Tenant Guide

Our philosophy is that tenants are our business! Without you we have no business. For this reason it is more important than ever that we value, respect and care for your needs. We don’t want you to feel as outsiders; but part of our business. We understand that you deserve our immediate attention with requests and deserve to be greeted with a friendly courteous smile at all times.

Following is some information that you may find useful when renting a property through O’Neil Real Estate:

Office Hours

Office hours are between 8.30am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday and 9.00am – 12noon on Saturday.

Rental Payments.

Our office adopts a strict policy towards rental arrears and payments are checked daily. Under the terms of your tenancy agreement it is your legal responsibility to ensure that rent is paid one rental period in advance (i.e. if your lease states that rent is payable fortnightly, you must be 2 weeks in advance at all times)

For your convenience, we have set up a BPay facility for payment of rent via telephone or internet where payments can be made 24 hours a day without the hassle of coming in to the office. This is our preferred method of payment or alternatively, cheques or money orders will be accepted. If you misplace your reference numbers, please contact the office and one of our staff will be able to assist.

Please note it is office policy to take the following course of action for rental arrears:

3 days = Notice of Termination for Non Payment of Rent
13 + days = Application form submitted to local court for termination of tenancy agreement & possession of property

Tenant Default Agencies

Our office is a member of both TICA & NTD, which are tenant default agencies. Should you default in your rent or breach a term of your Tenancy Agreement, the details will be listed with this agency at the end of your tenancy. Once listed, the information will remain on file until the default is rectified. We do look forward to a harmonious agent tenant relationship, and we will only take this course of action when absolutely necessary. If you experience financial hardship throughout the tenancy it is imperative that you contact our office to discuss the matter in further detail.

Maintenance

All repairs & maintenance are to be submitted to the office in writing using a Maintenance Request Form. These can be obtained by contact our office or by entering the details on our online Maintenance Request Form.

If your maintenance is an emergency, please contact the office and we will arranged for s immediately and repairs will be accepted verbally. All repairs are attended to as promptly as possible, however it is often necessary to obtain the Owner’s approval and/or quotes before any work can commence, so unfortunately a delay is sometimes unavoidable.

If firm arrangements regarding access for any trades people are not kept by you, the service charge for calling the tradesperson will be automatically passed on to you for payment.

Condition Reports

When you move into the property, be very particular with the Condition Report and make sure you mark down anything not already outlined on the report. If you do not mark it down, you will be liable for discrepancies when you vacate. You must return the Condition Report to our office within seven working days of moving into the property. Keep the report in a safe place during your tenancy, as you will need to refer to the report when vacating the property.

Electricity Connection / Telephone Connection

It is the tenant’s responsibility to connect the electricity/gas (if applicable) and telephone and ensure that it is disconnected at the end of the tenancy. All connection costs and deposits are the tenant’s responsibility.

Electricity Connection: Western Power 13 13 53
Telephone Connection: 13 22 00

Routine Inspections

Routine inspections will be carried out throughout the course of your tenancy. In most cases these inspections will occur on a 3 monthly basis and as per the Residential Tenancies Act, you will receive between 7-14 days written notice.

As we have many inspections scheduled for this day, please appreciate that it is difficult for our office to set exact times or re-arrange inspections times. For extreme circumstances however, please contact our office to discuss the matter.

Keys

Duplicate keys for most properties are retained by O’Neil Real Estate for emergency access. Under special circumstances and on producing identification and a deposit, the keys can be borrowed during office hours, but must be returned within 24 hours. No service is available out of office hours or on public holidays.

It would be therefore advisable, that you also make private arrangements regarding the location of a spare key, should you inadvertently lock yourself out.

Locks may only be changed after obtaining written permission from O’Neil Real Estate or the Owner on the strict understanding that you supply us with a spare set of keys. Remember, it’s in your best interests to ensure that we have access to your property.

Insurance

We strongly urge you to insure your personal possessions against any loss, damage or theft. The landlord has no obligation to insure your personal belongings.

Termination Of Tenancy

Under the terms of your residential Tenancy Agreement, you are required to give 21 days notice in writing advising of your intention to vacate the property. This can occur either 21 days prior to the end of a fixed term tenancy or anytime during a periodic tenancy. Notice to end the tenancy can not be taken verbally for security reasons. Notice to Vacate

If, due to unforeseen circumstances, you have to vacate prior to the expiration of your Residential Tenancy Agreement, please contact your Property Manager immediately to discuss your obligations

The following penalties will apply to them should they vacate the premises prior to the expiry date of the tenancy agreement and consent is given by the owner:

• Payment of all rent monies until such time as the property is re-let or the tenancy agreement expires, whichever is the sooner:
• Payment of all advertising charges incurred to re-let the property.
• Tenant(s) are responsible for the total upkeep of the premises including the lawns, gardens and pool (if applicable) until the property is re-let. All costs involved are also the responsibility or the tenant(s)