relevant if the

property is purchased as an

investment property. In most

states across Australia smoke

alarms complying with Australian

Standards must be fitted in all

rental propert ies and in

accordance with the Building

Code of Australia. It is the

responsibility of the landlord to

ensure that smoke alarms are

compliant, with new batteries

installed prior to a tenant moving

into the property.

It is therefore recommended that

an inspection of the smoke

alarms is arranged to coincide

with the Building and Pest

Inspection at the property. It is

recommended that you contact a

reputable smoke alarm testing

company to do this. This way any

issues in relation to the smoke

alarms at the property can be

addressed during the conditional

period of the contract, and any

works required may be able to be

negotiated with the seller.

Source: Nicole Garnham, Real

Estate Dynamics, 2016

expensive new parts, or if the

system itself needs replacement.

In many cases, the appliance

would have lasted significantly

longer if the standard 12 monthly

services had been conducted.

We recommend that you

consider having your air

conditioning system serviced in

these upcoming cooler months,

not only to prolong their lifespan

– but also to help reduce the

costs of the service given that the

Air Conditioning companies will

be more likely to offer a reduced

price in their ‘off season’. This

can also help avoid unnecessary

breakdowns – especially in peak

season, which will likely be more

expensive for you, as well as

having a longer turnaround time

for the work to be completed –

and unhappy Tenants in the

meantime.

Please see below a link to a

video from Real Estate Dynamics

about air conditioners, and some

t ips and t roub leshoot ing

information:

http://realestatedynamics.com.au/red

-tv/air-conditioning-tips-trouble-

shooting/

Source: Travis Henke, Real Estate

Dynamics 2016

Air Conditioning – Getting in

Early to Save $$$

and Hassle…

As property owners, with regards

to maintenance of the property

and appliances, it can be very

tempting to just have things

repaired/replaced as problems

surface – and often without any

real efforts at prevention.

Although this approach can

reduce your short-term financial

cost, in the long run it can be

quite costly in future repairs/

replacements of items that may

not have been necessary if a

preventative service had been

conducted.

Air Conditioners are a classic

example of this. In many cases,

property owners won’t bother

with the recommended yearly

servicing, however when the

appliance does eventually break

down – the costs are often much

higher than they would have

been otherwise. This could be

that part of the system needs

2 May Labour Day Public Holiday (Office Closed) 16th May Mid Month Accounting 1st June End of Month Accounting

A Selection of Properties Recently Leased

Kenmore Hills House $795 p.w.

5 bed, 3 bath 2 car accommodation

Quote

“Property is the fruit of labour; property is desirable; it is a positive good in the world.”

—Abraham Lincoln

Milton Apartment $750 p.w.

2 bed, 2 bath, 2 car accommodation

RE/MAX Profile Real Estate 141 Boundary Road TEL 07 3510 5221 FAX 07 3876 5544

www.profilerealestate.com.au Bardon QLD 4065 Helen helenbryan@remax.com.au

www.propertyrentalsbrisbane.com PO Box 388, Paddington, 4064 Iszabel profilerentalsteam@remax.com.au

Alex profilerentals@remax.com.au

Kobe profilepm@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.

Chapel Hill House $755 p.w.

4 bed, 3 bath, 2 car accommodation

Calendar of Events