We believe that there are some core functions to property management that are essential to providing a quality service. At Rented we strive to deliver on all of these to ensure that you get the best experience possible.
Communication
We know as Property Management specialists that good communication with both the Owners and Tenants of our properties is a fundamental. At the start of any new management your Rented Property Manager will discuss your needs and agree with you the best way to respond and resolve matters related to your property. A large part of a Property Managers does involve time away from the office, however we will always endeavour to respond to any issues raised in a prompt and timely fashion.
Letting your property
This is usually the first chance for your Property Manger to prove their worth. We will ensure your property gets the attention it deserves with a clear concise narrative highlighting the key features of your property. Quality photographs will back these up and grab the attention of prospective tenants. Professional editing of photos is also available at an additional charge.
Our listings all go onto Trade Me and our own Rented Property Management website. In specific regions where print media is still strong listings will also be included in the local newspapers. These are all included in your single management fee.
The next step in the process is organising viewings for prospective tenants. We schedule viewings as required until your home is rented. We use For Rent signs where appropriate to attract more attention from passers-by.
Tenant Application Process
Our Tenancy Agreements are drafted and maintained by Tenancy lawyers who ensure they always meet current regulations. This ensures we work with a core document that is clear for all parties, reducing the chance of having to deal with future litigation.
Applications are processed through an online portal. This ensures that all the Tenant information that may be required throughout a tenancy is captured up front. At Rented we not only complete Credit Checks on applicants but an additional Background check. This checks the applicant’s details against a database that includes 10 years of Tenancy Tribunal Orders, NZ Court judgements, Sensible sentencing trust judgements, Media reports, Police information as well as many others.
Tenants will also be subject to reference checks from previous landlords, verification of employment and validation of photo ID.
Once a suitable applicant has been found your Property Manager will send a summary of the application through to you and answer any questions you may have. Once you have approved the applicant we will proceed with drafting the Tenancy Agreement.
At this point the tenant will have their obligations and responsibilities explained and the agreement will be executed with both parties signing the document.
All ingoing costs will be sort from the tenant and the bond will be lodged within 21 days of the start of the tenancy with Tenancy Services. We will send a copy of the Tenancy Agreement to you if requested. You can rest assured that your Property Manager will keep you informed throughout the application process.
Collecting the Rent
At Rented all payments into our Group Trust account are receipted daily by our full time Administrator. This ensures that all Property Managers have access to the latest ledger for their properties and any arrears can be picked up immediately.
Arrears Management
Zero tolerance on rent arrears, most agencies throw this statement about but can they back this up or even know what this means in practice? At Rented your local Property Manager will be able to tell you what % of their current rental book pays on time. This is a key statistic when you consider that every week your property is left empty it costs you 2% of your annual return.
We follow up on missed rent payments in accordance with our Management agreement and the Residential Tenancies Act. Should an arrears breach occur tenants will be notified and followed up on with a 14-day notice being issued should they get 8 days or more behind. We will contact you with a recommendation on how best to progress and look at options for terminating the tenancy should this be an option. Should mediation or Tenancy Tribunal proceedings be necessary we will manage these and keep you updated throughout the process.
Payments
Rented makes disbursements to owners twice a month. A full schedule of disbursement dates for the 2017 can be seen here. An annual statement of payments will be issued at Financial year end in April.
Tradesman are also paid twice monthly as a lot of the people we deal with are small companies. We will provide invoices for work undertaken.
Inspections
Prior to a tenancy beginning a full Property Condition report would take place. This will show the starting condition of the property and be documented along with photos. Both your property manager and the incoming tenant will sign this report.
We will conduct routine inspections regularly and provide you with a written report of the general state of the interior and exterior of the property as well as highlighting any obvious maintenance issues for your attention. Your property manager will work through these with you to ensure anything urgent is dealt with and a maintenance plan is put in place for larger or non-urgent items.
A comprehensive checkout inspection will be completed at the end of each tenancy.
Property Maintenance & Repairs
We will organise maintenance on your behalf at no extra charge. At each routine inspection, your Property Manager will highlight non-urgent maintenance items which can be dealt with as you see fit. Anything urgent will be dealt with when raised. We ideally try to contact an owner but if this is not possible and the issue is impacting on the tenants immediate living standards such as no hot water or smashed window making the property unsecure go ahead with these types of requests.
Tenancy Renewals
Your Property Manager will review all expiring Tenancy Agreements well in advance and update you on current market conditions. We will not renew a tenancy without your permission to do so.
As soon as a tenant gives notice we will communicate this to you. Our aim is always to minimise the amount of time between tenancies by ensuring we act promptly on this notification and readvertising a property as quickly as possible.
Regulation
With more and more regulation coming into the industry you can rest assured that Rented is on top of it all. We are premium members of the Leading Property Managers of New Zealand (LPMNZ) association and through this get access to wealth of resources. With the industry, unregulated in NZ our company adheres to the LPMNZ code of conduct. Our company attends an annual two day LPMNZ conference to keep ourselves up to date with the latest issues, trends and regulations affecting the industry.
