Tenant Information

In Queensland, people who rent houses are covered by the law – the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (The Act). The Act sets out the rights and responsibilities of tenants and lessors. It describes what you and the lessor/agent can and can’t do, how to address issues that may arise during the tenancy and explains what happens if the lessor/agent or tenant breaks the law.

The Act applies to all types of tenants including:
•    private tenants who rent directly from the lessor or through a real estate agent or housing manager
•    public housing tenants
•    community housing tenants
•    tenants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Councils
•    tenants in government employee housing and
•    tenants in general employee housing

While the Act is applicable to all residential tenants, some parts may vary for different tenants. The Act does not apply to:
•    holiday lettings
•    boarders and lodgers (except for the section about rental bonds)
•    educational institutions (except for employee housing) or
•    retirement villages.

At Ray White New Farm, we are educated in all of the relevant legislation so you don’t have to worry. We know what is important to landlords and ensure profit protection and communication at a fair price.
We are leaders in the area of Professional Property Management and our profile amongst landlords and tenants is second to none. We have a proven record of success and manage an impressive and growing portfolio of over 200,000 properties each year.
Ray White New Farm aim to exceed expectations in all areas of property management which is why we continue to develop resources and services to ensure our systems, processes and people are the best in the industry.

Advice for tenants
We want to find you a home. At Ray White New Farm our dedicated team is focused on finding you a property. Our current properties available for lease are displayed on our website. If you would like to receive weekly updates please send through your details to: reception@rwnf.com.au

Once you have found the home 
It is essential that each person who wishes to reside in the property complete an application form in full. (See our application form available on our website).

When you return the application you must ensure that you have available a holding deposit.  This is required to be paid within 24 hours of your application being approved. Please note that this must be paid in cleared funds (ie. bank cheque or money order). The holding deposit is equivalent to 2 weeks rent. Should the applicant withdraw from the property within the 48 hour option period then the deposit will be refunded in full. After the option period expires, the applicant agrees that the holding deposit will be forfeited.

Securing your Tenancy 
Once the application has been approved, you will need to come into the office and sign your tenancy agreement. Prior to moving in you will be required to pay a full bond of 4 times the weekly rental. No bond transfers are accepted by our office.  Payment of this money must be in cleared funds.

Electricity, Gas and Telephone 
It is your responsibility to have all services at the property placed in your name and to arrange a final meter reading prior to vacating. Contact numbers for these services are:

•    Energex 131 253
•    Telstra 132 200
•    Origin Energy 132 461
•    Optus 133 345

Ray White Concierge can be contacted on 1300 RAY WHITE or log on to www.raywhiteconcierge.com.au

Condition Report 
This is a very important form when you are moving into a rental property. It must be filled out by both the tenant and agent to ensure both parties agree to the condition of the property.
Please return the completed condition report to us within 3 days of moving in. At the time of vacating, you will be required to complete an exit condition report that will be compared with the entry condition report. Our office will provide this to you in due course.

Occupancy
Only the people originally included on your application and approved by the owner are allowed to reside at the property permanently. If a new tenant wishes to replace an existing tenant, please ensure our office is informed in order to approve the new application and complete the RTA paperwork. Please contact your property manager for more information.

Office Hours
Our office is open weekdays 8.30am – 5.30pm, Saturdays 9.00am – 2.00pm. Should you wish to see your property manager, please contact our office to make an appointment time that is suitable for both parties.

Paying rent 
Direct Debit is the preferred method of rental payments. Please refer to our Tenant Direct Debit Request form.

Repairs and requests

In the event of a property based emergency, please contact the appropriate trades person from the below list:

Hot Water and Plumbing Emergencies

Company: BMB PLUMBING & GAS PTY LTD

Contact: Brent

Phone Number: 0418 158 566

Electrical Emergencies

Company: Brislec Data & Electrical

Contact: Craig

Phone Number: 0417 902 796

Locksmith Emergencies

Company: J&E Locksmiths

Contact: Jimmy

Phone Number: 0419 772 163

Keys

If you get locked out, the Ray White Rentals team will lend you keys. Please bring your drivers license with you as identification when you drop into the office to pick up the keys. You will need to bring the keys back to the office on the same day.

If it’s outside office hours when you are locked out, you will need to refer to the above contact details and arrange a locksmith at your own expense.

Ongoing Repairs

Please do not organize any non-emergency repairs unless you are prepared to pay the account. Instead, please make any requests by emailing your property manager.

NOTE: Maintenance requests will not be processed unless they are in writing.

All general repairs and maintenance must be forwarded to our Agency in writing so we can act accordingly. Provide as much information as possible of the repairs needed as well as access authorisation for the repairs to be done. Please refer to our Maintenance Request Form.

Contents Insurance 

We advise ALL TENANTS to insure their own contents as they are not covered under the Lessor’s policies.

Paintwork on walls  
The tenant agrees that no nails, screws, hooks, blue tack, sticky tape or tacks are to be fixed to the wall without the written permission of the Agent. It is our experience that when these are removed, paint and plaster damage occurs and the tenant will be held responsible.

Pets
Unless a pet is specifically approved on your lease, pets will not be allowed at the property without prior approval. Please note that in the majority of unit complexes the Body Corporate do not allow pets.

Gardens
As stated in your Tenancy Agreement, you are responsible for the lawns and gardens unless specified beforehand. This means watering, weeding, trimming and mowing. Seek advice from your property manager before removing any plants or pruning large bushes/trees, and take note of relevant water restrictions. We are happy to recommend a garden maintenance tradesperson if you would like to accept responsibility for costs.

Routine Inspections      
We carry out routine inspections on all our properties approximately every three – four months and will advise you in writing prior to the inspection date. We will also send you a text message the day prior as a reminder. The inspections are always a good opportunity to point out any maintenance problems or other concerns you may have. Repair request forms are available from either your property manager or can be downloaded from our web site. If you are not present, we will access the property with our spare keys.

Breaking of tenancy agreement 
If circumstances occur where you need to break your tenancy agreement the following conditions will apply:
•    The tenant is responsible for and must pay rent until the property is re-let to a suitable tenant through our normal office procedures for re-letting; or until the end of the tenancy agreement, whichever is the sooner.
•    The tenant must pay for reasonable re-letting fees being equal to the first weeks rent + GST. The tenant must also pay advertising money in advance of advertising being placed by our office.
Giving Notice
The tenant agrees that when giving notice it must be in writing on the prescribed form (RTA Form 13 – Notice of Intention to Vacate) and handed or faxed to our office.  Two weeks written notice is required.
Property for sale
If during your tenancy the property goes up for sale, you will be advised accordingly. If you are under a fixed term lease, you remain in the property for the term of the lease.
If you are on a periodic tenancy (month to month), the Lessor must give you four (4) weeks notice to vacate the property once the property has been sold.

After hours:

Our recommended locksmith can be contacted at your expense. J & E Locksmiths - Jimmy 0419 772 163.

Please be advised any maintenance work that is organised by a tenant that is not considered an emergency will be at the tenants expense.