In The Know - Property Management
10 July 2019
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2019 RPM Conference - Thriving in Changing Times - Mid-Winter Sale 15% off all individual tickets!
Friday 2 August, Hilton Hotel Auckland
Purchase your individual ticket between Monday 8 July and Sunday 21 July and receive 15% off the regular price!
Members pay $285+gst, down from $335+gst | Non-Members pay $340+gst, down from $400+gst
This not-to-be missed Property Management Conference is hosted by Simon McKinney and filled with a great line-up of speakers such as Lisa O’Neill, Dr Annette Beautrais, Steve Watson, Lisa Gerrard and Sheree Nicholas.
Breakout sessions will be available for Property Managers and Business Owners.
Registration includes Cocktail Networking Drinks where the winner of the ‘2019 Recognition of Contribution to the Property Management Industry’ will be announced.
New Clause! Authority to photograph premises
We remind members of their obligations under the Privacy Act and ensure that they obtain authority from tenants before photographing the interior of premises. We encourage members to include the below clause in their standard residential tenancy agreements and to bring the clause to the attention of tenants, to assist with Privacy Act compliance.
1.0 Authority to photography
1.1 The tenant acknowledges that the landlord/ property manager may be required to take photographs of the interior of the premises for the purposes contemplated in clause 1.2 (below). The landlord/ property manager is committed to compliance with privacy laws and will make every reasonable effort to ensure that any photographs taken do not include information that may be used to identify an individual.
1.2 The tenant consents to the landlord/ property manager taking photographs of the interior of the premises for the purposes of:
- marketing and promotional activities in connection with the premises;
- listing the Property on real estate websites (including third party websites);
- collating and sharing property information for research, reports and other purposes;
- generating reports (whether generated by the Agent or by any third party accessing such information);
and any related purposes.
Case Update: Property Manager claims carpet cleaning fee
The Property Manager in this case took the tenant to the Tenancy Tribunal for a carpet cleaning fee.
The Tribunal stated that the Property Manager was required to establish their claim on the balance of probabilities (more likely than not).
The Property Manager provide the Tribunal with a carpet cleaning invoice and photos of the property at the beginning of the tenancy, the end of the tenancy and after the carpet was cleaned.
Law
Under section 40 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 states that a tenant must leave the tenancy premises reasonably clean and in a tidy condition.
Finding
The Tribunal was not satisfied that the tenant had not left the carpet in a reasonably clean manner. The Tribunal stated that the tenant was not required to leave the carpet in a state where the premises could be immediately rented out again. The Tribunal further stated that “Landlords must expect to have to do some cleaning between tenancies”.
The Tribunal also indicated that it was difficult to make a meaningful comparison between the photos.
The application was dismissed, and the bond was refunded to the tenant.
You can find the full decision here.
Tip:
1. The standard to apply to a premise, is whether it is reasonably clean and tidy therefore, Landlords and Property Managers should not impose a higher standard on their tenants.
Dog Safety on the Job
As a property manager there are many aspects of delivering your job at the optimal level that can be challenging. Now, more than ever, we are finding landlords will permit tenants to have pets, and this is increasing more in terms of dogs.
Along with these challenges comes the difficulty of keeping yourself safe from the many health & safety risks that you come across. Dog bites in New Zealand are increasing every year. According to the latest ACC statistics; Property and Business Services have seen an increase of 71% over the last 12 months.
So, as a property manager how are you going to know if:
- A dog is on the property
- Whether it is friendly or agreessive?
It’s no longer good enough to say, “I know dogs, I have had them all my life”. Dogs are like people and every dog is different.
Jo from The Dog Safe Workplace has a few tips:
1. All dogs can bite! Just because it’s a certain breed does not mean that it will necessarily be aggressive or, vice-versa, friendly
2. Just because the dog’s tails wagging, does not mean it is friendly. A wagging tail only means that it is interacting or responding to something, good or bad
3. If it comes to you and rolls on its back, it does NOT mean it wants its belly rubbed. This is in fact telling you the opposite.
Basically, if you learn what a dog is telling you with its body language and you don’t make assumptions, it will make all the difference.
Jo Clough is available for questions and training. Training in Health & Safety is not only a must, its also tax deductible.
Jo Clough | Director, The Dog Safe Workplace
Residential Property Management Qualification - Second Intake
Due to high demand, there will be a second intake starting 9 September.
Real-iQ - Conflict and Negotiation Workshop
Thursday 1 August, 10am - 4pm | Events on Khyber, Grafton, Auckland
Our industry is in the spotlight like never before and the pressure that comes with the role can be intense. Conflict and negotiation are a daily occurrence in the world of Property Management. The challenges can come thick and fast from all angles, whether it be landlords, tenants, the media, the public and even from within your own team.
Use the discount code REINZmember and pay only $150+gst, down from $195+gst. Book here.
REINZ Residential Rental Review - June 2019
The June REINZ Residential Rental Review is now available here.
