Get in touch
Whatever your real estate needs, please contact us – we would love to help!
Owners Checklist to Rent Out a Property
If you are a landlord wanting to lease out your property, follow these simple steps to ensure you are prepared.
Renting out your property
Preparing your home for tenants can be a daunting task. To assist you in this process, we’ve set out an owners checklist to ensure all bases are covered.
Please ensure services remain connected whilst we conduct home openings and ongoing property condition reports.
Redirect Your Mail
If you’re moving out of the property, make sure you redirect your mail to your new address. All you have to do is complete a form for Australia Post.
Inform Your Utilities Providers
Make sure all of your utilities accounts are updated and cancelled, from the tenants move-in date. The only services at the property that should remain in your name, albeit with your new address, are water and council rates.
You will need to contact the council to notify them of your change of address, a good idea is to receive your rates via email. The tenant pays for the water usage BUT you pay initially and we get money back from the tenant.
Leave All Appliance Manuals For Your Tenants
If you have instruction manuals for the appliances in your property, leave them in plain sight on the kitchen counter. If you’ve lost an instruction booklet don’t worry it can often be downloaded from the internet.
Don’t Forget The Keys
Please ensure all locks have keys. We will need two sets of keys – one set for your tenants, and one for our office, and all garage remotes where applicable.
Smoke Alarms And Residual Currency Devices (Rcd’s)
Ensure the property is compliant with the Building Regulations 2012, for further information please refer to www.dfes.wa.gov.au or speak with one of our staff members – it is a requirement that we have a current electrical safety certificate on file for your property.
Minimum Security
Ensure the property meets the minimum security requirements as outlined in the Residential Tenancies Regulations 1989 explained at
www.commerce.wa.gov.au/consumer-protection/rental-property-security-standards
For further information please speak with our staff.
Corded Internal Window Treatments
Blinds and curtain cords must have the option of being secured out of reach of a child. More information is available at www.commerce.wa.gov.au.
Clean Your Property Thoroughly
A little DIY and decorating can freshen up your property and make it more appealing to potential tenants. But even if you don’t have time to spruce up your property, it makes sense to clean.
Your tenants will expect their new home to be clean, just as you’ll expect it to be clean at the end of their tenancy, ready for your next tenants.
Indoor Checklist
Clean dirty marks, mould, dust and cobwebs off walls, doors, ceilings and skirtings.
Dust and clean light fittings, ceiling fans and air conditioning vents, and ensure all globes are working.
Preparing your home for tenants can be a daunting task. To assist you in this process, we’ve set out an owners checklist to ensure all bases are covered.
Brush down and dust fly screens and screen doors.
Wash windows inside and out, including sills and runners.
Clean and degrease the kitchen: ovens, stove tops, racks, trays, vents, fan covers, filters etc.
Wash all cupboards and drawers, inside and out.
Clean bathrooms, toilets and laundry (look out for mould).
Mop or wash all hard floors and, ideally, have all carpets professionally cleaned.
Wash or dry clean all curtains, and dust blinds.
Outdoor Checklist
Lawns are mowed and edged, and garden beds are weeded.
All rubbish and organic waste is removed.
Gutters are clear from debris.
Paths, driveways and garages are swept and clean, with oil and barbeque grease marks removed.
Remove any cobwebs.
Internet
Tenants almost all need internet access – it can sometimes be a “deal breaker” so please let us know what type of internet you have had (ADSL / NBN ) and who provided it.
Get Insurance
There are several types of insurance that you must very seriously consider when renting out your property.
What Insurance Do I Need And Why?
Landlord Insurance
Landlord insurance is in some ways the most important insurance for owners.
Landlord insurance covers an owner of a rental property from financial losses such as rent, it also can cover the owner for malicious damage and accidental damage caused by tenants. There are many landlord policies on the market with varying conditions, we strongly recommend you investigate and compare the policy conditions.
Building Insurance
Building insurance covers the home as well as other structures on your property such as garages, sheds, fences and in-ground pools. If your rental property was damaged by fire or storm, your building policy may cover the cost of the repairs. Not all building insurance is the same so read the terms of the policy fully to know what you are covered for. It is also important you let the insurer know the property is being rented.
Contents Insurance
Contents insurance covers the cost of repairing or replacing your household possessions and furnishings, such as curtains, carpet and furniture (if the property is furnished). Even if your property is unfurnished you will need some contents insurance to cover the curtains and carpets and any other removable items. Your policy does not cover the tenant’s personal belongings, we advise them to take out their own cover. Most building insurance policies have a minimum contents incorporated, again check the policy conditions to be sure.
Public Liability Insurance
Public Liability insurance is usually incorporated in the building policy. It protects against claims of personal injury that a third party suffers. For example if a tenant or someone visiting or working at the property was injured due to a fault of the property you may be liable for any injuries or suffering caused, the liability insurance can protect you in such cases.