Landlord FAQs

About Property

Q1 Do I need to have Austrump Hosting complete my Pre-Settlement inspection?

As a purchaser, you can complete your own inspection or nominate an inspector，family member or friend to inspect on your behalf as your proxy. It is always recommended to use a professional inspection company or Property Manager to complete your Pre-settlement as we will be able to identify defects that you may miss. Missed defects could cost you time and money in the future if not identified during the inspection. A sample inspection report can be provided by our office upon request.

Q2 Do you recommend furnishing my investment Property?

Yes and No! This really depends on the location of the property, demand for this type of property, and the furniture that is included. Furnished Properties will only appeal to a specific market including Relocations, Students, Contract Relocations, and people seeking Short Term Accommodation. You will also have to take into consideration the type, color, style & quality of furniture you wish to include as this may not be to everyone’s taste and could hinder the leasing process.

If you are interested in leasing your property fully furnished, we recommend that you research the furniture and appliances that you intend to provide and advertise the property with the option of being fully furnished at an additional cost. This way you open your property up to the entire market.

Q3 Am I required to install window furnishings in my property?

Yes. Prior to a tenant commencing, you will need to make for blinds to be installed. Austrump Hosting can arrange competitive quotations for your consideration. We will organize access for the supplier to obtain measurements to enable installation to be completed as soon as the settlement has occurred so that the property can be occupied immediately.

Promotion and Rent

Q4 How will you promote my property for rent?

Austrump Hosting boasts a high volume of Tenant enquiries due to our size, locations, and reputation throughout the community. Austrump Hosting ensures you get the largest possible number of prospective tenants through your property by using available resource including

• Prominent internet listings with photography and floor plans
• Professional Photography for all advertising
• CBD Window display 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Detailed Rental Lists including photography and floor plans
• Property signage (where applicable)
• Advertising on university & Hospital portals via the internet
• Extensive database of prospective Tenants
• Distribution of Rental Lists to business and relocations agents
• Advertising on international forums for Overseas Students
• Advertising on main real estate websites

Q5 How long my property can be successfully leased?

To find the best suitable tenant and successfully lease the property are our primary goals. We provide and present customized property management solutions for each of our landlord. We will organize and launch a marketing campaign and provide timely feedback after each inspection. Comprehensive local advertising platforms, including REA, Domain, Homely, Rent.com.au will be integrated into our marketing campaign software in order to achieve better performance. Austrump Hosting WeChat mini-program will also be implemented to find suitable tenants.

Q6 How do you determine the best rent for my property?

We always strive to get you the maximum rent possible, however, we also must keep in mind setting the correct market rent to get your property rented as soon as possible. To do this, we consider these factors:

Demands - is there currently a high or low demand for rental properties? This can be seasonal and affected by a number of factors

What is available now - we look at properties currently available for rent and consider their location and features for comparison to calculate a maximum rent for your property

What we have rented right now - We compare your property with what we have currently rented, taking into account property location and features. These factors allow us to give you enough information to set the right rent for your property

Q7 What if I want a rent amount that is higher than your recommendation?

You can place your property on the market at whatever rental amount you wish. However, keeping mind that it is the market demand that sets the rent, and if the market (i.e. prospective tenants looking for a rental property) think that the asking rent is too high, your property may stay vacant longer than necessary. With this in mind, be aware your annual rental return will be reduced by approximately 2% for every week it is vacant!

 

Payments

Q8 Can Austrump Hosting manages the payment of my account?

Yes. Austrump Hosting aims to make owning an investment property as simple as possible. If you don’t want the hassle of paying the outgoings for your investment property, Austrump Hosting can arrange this for you. To arrange Austrump Hosting to make payment of your outgoings simply complete an accounts authorization form (can be provided by contacting our office) or alternatively you can change your postal address for your investment property to ‘Shop 3, 399 Elizabeth St, Melbourne, VIC 300’ (CBD office) or ’15/24 Lakeside Drive, Burwood East, VIC, 3151’ (Burwood Office) with all providers including, Council, Owners Corporation, Water provider & Insurance Provider and we will arrange payment from the rental income received. Newly constructed properties may initially require several accounts to be paid at the same time resulting in no payment. If this occurs, we will issue a statement showing a zero balance.

Q9 What payments are landlords responsible for?

Landlords are responsible for the payment of all outgoings with respect to their investment property. These include: Council Rates, Water Rates & Service Charges, Owners Corporation Levies, Landlord Insurance, Smoke Alarm Servicing, Telephone Line Connection & New Meter Connection Fee (Line & new meter charges generally only apply to new properties).

If you do not have separate meters for your electricity, gas, oil or water service, you will be responsible for the costs of that service or supply.

Q10 What payments are tenants responsible for?

If the property is separately metered, the tenants are responsible for paying the following charges:

• All charges for the supply or use of electricity, gas or oil (including supply charges and reconnection fees)
• A charge for an upgrade to the electricity or gas meter
• All charge based on the amount of water consumed (but not service charge or reconnection fees)
• All sewerage disposal charges
• All charges for the use of bottled gas (but not for the supply or hire of gas bottles)

If the landlord pays a bill that the tenants are responsible for, then the tenant is required to pay you back. You cannot charge more than the utility provider has charged.

Q11 Who pays for water usage?

If there is no individual meter for rented premises (as is the case in blocks of older style units), a tenant cannot be charged for water usage. The tenant is responsible for payment of all water usage charges during the tenancy if the property has an individual water meter. It should be noted that in Victoria, all service, sewage, rates & additional charges must be paid in full by the owner of the property. Accounts will be issued separately for payments.

Others

Q12 Why are there so many Austrump Hosting staff contacting me about my property?

Austrump Hosting team has a few team members who are specialized and work on your property to make sure that it’s being lease out at the fastest and most efficient time. This is to reduce the vacancy period of your property.

Q13 As a landlord, what would I need to do and what’s my expectation?

Once the Managing Authority is signed, we will then follow up the most of the steps from Pre-Settlement inspection arrangement, key pick up, and to lease out your property.

If your property changes from self-occupied to investment house, we recommend that you perform a professional deep check-out cleaning of the house, and give the cleaning receipt to the property manager for archival storage.
The status of the house will be recorded in detail in the "Entry Report" before the tenants move in, which will provide an important reference for future check-outs and maximize the protection of the landlord's interests. In addition, if you have preferred tradespersons such as a plumber, electrician, and handyman, please let us know for your best convenience.

Q14 Do I need to pay letting fee upfront?

No, the leasing fee will be deducted from the first month's rent and will provide you with a monthly report for easy viewing details.

Q15 When does tenant normally pay me?

To ensure that each landlord to receive rent on time, we will disburse rent within three business days once it arrives at our rental trust account.

Q16 How does Austrump Hosting deal with repairs and maintenance?

It is important to define the maintenance into urgent and non-urgent repairs. In general speaking, our practice is to obtain details repairs request including relevant photos and videos and then obtain quotes from reliable tradesperson and send to the landlord for approval. In case of urgent repairs, such as gas leakage, burst water service, repairs work orders need to be organized within 48 hours to avoid further loss and define the cause based on service report.

 

Still have questions? Please contact us