Property Management
Achieve your investment ambitions!
Welcome!
Welcome to QLRE Property Management
You’ve found us! We’re a boutique and independent real estate agency headed up by Dan and Janelle. We like to think of QLRE as an extension of our family, and we can’t wait to welcome you into it! We love what our little slice of paradise is growing into – a forward thinking, modern suburban paradise with strong community spirits! We have a large network of clients from the CBD to the coast, so if you’re buying an investment property in this region and need help or guidance, give us a call.
This document is designed to give you an idea of who we are and what we can do for you!
Vision Statement
Queensland Lifestyle Real Estate will be an innovative, competitive, family-run boutique agency offering a personal and intuitive service. We want all clients to be treated as part of the family as we help them with their real estate journey.
Hi, I’m Janelle, Head of Property Management!
A country Victorian girl at heart, I moved to Queensland 25 years ago and have been involved in real estate since. My biggest love is property management – it’s where I can do what I do best: being an efficient, super-organised people person.
I appreciate the importance of an investment property. It’s a big business decision and it needs to be profitable for you. We’ll work together to maximise returns on your investment and ensure the condition of your property is maintained to a high standard.
I’m really excited to help you achieve your investment ambitions! I hope this document not only helps you with choosing the right property management team, but also provides useful information about the process being a landlord.
My work is a direct reflection of me, so I like to autograph it with excellence.”
–Janelle Platt
Reasons to Choose
QLRE Property Management
It’s all about peace of mind. We want you to feel comfortable that your investment is in the best hands possible, that it’s being maintained to its best possible condition and that you’re receiving the very best possible returns from it. We’re experts at this and we do it everyday, so what might seem daunting or time-consuming or confusing to you is easy and familiar for us. We take the hassle out of it for you, whether this is your first investment or you’re a seasoned pro.
Here’s a snippet of some of the tasks we undertake
Research the area & figure out the optimum rental price you should be charging for your home
Find the tenant that’s the perfect fit for you and your rental
Ensure the tenant looks after the property with regular routine inspections
Paying all invoices related to the property
Collecting and disbursing rent to you
Administration of property management paperwork
Keep you updated on market and rental trends
Provide insurance and depreciation guidance This document will provide a lot more information about the process of renting out a property, and what we do for you.
It’s all about peace of mind.
Maximising your Investment
There are four factors that ensure you’re getting the best possible returns from your investment
Providing the best service possible
From communication to execution, you need property managers who are fast to act, extremely knowledgeable and willing to go the extra mile.
Getting the highest rent possible
We take our market knowledge, apply a lot of research, add in our experience and determine the best price possible people will be willing to pay to live in your home.
Getting the best tenant possible
Intuition, thorough background checks and an understanding of people guide us into finding a tenant who will look after your home as if it was their own and pay their rent on time.
Minimising vacancy rates
By keeping in regular touch with our tenants, we can be proactive in renewing leases or preparing in advance to find a new tenant.
QLRE is committed to making your property a worthwhile investment for you. We know that if the numbers don’t add up, then the investment doesn’t make sense. We put our decades of experience and our in-depth knowledge to work to make sure those numbers add up!
Getting Your Property Ready to List
Before we’re able to list your property, there’s a few admin processes we need to go through so everything runs smoothly. We’re here to help you along the way with these!
Form 6
Legally you need to fill in and sign a Form 6 before we’re able to list your home. This gives us exclusivity in listing it and is a requirement of the Property Occupations Act. It’s an important first step to take.
Title Search
This provides us with proof that the property is legitimately owned by you. We’re happy to help out with this if you need.
Property Access
QLRE needs a set of keys to be able to access the property for inspections and maintenance, plus we need two full sets of keys for your tenants.
Swimming Pool
If you have a pool at the home we need a Form 23 Pool Safety Certificate.
Body Corporate
If your property is in a complex or apartment building we need a copy of the body corporate laws. This is for our information and so we can educate the tenants on them.
Marketing
Once the admin side has been taken care of and we’re legally entitled to list your property, the marketing fun begins! As you’re aware, most marketing is done online these days, so visual appeal is important. We always request that professional photography is done to show your property in its best light and attract the best tenant. We then tailor the best possible campaign using a combination of online portals like realestate.com.au, social media and our own website. The wider the reach the better, and QLRE is committed to getting your property is front of as many potential tenants as possible.
Your rental price has to be comparable to other similar properties in the area. Price it too high and you won’t attract any interest, too low and you’ll get the wrong kind of tenant in. We know this area inside-out, so we can advise you on a pricing strategy that won’t turn people away.
Property Presentation
Placing a priority on presentation is important to appeal to the right tenants. Here’s how:
• Spring clean inside and outside as much as possible
• A fresh paint job can really create miracles
• Mow the lawn, mulch the flower beds and trim the trees
• Take care of minor maintenance issues – cracks in the walls, broken blinds, loose taps and so on.
When you show you care about your property, you’re more likely to attract a tenant that cares too
• Put a bunch of flowers on the kitchen benchtop. When you lock in your tenants buy them some chocolates.
If your tenants feel valued and respected, they’re going to want to stay longer.
Choosing a Tenant
A successful marketing campaign will bring in a flood of applications, and then it’s all about making sure we get the right tenant in. This is a major part of protecting your investment. The first step is a property inspection by the prospective tenants, where myself or a QLRE team member will always be present. We prefer individual viewings as opposed to open homes, so we can get a better feel for the tenants, however we will hold open homes when necessary and interview prospective tenants as a part of the application process. We use our intuition to determine if they are the right fit, and then we start a rigorous process of background checks to ensure we’re choosing the right people.
These include:
• A rental history check through TICA/NTD/Equifax - tenancy default databases we are subscribed to
• Obtaining written confirmation of their rental history through previous landlords/agents.
• Checking the validity of their ID and application details
• Confirm next of kin details & any other references provided (including pet references)
• Confirming their employment details & making sure their salary is adequate to cover the rent.
By ensuring we have the best tenant in place, we’re minimising potential financial risks to your investment.
Entry Condition Report
Before the tenant moves in we draw up the Entry Condition Report which details the condition of your property in very fine detail, including photography. The tenant gets a copy, we keep a copy and you can have a copy too if you’d like. The tenant has three days to double check the report and ensure everything in it is correct. Any discrepancies, and we’ll head out there with the tenant and physically check the problem. This is a serious, meticulous report that really comes into play when the tenancy ends and we compare the property then to when they moved in.
Some of the things it takes into account are:
• General cleanliness of the house
• Cracks or holes in walls
• Colour and condition of carpets
• Colour and condition of curtains/blinds
• Condition of garden
• Appliance serial numbers
• And much, much more!
Rent Payments
The pieces are all falling into place now, and your new tenants are in the property. Time for them to start paying rent, and for you to realise the benefits of having an investment property.
We collect rent in advance, and it’s paid directly into our Trust Account, from there we disburse payments into your account. You can choose weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments, and we provide a detailed statement to go along with the payments. With our state of the art cloud software system you also have 24/7 access to your own online account through our management portals, this means you can see all happenings within your investment on a day by day basis.
What Happens if your Tenants Don’t Pay Rent?
Unfortunately, this happens occasionally. Often it just takes a reminder to get the tenant to make the payment. People forget, it’s cool. But sometimes it can drag on past the first reminder, and we have a five-step system in place to deal with this:
1. If it’s 2–3 day overdue, we send a text or email
2. When it gets to five days overdue, we give them a ring.
3. After eight days, we can formally let them know they’re in breach of contract and need to remedy it within a week.
4. If a week passes, we send them a Notice to Leave (we consult with you beforehand to see if this is the route you want to take). Then then have seven days to vacate the property.
5. If the seven days passes and no rent is paid, we’ll arrange an eviction hearing with QCAT (the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal).
Paying Invoices and Eliminating Landlord Overheads
With lease agreements, the homeowner is responsible for fees relating to general maintenance of the property, body corporate fees, council rates and pest control.
We want owning an investment property to be a stress-free choice for you… to the point where you forget you actually own one! So we can take care of these fees and others for you, including insurance payments, court cases, revamps and so on. Any expenses we just take out of the incoming rent. Everything is documented and shown in your monthly statements, and we also provide an End of Financial Year Statement for your accountant.
You’re also able to pay the invoices yourself if that’s what you’d prefer. If it’s something the tenant needs to reimburse you for, just send it to our office once you paid it and we’ll sort that the reimbursement for you.
Streamlined processes, transparent communication, and 100% tax-deductible fees. That’s QLRE property management!
Maintenance
Maintenance of the property to ensure it’s kept in a liveable state is the responsibility of the landlord. Through our routine inspections as well as our communications with the tenant we keep on top of any work that needs to be done.
We have a network of licensed, insured and professional tradespeople from the local area that we call upon for maintenance tasks. Prompt service and high-quality work is essential to keep you and the tenant happy, so we only allocate work to tradespeople we can trust.
If you’d rather use your own tradespeople, that’s not a problem. We just ask that they supply copies of their licenses and insurance.
Insurance
As well as building and contents insurance, landlord insurance should be one of the first things on your checklist. This one is definitely a no-brainer, for the simple reason that we just can’t predict the future or the curve-balls of life. Landlord insurance will protect against financial loss from:
• Unpaid rent
• Tenant theft
• Malicious damage
• Absconded tenants
• Death of a tenant
• And more.
A member of our team would be happy to advise you on which insurance companies we feel offers the best policy for your investment.
Smoke Alarms
Fire is a massive safety issue, so the legislation around smoke alarms is very detailed.
We pay close attention to this, because if you’re in breach of this legislation it affects your home insurance. Smoke alarms need to be installed in all houses or units in units in Queensland, by law. They are required to be regularly tested and replaced as needed, and with every new tenancy they have to be tested, cleaned and given fresh batteries.
At QLRE we engage a smoke alarm maintenance company for you, who provide the annual and routine inspections. We also ask your tenant to keep us in touch about smoke alarm faults, so they can be dealt with promptly.
Smoke alarm requirements and compliance tends to get updated every now and then, and we’ll keep you up-to-date on anything you need to do as a result.
Water
Tenants can be made responsible for the water consumption at their property, so long as three conditions are met:
• Your property needs to be compliant with water efficiency rules
• Your property needs to have its own individual water meter
• It needs to be stated in the tenancy agreement that they will be responsible for all water charges. If all of those points are met, the tenant will be responsible for all water payments. We do recommend undertaking the necessary tasks to ensure your property is certified water efficient to be able to claim water usage from the tenants. However, if one or more can’t be met, you’re still able to charge the tenant for water use in excess of 40-kilolitres. All of this can be organised and monitored by the QLRE property management team.
Solid Relationships
Effective property management is built on solid, longterm relationships. We place a strong focus on transparent communication channels and valuing input from all parties. If you have concerns or feedback or ideas, we’re here to hear them. We want you to feel like you’re part of our team!
Similarly with the tenant – a happy tenant is one who feels valued, who feels like their opinions and suggestions matter. And a happy tenant is more likely to be a long-term tenant, which is a better financial outcome for you as the property owner.
By regular engaging with you and with the tenant in your home we keep everyone updated and make sure everyone is happy.
Service Guarantee
We’re always extremely excited to welcome you on board to QLRE Property Management. Because you have shown this trust in us, and we’re so confident in our ability to provide you with the best service possible, we have a robust service guarantee in place.
If you’re not completely satisfied with what we do for you, we’ll refund the management fees!**
And don't forget to ask about our Landlord VIP program, exclusive to QLRE!
Landlord Satisfaction Guarantee!
We’re confident we’ll deliver the service we’ve promised.
So confident that if you’re not satisfied with our performance, we’ll manage your property for FREE*!!
If you are dissatisfied with our service at any time during the course of our management for any reason, we encourage your feedback as our goal is always to provide the highest level of service to all of our clients
*Terms and Conditions Apply.
