ABCD......

If it is outside (I won't assume anything ), just ensure that any grass below it does not die off. To leave the grass in the same condition would normally be required.

These large trampolines left in one place can kill the grass below it. Speaking from experience.

Zen10

We're hopefully moving out in the next few months, so in the interim we are going to present a list of things that need fixing while we're still tenants so when we move out the place is tip top. Like you, I fully expect to be ripped off, but like Britain the tenant has very, very few rights here so if you have a dishonourable landlord you're screwed.

irishbloo

Alfresco

Yeah, every three months for us too. PITA, but not for much longer for me.

We got permission to be able to paint walls any colour too as the master bedroom had a sickly green wall before we moved in. It would have been a show stopper if we weren't allowed to.

After numerous inspections (with the agent and landlord) they are very happy with us and offered to extend the lease for another year 3 months before it is due for renewal. That's how awesome we are!

teza

We are lucky as this time (2yrs ago) rented privately through friend of a friend. We are long term tenants that treat house well and pay rent on time and really happy as no need to use agents this time. Only annual inspections, plenty of hooks on the wall, any problems that arouse (oven blowing an element, gas water heater not lighting up etc) have been seen to ASAP. After years of nitwit agents, it's really good!

We actually had to text the owner last month to remind him inspection was due

GarryP

In the three years I've been here, I've had exactly one agent inspection, and one owner. On the agent inspection she breezed in and out in about 10mins. When the owner turned up (with clipboard) she spent most of the time complimenting my interior design skills and didn't bother to note anything down (needless to say, I'm male, I have no interior design skills ). She even complimented my paintings on the wall (they allowed proper hooks, no blutack). Lease is 12 monthly.

All I can say is there needs to be a list somewhere of how much of a nightmare the agent/owners are. Sensible types are worth $50+ on the rent.

Zen10

I find the three monthly inspections very intrusive actually. Not only are they very inconvenient, but after four years of doing nothing but improving the property you would think they might realise there's not a problem. I wish I had the time to challenge them in court because I feel it breaches Sections 65 (a) and (b) of the South Australian Residential Tenancies Act, but (my usual caveat) as tenants have no rights whatsoever in Australia I strongly doubt that challenge would work. Better just to do what they want you to do and get a mortgage. Which is our plan.

Kim67

We took our landlord to court in Queensland. We had rented the same property for five and a half years and he had been our property manager for a couple of months. We could tell he was going to be trouble straight away and bought a house within a week of his initial inspection. We repainted most of the house, cleaned up etc, etc before we moved out. He then tried to take us for thousands in normal wear and tear type issues. What he didn't know when my husband said we would see him in court, is that we had video of the day we moved in and the day we moved out - every tear in the fly wire, every dodgy lock, dirty window sill yada yada yada. The judge ended up awarding the property manager less than $200 towards replacing carpet in one of the bedrooms that had a stain on it. Property manager was not happy - they're used to walking over people and getting away with it.

roaringmouse

In Victoria there has to be at least 6 months between inspections, however at one point we went 18 months between inspections.

roaringmouse

When we moved out in Melbourne, the landlord/agent were asking for money from the bond to touch up and repaint a couple of places on the wall due to baby gates being there. We had touched up those spots, but one needed extra work - but no way would it cost the amount they asked for.

Fortunately time was on our side, as the agent/landlord took their time in getting back to me after the tenancy, and just a few days into negotiations they had passed the maximum time allowed to claim via VCAT, unless an extension is granted. The penultimate email from the agent (we were in Qld by this time) was suggesting they could take us to VCAT if we wanted - my reply email pointed out that the allowable time had passed, and made a final offer well below what they wanted. Oddly enough they accepted it pretty quickly (within minutes).

In addition they had missed a patch of carpet that had been stained by food dye, not sure how they could miss it as it was quite obvious. The initial inspection report mentioned quite a few stains in general, so either that was taken into account or they just went for where they knew baby gates were to try and get some money and didn't notice the obvious. Not sure which one it was.

old.sparkles

That's tickled me this morning

Kim67

You probably baffled them with legalities (most property managers have a reputation for not being brainiacs). Good on you. We had a lady managing one of our rental properties once that we nicknamed "jelly head" after the viz character because she had the same personality traits.

teza

Damn autocorrect!!

Zen10

Interesting - did anyone have to pay court costs? Like you, I documented the entire property inside and out with video and stills. There are some wear and tear issues but we are having them fix them all now while we are tenants. Yes - they are used to trampling over people and stealing their money - but thankfully now in the day of video cameras and a better informed public this is getting harder for them.

Kim67

I don't think there were court costs involved - it was under $5k and just heard in the small claims court. My husband also got a couple of letters from blind manufacturers etc saying what they thought would be normal wear and tear over a five year period on vertical blinds, that sort of thing.