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Five common financial traps landlords need to avoid If you are the proud owner of an investment property, chances are you have worked hard for it. As a landlord, understanding how to protect yourself from common financial pitfalls is one of the key tools to investing with confidence, according to landlord insurance provider Terri Scheer Insurance. Terri Scheer Insurance executive manager, Carolyn Parrella, explains five common mistakes and how landlords can avoid them:
1. Setting the rent too low or too high ‘Before purchasing an investment property, carry out extensive research to help determine an appropriate rental price,’ Ms Parella said. ‘Setting the rent too high may result in limited interest from prospective tenants, leaving you out of pocket if the property remains empty for an extended period of time. ‘However, setting the rent too low may place you under financial pressure, limit your rental income and has the potential to attract unsuitable tenants. ‘Look on real estate websites and through newspaper classifieds to find listings with similar features to your property, as this will give you a guide on the rental market in that area. ‘If you appoint a property manager, they should be able to provide you with information on comparable properties and advise an appropriate rent for your own investment.’
resolve issues sooner and miti- property and eviction. gate any financial loss.’ ‘If a dispute arises with a tenant, they are also familiar with the relevant legislation and can follow the correct procedures to help resolve the problem as quickly as possible.’ Ms Parrella said self-managing a rental property can create headaches for landlords, especially if they do not have enough ‘As a landlord, once you have time or resources to commit to been alerted to maintenance issuch a task. sues, it is your responsibility to ‘While it can be tempting to act on these or authorise your save a small percentage of rental property manager to do so as income by self-managing your soon as possible,’ Ms Parrella said rental property, the benefits of ‘If a maintenance issue arises appointing a property manager and you are slow to fix it, you may can far outweigh the costs,’ she be legally liable if your tenant said. injures themselves. It is also im‘Property managers are able portant to ensure that all mainteto conduct regular property nance is completed properly and inspections to identify main- to appropriate standards.’ tenance issues, have systems in place to find and screen prospective tenants, and have access to databases that list ten‘Specialised landlord insurants with a history of defaulting on rental payments, damaging ance cover can protect investors
3. Attempting to self-manage a property
4. Neglecting maintenance
5. Inadequate insurance
from many of the risks associated with owning a rental property, provide peace of mind and ease a landlord’s concerns about receiving regular rental payments if their tenant damages the property or absconds,’ Ms Parrella said. ‘Standard building and contents insurance policies usually don’t cover landlords for these risks. ‘Landlord insurance can cover property owners for malicious damage by tenants, accidental damage, legal liability for occurrences on the property that cause death or bodily injury, and loss of rental income as a result of property damage or a tenant absconding. ‘Even the most careful tenant can damage a property, whether accidental or otherwise. ‘This can be extremely costly for the landlord in terms of repairs and the loss of rental income.’
2. Failing to monitor arrears
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40 April 29, 2014 The Byron Shire Echo
‘If a tenant falls behind in their rent, it can be a very long and costly process to resolve and could leave you considerably out of pocket,’ Ms Parrella said. ‘Diarise the dates that your tenant’s rental payments are due and check your bank account on those days. ‘If your tenant doesn’t pay on the due date, monitor your bank account on a daily basis. If they fall into arrears a breach notice should be sent for non-payment of rent. ‘The number of days in rental arrears before a termination notice can be sent, and the time between presenting the notice and requesting vacation varies around Australia, so it is important to be familiar with your local tenancy laws. ‘Regularly monitoring arrears and issuing tenants with appropriate notices promptly may help
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