Rentals | Arrive

Technology that helps renters turn a house into a home

As a renter, it can often feel as though you’re asking your landlord if you’re allowed to sneeze in your own home.

Rest assured, when you want to make modifications to your rental, you just need to ask!

However, if you still want to decorate and make your home comfortable without ruffling feathers, there’s some top technology on the market which will help you achieve your goals.

Hanging art

This is often a big one among renters. The landlord is most likely to give the go-ahead, you just need to ask.

However, if you’re concerned, there are ways around making holes in the wall. Using sticky hooks is one way and there has been a lot of advancement in the production of these throughout the years.

Command goes up to a 7.6kg holding weight, so those larger pieces of art can have a place in your household.

Just make sure that you clean the surface of the wall properly before sticking the strip onto it and that it won’t rip away any paint – plaster walls, for instance, aren’t good options.

Command hanging strips range up to $18.

Painting the walls

One of the best ways to brighten up a room is to give the walls a fresh lick of paint.

Renters can feel as though this is a big ask of their landlords, but there are ways to make your landlord feel more at ease about you bringing out the paint and brush.

The rule of thumb for renters is to leave the house as you found it, so if you do paint the walls (with your landlord’s permission), you can always paint them back to the original colour and Tint Paint can help.

The high-tech paint company has developed a colour reader called a Pico, which reads what colour you direct it on to. The company will send out that exact colour from their warehouse.

This means renters can read the colour of the wall prior to painting, so when they leave the rental, they can repaint the walls in the original colour.

Pico retails for $79, which is redeemable in products.

Air conditioning

A lack of air conditioning might not seem like a big deal during winter, but come summer, all you want is some cool air flowing through your stuffy house.

If your landlord isn’t prepared to install air-conditioning within the house, there are some high-tech portable options to choose from.

DeLonghi, which is usually known as a company that makes coffee machines, has a popular portable air conditioner on the market that will keep the whole room feeling cool.

The Pinguino Silent automatically adjusts temperature and humidity, and is very quiet. It also has an A+ energy-efficiency rating so you can feel okay about your bills each month.

The Pinguino Silent retails for $649.

Planting a veggie patch

A garden at a rental usually has to be maintained by the tenant – however, ripping it up and replanting your own veggie patch is likely to give your landlord the grumbles.

High-tech solutions, like the Vegepod, mean you can still have a veggie patch that won’t disturb the pre-existing garden.

The pods are all self-watering, have a protective cover, and produce their own microclimate.

Vegepods start at $169.

Source: https://www.realestate.com.au/news/technology-that-helps-renters-make-a-house-a-home/

May 14, 2020/by osweb

Blog, Legislaton, Rentals

Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation (COVID-19 Emergency Response) Regulation 2020 – Information for Queensland’s Residential Rental Sector

Passed on 24 April 2020, the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommo-dation (COVID-19 Emergency Response) Regulation 2020 contains provisional amendments to support tenants and landlords during the COVID-19 emergency.

The regulation, which will be in effect during the COVID-19 emergency period and will end on 31 December 2020, applies to residential tenancy agreements signed before or after 29 March 2020, and landlords, tenants and their agents involved in those agreements.

[View PDF of the COVID-19 Response Regulation]

Here are some of the Act’s implications on people with a residential tenancy agreement in place:

Moratorium on evictions

A landlord (and its agents) are not allowed to evict a tenant for failure to pay rent if: the tenant is experiencing extreme hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

If they do, the landlord will incur an offence bearing a maximum penalty of 50 penalty points, or equivalent to $6,672.50 at present.

But a landlord is permitted to evict a tenant because of:

Any other reason that would be allowed under the RTRA Act, for example, failure to remedy a violation within the allowed remedy period;
Failure to pay rent for reasons other than severe difficulties brought about by the COVID-19 crisis.
The landlord giving the tenant notice to leave or applying to QCAT for an or-der ending the Tenancy Agreement before 29 March 2020.

The curb on evictions starts from 29 March 2020 and ends on the earlier of a) 39 September 2020; b) the last day of the COVID-19 emergency period, which started on 29 January 2020 and will end when the relevant Minister deems the public health emergency over under section 324 of the Public Health Act 2005 (Qld).

Extending of fixed-term tenancy agreements

If a fixed-term tenancy agreement will terminate on or before 29 September 2020 and the tenant is having a very hard time due to the COVID-19 emergen-cy, the landlord is required to offer the tenant an extension of the term until 30 September 2020 and the offer must be offered prior to the termination of the term of the tenancy agreement.

The tenant is not required to pay any costs that the landlord may incur because of the extension.

If the landlord fails to offer an extension, the landlord will incur an offence equal to the maximum penalty of 50 penalty points.

However, if the tenancy agreement ended before 29 March 2020, the landlord is not required to offer the tenant a term extension, unless the landlord’s notice to leave, or the tenant’s notice of intention to leave is not valid, or the QCAT application is disapproved.

Unpaid rent

If the tenant is provided a show case notice for unpaid rent, the tenant is re-quired to do either of the following within 14 days after receiving the notice: a) pay the unpaid rent; or b) inform the landlord the rent is unpaid because the tenant is experiencing excessive hardship due to the COVID-19 emergency.

Tenancy variation agreements

A tenant and landlord are permitted to enter into an agreement for a rent re-duction for a specific period or a payment plant for unpaid rent, each of which is considered a tenancy variation agreement.

This agreement must be in the approved form and be signed by both the land-lord and the tenant.

Failure to leave due to unpaid rent

If a landlord provides the tenant a notice to leave due to an unremedied breach; and files an application with the QCAT for a termination order due to the ten-ant’s failure to evacuate –

QCAT is bound by the regulation not to approved the landlord’s application if: the unremedied breach concerns the unpaid rent; and the rent is not paid be-cause the tenant is experiencing extreme hardship due to the COVID-19 emergency.

Virtual inspections

A landlord or its agents are only allowed to inspect the premises or to show them to prospective buyers or tenant through:

Virtual inspection: an electronic way of conducting visual inspection
Video conferencing
Providing access to photos or videos sufficient to allow a judgment to be made on the state of the premises.

For more important provisions relating to residential premises under the newly passed Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation (COVID-19 Emergency Response) Regulation 2020, visit: https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/asmade/sl-2020-0057

April 30, 2020/by osweb

Blog, Legislaton, News, Rentals

Coronavirus QLD: Treasurer Jackie Trad reveals emergency rental assistance payment of up to $500 a week

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk said Parliament would be recalled to push through legislation protecting renters.

New laws are needed to instate a national moratorium on rental terminations to protect tenants who have lost their jobs.

Ms Palaszczuk said she did not know the date as it would depend on when legislation was ready.

However, she said the Parliament would only be recalled to deal with urgent COVID-19-related legislation.

It comes after Treasurer Jackie Trad said she understood people were “incredibly fearful” that they may not be able to pay their rent and pledged that the government will backdate the eviction moratorium in Queensland to March 29.

In a live Q&A streamed on Facebook, Ms Trad said the state government had set up a grant program that offers an emergency rental assistance payment of up to $500 a week, for up to four weeks, for Queenslanders who cannot make rent.

“That is pretty obvious out there in the community that people are incredibly fearful about having an income and being able to make rent, being able to put food on the table, being able to make other sorts of cost-of-living obligations like utility bills,” Ms Trad said.

“We have in fact set up a grants system for those people in the private rental market, so where you’ve lost your job, you’re not going to get any income support from Centrelink until at least the 27th of April.

“The Queensland government has an assistance program where we will provide you $500 a week to help you with your rent payment and it’s a really simple process.”

The payments can be accessed by calling phone 1800 497 161.

Ms Trad also acknowledged the state government would be writing the eviction moratorium into law “for tenants who can’t make rent because they’ve lost their job due to coronavirus or the impacts, either directly or indirectly, of coronavirus”.

“There will be an absolute moratorium, prohibition, written into law around evicting renters because they can’t pay their rent and that will be backdated to the day the Prime Minister announced that out of the national cabinet,” she said.

However, she said the eviction moratorium is for people who have been “genuinely impacted” by a coronavirus.

“For tenants that do the things that would ordinarily see them evicted – if they significantly damage the property or the owners themselves move in because of financial distress – then that will still occur, this isn’t a blanket prohibition,” Ms Trad said.

“But where you have lost your job, your hours have been cut, and where you genuinely cannot make your rent, you will not be evicted and we will guarantee that by law and we will also help you make up the shortfall in terms of your rent payments until you start getting some income support, or hopefully get another job.”

Ms Trad said the government is considering renting out hotels to house the homeless.

“We are looking at every option, including hotels for those who find themselves homeless,” she said.

“We are looking at absolutely everything, including head leases in hotels or motels to make sure that we can properly look after those who are most vulnerable in our community.”

Source: https://www.couriermail.com.au/coronavirus/coronavirus-qld-treasurer-jackie-trad-reveals-emergency-rental-assistance-payment-of-up-to-500-a-week/news-story/a5ce014d9b26e401fe489d547e1c74a4

April 6, 2020/by osweb

Blog, News, Rentals

New Interest-Free Feature Takes The Pain Out of Rentals Bonds for Renters

RentBond allows renters to pay their rental bond, two weeks’ rent in advance and other moving costs upfront and repay in two flexible ways.

If the applicant just needs a short-term loan while waiting on their bond to be refunded from their previous property, RentBond lets them borrow the funds for up to 21 days at no cost. Once they receive their bond refund and pay the RentBond loan back in full within the first 21 days, they won’t pay interest or any other costs.

RentBond benefits for property managers

The 21-day interest-free period means renters can fund their new bond at no cost, while they’re waiting on their previous bond to be returned
If the applicant repays the full amount within 21 days (e.g. when they’ve got their previous bond back), they won’t be charged any interest or fees
All successful applicants will have passed affordability and credit checks
No extra paperwork or processes required from the property manager
Option to pay the bond directly to the agent’s trust account, to the relevant bond authority or the renter.

RentBond applicants undergo a credit check as part of the process, and other eligibility criteria apply.

Through its joint venture with Fair Go Finance, rent.com.au aims to empower renters with greater financial flexibility and convenience when funding their next rental bond.

Fair Go is providing financial technology to facilitate the expansion of RentBond’s features, taking the product to the next level in terms of convenience and attractiveness.

Making bond payments easier for agents

The already market-leading bond payment solution is just one of rent.com.au’s products and services that make the renting process easier for agents, tenants and landlords. RentBond helps renters cover their bond and moving costs (up to $10,000) while they’re waiting for their bond refund from their previous rental.

The new interest-free feature has the potential to change how people manage their money during their move, Mr Bader said. “It fits with our goal of simplifying the moving process. RentBond is perfect for the savvy renter who carefully controls how and when they pay. It can help with the “cash squeeze” if you’re still waiting on the old bond to be returned but need to secure that new dream property.”

“From real estate agents’ perspectives, it guarantees bond payment on time, with payment made directly to an office trust account, the bond authority (where applicable), or transferred from the applicant themselves,” Mr Bader said. “This means the agent has the security of knowing that the bond is covered”

Source: https://www.rent.com.au/agents/blog/rentbond/

December 9, 2019/by osweb

News, Rentals

Rental Market Snapshot: November 2019

Median rents

In November, Sydney’s house rents inched lower by 0.8% to $595/week – the first month-on-month decline for this property type in over a year. Despite the fall, Rent.com.au’s latest data shows the New South Wales capital continues to lead the list for unaffordability for both houses and apartments, contended only by Canberra and Hobart, in most cases.

Across the country, national median rents were unchanged for both property types, but some marketing tightening is evident as we move towards the rental market’s busier season, with asking median rents (apartments) up in Darwin (6.3% to $340/week), Hobart (4.6% to $400/week), Adelaide (3.2% to $320/week) and Canberra (2.2% to $460/week). House rents were also up in Hobart (2.2% to $460/week), Canberra (1.8% to $560/week) and Brisbane (1.1% to $440/week).

Despite the upward movement in these capitals, some relief could be felt for tenants in Sydney searching for houses, with a fall finally recorded in the median rent for houses – down 0.8% to $595/week. The median rent has remained unchanged in the New South Wales capital for more than a year.

The most affordable apartments in November could be found in Adelaide, with asking rents now at $320/week (up 3.2% month-on-month), while Perth house prices were still lowest at $370/week, down 1.3% month-on-month.

Price per room in November 2019

The cost of renting a room in Australia increased year-on-year in November, with a rise in both apartment and house rents nationally. The national median for apartments in Australia’s metro areas was $275/week in November, up 3.8% from November ‘18, while house room prices rose 4.5% nationally to $153/week.

Across the state and territory capitals, the biggest jump was in Melbourne apartment room prices, a 10% increase year-on-year, with rooms now priced at $275/week.

Five of the country’s capitals recorded an increase in room prices across both property types year-on-year – Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart.

Regional rents

Median rents across Australia’s regional areas remained relatively stable in November – just as it did in October – with no change in the median rent of $380 nationally. South Australia recorded the cheapest regional rent prices by far, with a median rent stable at just $280/week. Regional rents were most expensive in the Northern Territory at $460/week, up 4.5% from October.

Time on market

Rent.com.au’s average time on market measure provides context to the movement in asking rents across the country. The most noticeable shift month-on-month was in Canberra apartments, which came off market 30% faster in November, taking 15 days on average to move. Melbourne houses, conversely, came off market 3% slower in November, an average of 23 days to lease on Rent.com.au. Of the five largest state capitals, the most significant change was in Adelaide, where apartments took 20% less time to lease – averaging 16 days on market.

Looking at house rents, the only capital to record a slowdown month-on-month was Darwin. Properties in the NT capital took 4% longer to shift than in October 2019.

To view original article and see rental market update table comparison, visit Rent.com.au.

December 9, 2019/by osweb

Blog, Property Management, Rentals

The Benefits Of A Vacation Rental Property Manager

A top-level short-term rental enterprise requires a certain level of commitment. As a host, you have to ask yourself if you’re up to the task and what resources are available to you. An option you can consider is hiring a property manager to oversee your vacation rental.

Property managers can save you plenty of time, stress and energy. Perhaps you prefer to have full control over your Airbnb, but you may soon find out that quality property managers can effectively take care of your vacation rental and even improve it.

What exactly does a property manager do? Here are some of the tasks a good property manager can conduct on your behalf:

Create an Airbnb profile and listings
Respond to guest inquiries and handle communication issues
Coordinate maintenance and cleaning
Replenish consumables (toilet paper, soaps, garbage bags, etc.)
Monitor your calendar and rates
Create a check-in experience and a digital guidebook for the guest
Key management
Monitor guest reviews

However, you may be thinking you’ve already created a neat system for those tasks. So here’s a closer look at the benefits of hiring a property manager for your Airbnb.

Professional knowledge, experience and resources

Professional property managers have a better grasp of the market. They understand rates and trends and understand the more technical procedures of managing short-term accommodations. They have access to high-tech management tools and are connected to the top tradespeople in the area. They’ve seen all types of guests and have instincts on how to give each one good experience.

Optimise your income

A successful property manager knows best how to maximise your income ratio. Their understanding of pricing trends and market conditions allows property managers to deliver more bookings.

Proactive communication

This is the key to managing an excellent vacation rental enterprise. Whether it’s communicating with maintenance or guests, your property management can handle communication on your behalf. They’ll also be able to keep you updated on your Airbnb, whether it’s “good” news or “bad” news.

Paperwork and legislation

An effective property manager will conduct and provide inspection reports. They’re also aware of the key legislative matters and updates, ensuring your vacation rental is meeting the right and best standards. And, should any issues arise, they’d be able to advise you, represent you at the tribunal and mediate for you.

Now if all those benefits sound great to you, the next question you might have is, “How much does a property manager cost?”

An Airbnb or vacation rental property manager typically charges on average 15% of your nightly rate to manage a Airbnb that is listed fulltime. Charges may still vary and your property manager could charge as low as 10% or as high as 20%, depending on the services offered as well as the size, location and age of the property. Charges will also depend on the range of services you are personally looking for.

If you’re ready to hire a property manager, you’ll want to find one who has your best interests in mind and understands your goals. Here are several key questions to ask when interviewing property managers.

How many vacation rentals are you managing?
How do you market vacation rentals?
What documented systems are in place for property management?
What is your process for dealing with repairs and maintenance?
How frequently will you inspect my property?
Can I have online access to my information?
What references do you have from satisfied clients?
Do you provide an experience guarantee/promise?
Do you have documented experience standards?
What back-up staff are there in the event my property manager is sick or on holidays?
How frequently will you communicate with me, and what form will it take?
Will you only call me when there is a problem?

Are you ready for stress-free vacation rental property management? List your Airbnb with Air-rive now https://air-rive.com.au/contact/

October 24, 2019/by osweb

Blog, Rentals

Can You Pick The Next Hot Rental ‘Burb?

October 21, 2019/by osweb

Blog, Rentals

Find Your Next Cheap Rental Within 10kms Of The City

There are suburbs in each major city that may not be recognised as ‘cool’, but their affordability and close proximity to the city make them desirable.

For renters who want to buy a home one day, helping pay off someone else’s mortgage isn’t ideal.

Instead, cheap rent will help you save up for your own property one day.

There’s no need to compromise on location, the latest realestate.com.au data reveals cheap rental ‘burbs approximately 10kms from the CBD. Most renters are looking for more affordable property close to the city, according to realestate.com.au executive manager – rent Kul Singh.

“The number one drawcard for renting is location location location with 52% of renters saying it is the most important consideration when choosing a rental followed by 33% on price and 8% on style. These results are from a survey of 3500 renters aged between 18-39. Being close to the city comes with a lot of advantages like being close to amenities, lifestyle and schooling options,” says Singh.

Here are the suburbs with the cheapest median weekly rent price located approximately 10kms from each major Australian city.

The data is taken from the 12 months to 31 August 2019. For suburbs to meet the data requirements, each had to have 10 listings on realestate.com.au for rental houses in that timeframe.

Mawson, ACT

70 Hurley Street is currently seeking new tenants for $480 per week, which is under the suburb median. Picture: realestate.com.au

Mawson is 10kms south of Canberra and the median weekly rent is $510.

The majority of the suburb is made up of independent youths and there are currently 11 properties for rent in the neighbourhood.

Woodville Gardens, SA

4 Seventh Avenue is a two-bedroom rental priced at $290 per week. Picture: realestate.com.au

Being a small city, it’s not hard to live close to Adelaide’s CBD.

However, Woodville Gardens has the cheapest weekly rent out of suburbs close to 10kms of Adelaide.

Here, the weekly rent is $320 and the majority of the population consists of independent youths.

Millner, NT

15/54 Sabine Road, Millner is a two-bedroom apartment priced at $340 per week. Picture: realestate.com.au

Millner is located near Darwin airport and a short walk to the water’s edge.

It’s 10.1kms from Darwin’s CBD and has a medium weekly rent of $450.

Ashfield, WA

Currently on the market is this four-bedroom home priced at $400 per week. Picture: realestate.com.au

Ashfield is 9.1kms from Perth and has a median rent of $315 per week.

There are currently seven properties in this suburb to rent.

Ashfield, NSW

4/111 Alt Street, Ashfield is a bright and spacious apartment for $450 per week. Picture: realestate.com.au

Another suburb of Ashfield, but this time located in New South Wales and not Western Australia, is a where you’ll find cheap rent within 10.1kms of Sydney’s CBD.

The median weekly rent here is $650 and there is a whopping 201 properties currently for rent in this area.

Maidstone, VIC

51 Churchill Avenue, Maidstone is a three-bedroom home for $480 per week. Picture: realestate.com.au

Maidstone is 10.1kms to the west of Melbourne and offers renters a cheaper option to live close to the bustling CBD.

You will be living among independent youths who make up the majority of the demographic in the neighbourhood.

Median rent here is $450 per week.

Risdon Vale, TAS

27 Athena Drive in Risdon Vale is a dream cheap rental priced at $420 per week. Picture: realestate.com.au

It’s no secret that renters flock to Hobart, but this can also mean rental prices are pushed up.

Risdon Vale is 10.6kms from Hobart and has a median rental price of $360 per week.

Chermside, QLD

3/485 Rode Road is an apartment in Chermside priced at $300 per week. Picture: realestate.com.au/rent

Chermside is within close proximity to Brisbane Airport and 10.3kms from Brisbane’s CBD.

The median rent here is $393 per week and there are currently 98 properties on the market looking for tenants.

When it comes to getting ahead of the game with renting close to the CBD, Singh provides the following advice.

“Know that you will be competing against plenty of other eager renters – 30% of renters we surveyed are rejected from more than three places they applied for with one of the biggest frustrations with securing a rental being competition.

“So be tenacious and do what you can to stand out from other potential applicants – utilise tools like 1form to complete your online renter profile once, and leverage this to apply for multiple properties you have inspected and are interested in and consider investing in services like tenant verification where you can automate tenant checks for the property manager which may help you stand out from the crowd,” he says.

September 25, 2019/by osweb