KenA

I have been living in this house for 5 years.
signed a contract 1st year only

the agent sent me an email demanding me taking photoes for backyard and house for inspection to be sent in 48 hours!

and this was in the email she sentPlease note:
*If we are unable to receive the photos from you within 48 hours of you receiving this email, a Notice of Entry may be served to complete our duties for the inspection.
* If there is anything of concern, or I need to see something closer, I may request a video/facetime or zoom call for closer inspection.

firstly, I did not like the way she asking.

2nd, the backyard hasn't been mowed for 2 months and it is not tidy

and to get someone to mow it will take time ( at least 4 days )

By law, how long notice periiod should they give?!

christmasoompa

Not sure why you don’t like how she’s asking, that’s perfectly polite?

but it appears she’s giving you more notice than she has to - https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/hous...ndlord-inspect

Could you not mow the lawn?

KenA

in the link you sent it says Landlords must give tenants 24 hours’ written notice of entry.

• Exception: In a long-term lease using Form 2, landlords must give tenants 14 days' written notice. For more information, view About long-term leases.

So my case is the 14 days or the 24 hours?!

I cannot mow the lawn coz I am in Canada at the moment and my wife and kids only there, I have to find someone to mow the lawn.

Dreamy

Clicking on the "about long-term leases" link in your post, it looks like unless you've signed a formal long-term lease, then you're not on one. So it'd be the 24 hours.
I'm not in Victoria, and have never rented there, so I'm happy to be corrected.
Perhaps contacting your agent to explain that you'd prefer some time to have the garden looking its best would be the way forward? Although I dread to think how bad the lawn must be if it hasn't been mowed for 2 months over the summer.

KenA

Thanks for the info

christmasoompa

OK, so why can't your wife mow the lawn? It's not a male only thing you know, we are perfectly capable of it!

But if for some reason that's not possible then as above, all you can do it explain that you haven't mown the lawn for 2 months and they'll either give you an extension, or have to just accept that the grass will be long.

rammygirl

I agree. Is there a reason your wife hasn’t been able to mow the lawn or get someone to do it? I am a 58 year old woman and do all the gardening here, including the heavy stuff, hubby helps of course. No gender boundaries just skill sets!

Pollyana

Queensland is taking the same approach.

As any renter in Australia knows, there are regular inspections by agents. All they are doing now is reducing any risk by getting tenants to submit photos instead of actually visiting the property themselves.
Therefore you would have been aware an inspection was coming due.

Also you will have been aware of the normal requirements for an inspection.
If mowing the lawn is a normal requirement then they are within their rights to request you do so.

If it is not a normal requirement point it out to them as it may be an error or a generic inspection email. Mine last week asked for a mowed lawn photo, pic of swimming pool and photo of garage. None of which I have on the property. It is just a generic email. When I finished laughing I simply advised them!

Supply what you would normally do at an inspection -maybe pics of all the rooms are asked for? And point out any discrepancy. If it is not your responsibility to mow the lawn, just politely remind them of this.

Beoz

I bet the landlord wouldn't be pleased that their fee is going toward a generic email with no relevance.

Pollyana

Well it does also ask for the photos of inside, that the agent would usually take. Quite happy with doing that stuff myself, in fact I would prefer it to having some random stranger wandering round the flat!

abner

So first things first, you are a long term tenant (5 years), so they need to give you 14 days notice of any in-person inspection by the rental agent.

Which, in this COVID-19 era, is more difficult and potentially expensive to arrange for the agent, e.g. they have to ask questions about the health conditions of the tenants before entry, wear PPE, etc.

So before you start hyperventilating about the 48-hour notice period for producing photographic evidence of the state of the rental property, note that it's actually quite likely that that request was intended as a shortcut--compared to the normal inspection--for both you (a 5-year-tenured tenant still paying rent in the midst of a major economic downturn), and the agent (who doesn't actually want to go through a physical inspection if it can be avoided).

Send a short, polite note to the agent indicating that 48 hours notice is too brief (which is fine because is won't be reflected anywhere in your lease). Hire a gardener for a day, get the lawn mowed, and send the agent the "after" photos.

Done and dusted.