Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions that you may come across.
- Tenant
How to apply for a rental property?
Tenancy applications submitted with ALL information and supporting documentation have a better chance of being approved for a rental property.
How long will it take to process and be approved for a property?
Incomplete tenancy applications/supporting documentation will not be processed until ALL is fully received.
Can a rental property be applied for, without viewing it first?
Once approved, how much is the deposit to secure a rental property?
A deposit is equal to the first two week’s rent and must be paid within 24 hours of receiving a tenancy approval email to secure the rental property.
What occurs if an approved applicant does not proceed with the tenancy.
50% of the deposit (1 week’s rent) is non-refundable as per the terms of the HGRE Tenancy Application. The remaining 50% will be refunded to the applicant’s nominated bank account.
Can a bond loan be used?
Yes, a bond loan can be used, it must be approved and executed by no later than 2 days prior to the tenancy commencement date.
How do I set up a bond loan?
Simple. Our office will set you up and forward a secure easyBondpay Finance set up link via www.simplerent.com.au.
Do I need to connect services to the property?
Unless stipulated in the General Tenancy Agreement, utilities connections and some service charges including but not limited to – gas/gas bottles, electricity, telephone and internet are the tenant’s responsibility.
HGRE can refer a cost-free service, “Move Me In,” an organisation that will save time by arranging the utility connections. This referral occurs during the tenancy approval process.
Who is responsible for water usage?
Provided the property meets the minimum water efficiency criteria, the tenant is responsible for the full 100% water consumption charges (including bulk water charges).
The water account remains in the Landlord’s name as they pay the service charges. The water consumption charges are calculated from the applicable water account and invoiced accordingly to the tenant, allowing 30 days to make payment of the due invoice.
How is rent paid?
Please refer to page 2 of your Form 18a General Tenancy Agreement for full details.
How do I set up my bank account direct debit or credit card payments?
Simple. Our office will set you up and forward a secure payment set up link via www.simplerent.com.au. You will be able to set up payments via your smart phone or PC, simply select bank account direct debit or credit card, securely enter your details and you are set up.
Once completed you will receive access to simplediscounts.com.au buying group discount program for a range of national retailers as e.g.: Woolworths, Dan Murphy’s BWS, Caltex Woolworths Petrol, Good Guys, Priceline and more.
Bank Account Transactions $1.65, Visa/MasterCard Debit/Credit 1.98%, Amex 4.4% (international card adds 1.1%)
What is the rental payment reference?
On approval of tenancy, a payment reference will be allocated to use when making payment of rent to our Trust Account and can be found on page 2 of the General Tenancy Agreement.
Incorrect payment reference or payments with no reference will result in the funds not being able to be allocated, hence will remain in the trust account until identified. If rent is not identified after a given period, the funds are sent to the public trustee.
To verify unallocated payments, confirmation of payment will be required to be provided to our agency via email (i.e. internet banking payment confirmation / receipt from bank / bank statement).
What if I cannot pay my rent?
Please view our arrears management procedure that will be maintained to ensure effective management of arrears and to protect the landlord’s investment and not void landlord insurance
These actions form our arrears management procedure & occur as below:
- 3 days in arrears – Reminder SMS message to Tenant
- 7 days in arrears – SMS to tenant notifying of a Notice of Remedy Breach will be issued on Day 8
- 8 days in arrears – Notice to Remedy Breach issued with 7 days to remedy breach
- 16 days in arrears – SMS to tenant notifying of a Notice to Leave will be issued on Day 17
- 17 days in arrears – Notice to Leave issued with 7 days’ notice to vacate
How to obtain a copy of the rental ledger?
A copy of all rent / invoice receipts and rental ledger can be obtained via each tenant’s PropertyMe Tenant Portal, which is provided at the beginning of the tenancy.
www.propertyme.com.au
How often are routine inspections carried out?
Generally, a routine inspection will be completed every three to four months during a tenancy.
Adequate notice of entry will be provided prior to this occurring.
Is a tenant required to be home at the time of the routine inspection?
Routine inspections are undertaken to monitor the condition of the property and to assess if any maintenance is required. Being present is welcomed, however not necessary as access can be completed using an Agency set of keys.
How do I report a maintenance request?
All repairs and maintenance are to be submitted via the PropertyMe Tenant Portal with a clear description of the maintenance item/s and photos if applicable
What is classed as an emergency repair?
An emergency repair constitutes the property being uninhabitable, life threatening and/or insecure.
Please call ‘000’ in case of fire, medical emergency and any life-threatening situations.
All tenants are provided with a list of applicable creditors to contact direct, in the case of an emergency outside business hours. Tenants are requested to email our office to advise and provide details of the relevant maintenance situation that occurred.
Examples of an emergency repairs:
a burst water service or a serious water service leak
a blocked or broken lavatory service (where there is only one toilet)
a serious roof leak
a gas leak
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 premises
a fault or damage that makes the premises unsafe or insecure
a fault or damage likely to injure a person, damage property or unduly inconvenience a resident of the premises
a serious fault in a staircase, lift or other common area or premises that unduly inconveniences a resident in gaining access to, or using, the premises
Examples of non-emergency repairs:
a hot water system with no hot water
a blocked toilet where there is more than 1 toilet in the property
a failure or breakdown of oven
The above repairs are deemed urgent and will be dealt with the next business day (if after hours).
What to do if an emergency repair occurs afterhours?
Please call ‘000’ in case of fire, medical emergency and/or any life-threatening situations.
For all urgent repairs, contact the applicable tradesperson listed on our After-Hours Emergency Repair Contact List.
Tenants are required to submit the emergency repair request via the PropertyMe Tenant Portal with a clear description of the repair/fault with photos if applicable for office reference.
What happens if a service is requested of a tradesperson to carry out repairs on the Premises and there is deemed to be no fault and /or deemed tenant responsibility (e.g. Broken light globe)?
The tenant/s will be liable for payment of the fees charged (call out fee) by such tradesperson.
What happens if the fault is found to have been caused by the Tenant/s or their guests or the Tenant's own property?
The tenant/s will be liable for payment of the fees charged by such tradesperson.
Is content’s insurance a tenant cost?
Damage or theft of your valuables/contents are not covered under the landlords’ policy, so tenants do need to take out their own insurance if they want to be covered.
Does the tenant/s have to maintain the gardens/lawn/shrubs etc?
Yes, tenants must maintain all outdoor areas, unless it is an outside common area in a complex and/ or specifically stated in the General Tenancy Agreement.
Is it tenant responsibility to maintain the smoke alarms?
Yes, all tenants have an obligations to clean, test and replace batteries during the tenancy.
Tenants must not at any time, remove a smoke alarm/battery (other than to replace it) or do anything to reduce the effectiveness of an alarm.
Any smoke alarm fault/maintenance noted by tenants, must be reported immediately to ensure the smoke alarms are operational at all times.
Can another person/s move into property after the tenancy has commenced?
Permission must first be sought from our Agency/landlord regarding any change to a tenancy prior to the proposed new tenant/s moving into the property.
Any new tenant or approved occupant must submit a tenancy application to our Agency via email with all supporting documentation for processing.
If the additional or change of tenancy is approved our Agency will prepare the appropriate documentation for completion to execute the change.
Is it my responsibility to change light bulbs during the tenancy?
It is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure that all light fittings are fitted with working light globes at the commencement of a tenancy.
Tenants are responsible for the change of normal light globes during a tenancy and must ensure that all light fitting have working light globes at the end of the tenancy.
The Property has developed mould. Who is responsible?
This is entirely dependent on when and how the mould developed. If the property is inadequately ventilated or heated, condensation and mildew will result in mould.
It is the tenant’s responsibility to ensure the property is adequately ventilated by using the exhaust fans (if provided) regularly opening windows, particularly in bedrooms and bathrooms and also cleaning of any minor mould if it occurs
Please advise our agency should any further issues arise with mould and/or dampness, if the above is adhered to.
What to do if keys are lost or are locked out of property?
In the event keys are unavailable to the tenants, they can contact our Agency during office hours and request to borrow office keys for their access, but must be returned before close of business on the same day. Identification is required for any key collection. If any locks need to be changed, due to loss of keys, the tenant is responsible for advising our office and supplying 2 x key copies to the Agent within 24 hours.
Vacating the property at the end of my fixed term lease. What needs to be done?
To vacate the property at the end of a lease, a minimum 2 weeks’ notice along with the completed RTA Form 13 “Notice of Intention to Leave” form needs to be provided via email.
https://www.rta.qld.gov.au/forms-resources
Once you have submitted your Form 13 Notice of Intention to Leave, a detailed email pertaining to the vacate process will be sent to you.
Vacating the property during a fixed term lease agreement. What is required?
To vacate (break lease) a property during a fixed term tenancy, a minimum 2 weeks’ notice with the completed RTA Form 13 “Notice of Intention to Leave” is required.
https://www.rta.qld.gov.au/forms-resources
As a General Tenancy Agreement is a legally binding contract, there is liability for the compensation of costs associated with the re-letting of the property as well as ensuring the Landlord does not suffer loss of rent during the fixed term lease when breaking your lease agreement.
The following cost will apply and will be invoiced on a new Tenant/s being secured;
~ Rent up until the property is re-let or until the end of the tenancy agreement
~ Letting Fee: equal to one (1) weeks rent + GST
~ Advertising Fee
Once the Form 13 Notice of Intention to Leave is submitted, a detailed email pertaining to the vacate process will be sent and our Agency will commence the letting process to find a new Tenant/s to take over the tenancy.
The property will be advertised for rent with an available date from the 4th business day after the nominated vacate date to allow the required time to carry out the exit process to ensure the property is ready for the next tenancy.