Tenant

Looking after your Rental Property

This is a guide only and not a definitive list. Use your best judgment and look at your property through the owner’s eyes, remembering the presentation when you moved into the property. 

Weekly:

  • All surfaces including walls, floors, skirtings, benchtops, and power points to be kept clean and free of marks
  • Check all gardens and lawns for rubbish, and remove all junk mail
  • All sinks, toilets, drains, bathtubs and shower screens to be cleaned – prevent build-up of soap residue or mineral deposits and clean any mould/mildew immediately.

Fortnightly:

  • Mow lawns and trim edges (depending on the season, this may be weekly or monthly)
  • Weed garden beds, trim hedges, remove dead palm fronds, etc

Monthly:

  • Remove cobwebs from inside and outside home – an old stocking over a broom head works well
  • Inside: Check cornices, corners, behind doors and around wood fire flues
  • Outside: Check walls, eaves, light fittings and gutters
  • Clean sliding door tracks and window tracks – vacuuming is easiest. Not doing this may damage your rollers which is a repair you may be responsible for!
  • Brush over or vacuum window screens prone to dust build ups.
  • Clean dust/build-up from ceiling fans or bathroom exhaust fans
  • Clean the oven and stove – don’t forget down the sides, underneath and behind. Free standing ovens often have room to be pulled out from the wall for easy access.
  • Clean greasy extractor fan – run through a dishwasher or soak in hot water with detergent and then rinse well
  • Clean air conditioning filters – vacuuming is easiest for this job
  • Clean bugs out of light fittings and replace any non-working globes
  • Use Draino (or similar) on any slow draining pipes
  • Check for and report any water leaks inside or outside the home

Yearly (Minimum)

  • Professional cleaning of carpets – more often if stains/smells apparent

Treat Immediately

  • Oil and grease stains on driveways
  • Water marks on blinds and curtains
  • Mould marks on walls or ceilings – report this to us immediately! Ensure adequate air flow to prevent mould from developing inside the house. 

Always remember to report any maintenance items as soon as they are noticed.

NOTE: This is not a definitive list, however is to be used as a guide to ensure major cleanups for inspections, or permanent damage do not occur around the home!

ROUTINE INSPECTION GUIDE

Routine Inspections are conducted to ensure the property is being properly maintained, and to ensure we remain up to date with maintenance issues for the property. A Landlord may request to attend a Routine Inspection, so we like to prepare our tenants for such an occasion with this Routine Inspection Guide. NOTE: photographs will be taken for our records during all inspections.

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Outside

  • Mow lawns, trim hedges, remove dead palm fronds & green waste, put away kids’ toys, remove rubbish and cigarette butts, sweep paths.
  • Check for and remove any excessive dust or cobwebs from letterbox, light fittings, external walls, eaves and gutters.

Kitchen

  • All dishes washed and put away, food/items in cupboards and benches wiped
  • Clean oven and stove top inside and out, remove knobs and wipe around, glass, etc. Soak range hood filter and degrease surrounds.
  • Clean the sink and dishwasher filter
  • Wipe cupboard doors, sweep and mop floors

Bathrooms

  • Clean glass, grout and tiles for bath and shower. Clean toilet. Wipe all benches, clean and mop floor.

Bedrooms, Lounge, Dining & Other Living Rooms

  • Pick up everything off floors – vacuum and/or mop
  • Ensure surfaces are clean and tidy. Make beds.

General – All Areas

  • No bugs or cobwebs in light fittings, corners or around ceilings
  • Spot clean marks and/or scuffs from walls
  • Use a dustpan brush to clean flyscreens – clean glass & wipe window sills & tracks
  • Clean dust from ceiling fan blades
  • Change any light globes that don’t work
  • Change batteries for any beeping smoke alarms
Fixing a Door

URGENT REPAIRS

  • A burst water service
  • A blocked or broken toilet (if there is no second toilet)
  • A serious roof leak
  • A gas leak – immediately turn the gas off at the meter
  • A dangerous electrical fault
  • Serious flood, storm or fire damage
  • A failure of the gas, electricity or water supply
  • Any fault or damage that causes the premises to be unsafe or not secure

Please Note: Your maintenance will be attended to as soon as possible; it is often necessary for us to contact the owners to approve the maintenance, so your patience is appreciated. If your request is approved, a tradesperson (or in some cases, the owner) will be in contact to arrange a time to complete the work. Please ensure your best contact number is listed above, as the tradesperson will need to arrange access to complete the requested maintenance.

To ensure your maintenance is completed at quickly as possible, you can give us permission to lend the tradesperson a spare key so they can complete the work without needing to pre-arrange a specific time or date.

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Before Lodging a Repair Request, please have a look at the repair tips below to avoid any unnecessary call outs, which could result in you receiving an invoice.

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No Power

  • Check with your power provider to see if there is a scheduled outagage
  • Check with neighbours to see if it’s a general blackout.
  • Check the safety switch in the main meter/fuse box.  There may have been an overload and may simply need resetting.
  • If it trips again unplug all appliances from the power points.  Reset the Safety Switch and plug in appliances one at a time until the faulty appliance is located. If you have a fuse box check this for a blown fuse.

Remember: if our electrician attends to your repair request and finds the fault is with one of your appliances, the invoice will be forwarded to you for payment.

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Hot Water Not Working or Not Very Hot

  • Check that the gas/electricity is connected and working.
  • Check that the water tap on the hot water system itself is turned on.
  • Check with your electricity supplier to see if you are on Off Peak, as some systems only operate during Off Peak hours.
  • If it’s electric, check the main switch/fuse in the meter/fuse box and try resetting it if it is off.
  • If it’s electric, briefly release the overflow valve on the overflow pipe until a flow of water starts coming out.  This commonly needs to be done every six months or so.
  • If the hot water system is gas, check to see if the pilot light has gone out.  The gas hot water system can be relit by following the instructions printed on the system itself. Also check to ensure the gas tank is not empty and the flow line is open.
  • For a solar system, try switching on the booster switch, especially if it isn’t sunny

Plumbing Blockages

  • Try pouring boiling water or a drain cleaning product down the sink.
  • Do not put food scraps, fat and oil in the kitchen sink as these will clog up the pipes.
  • Nothing other than toilet paper and human waste is to be flushed down a toilet at any time. If a tenant flushes ‘flushable’ wipes, sanitary products, or any other items that block the toilet, they will be responsible for paying the plumbing bill.

Lights, Power Points or Appliances Not Working

  • Check the main meter/fuse box.  If there has been an overload, one or more safety switches may need resetting.
  • Have you replaced relevant light globes?
  • For ovens, some models need the timer turned on before they will work.
  • For gas stoves/ovens, ensure your gas hasn’t run out. Check the hobs are in the correct position and that the connector is clean. If the ignition switch doesn’t work, you can light the cooker with a long match or starter wand.

Air Conditioner Not Working

  • Have the air conditioner filters been cleaned? This needs to be done every 3 months and is a tenant responsibility.
  • Have the batteries been changed in the remote control?

Smoke Alarm Beeping

  • Have the batteries been replaced? Tenants must replace the batteries every 6 months. If the smoke alarm is hard-wired there is a back up battery that needs to be replaced.
  • Dust or bugs can get into a smoke alarm’s sensor area and cause it to beep – try gently blowing the debris to remove it from the sensor
  • If your smoke alarm continues beeping, please report this to the smoke alarm company noted on your lease or our office as a replacement may be required.

No Water?

Contact your supplier or local council

  • Hunter Water  1300 657 657
  • Central Coast Council   1300 463 954

Locks Not Working

If your key won’t turn in the lock, try lubricating the key with hairspray, WD-40 or graphite from a pencil to see if it will open.
 

Fair Wear and Tear vs. Damage

Fair wear and tear means the deterioration that occurs over time with the ordinary use of the premises even though the premises receive reasonable care and maintenance. A tenant is not liable for fair wear and tear, but tenants are liable for negligent, irresponsible or intentional actions that cause damage to the premises.

These examples may help to explain the difference:

Fair wear and tear – not a tenant’s responsibility

  • Faded curtains or frayed cords 
  • Furniture indentations and traffic marks on the carpet
  • Scuffed wooden floors
  • Faded, chipped or cracked paint
  • Worn kitchen bench top
  • Loose hinges or handles on doors or windows and worn sliding tracks
  • Cracks in the walls from movement
  • Water stain on carpet from rain through leaking roof or bad plumbing
  • Paint worn off wall near light switch

Damage  – must be rectified by the tenant at their expense

  • Missing curtains or torn by the tenant’s cat
  • Stains or burn marks on the carpet
  • Badly scratched or gouged wooden floors
  • Unapproved or poor quality paint job
  • Burns or cuts in bench top
  • Broken glass from one of the tenant’s children hitting a ball through the window
  • Holes in walls left by tenant removing picture hooks or shelves they had installed
  • Water stain on carpet caused by overflowing bath or indoor pot plants
  • Damage to paint caused by removing posters stuck with blu-tack or sticky tape

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Can I report maintenance at your office?

Yes in business hours, however your maintenance will be actioned quicker if you log it via the tenant concierge on the home page first.

Routine Inspection Checklist

  • Lawns and gardens are well maintained and free from weeds
  • Paving, driveways and car spaces are swept clean and free from stains
  • Verandas, patios, courtyards, balconies, garage/carport, storerooms, driveway and paving to be swept or washed so they are clean and tidy
  • Outdoor areas free from spiderwebs and excessive dirt and dust
  • Swimming pool to be clean and useable (if applicable)
  • All flooring to be cleaned and free of stains
  • All windows and glass doors to be cleaned, including tracks
  • Kitchen bench tops, cupboards and wall tiles/splash backs are clean
  • Stove top, oven shelves, grill, drip trays, hot plate, control panel and oven surrounds are clean
  • Ceiling fan blades and air conditioning units/outlets are clean and free of dust
  • Walls, skirting boards, doors, doorframes, light switches, control panels and power points to be clean and free of hand marks, stains and scuffs
  • De-clutter the property to ensure easy access to all areas
  • Clean bathroom vanity, bath, shower and toilet of any soap scum
  • Laundry sink, bench top, exhaust fan and tiles clean
  • I have completed any Maintenance via the Tenant Concierge prior to my routine inspection (if applicable)