Tenant's Questions Answered - FAQ

That’s a very good question, and one that needs answered. Here are some tips to get you through those first few days.

Don’t Panic!

Lock yourself in the bathroom and defend yourself against the inevitable horde of blood thirsty zombies. If any of them actually get into the room, just keep moving quickly as zombies are a bit slow, and bits of them keep falling off.

You wouldn’t be wasting your time if you got together a ‘grab bag’ of stuff to help you face the horror. A ‘grab bag’ should contain:

• Fire-starting kit
• Water bottle
• Small knife
• Rope
• Food

Make sure you have enough supplies to stay in the bathroom for about 6 days. It might be an idea to check out this website for more practical advice, though.

We are pet friendly and many of the rentals we look after allow pets. Not all of our Owners allow pets though, and for various reasons. If you have a pet and you’re making an application to rent one of our listings, make sure you include details of your pet in your application so that we can pass that on to the Owner of the property for them to consider.

We recognise that it can be challenging to find a pet-friendly rental property, so we’ll do our best for you, and it will help you a lot if you can let us know all about your pet from the start.

So your sink tap is leaking, or a kitchen cupboard door just fell off, or maybe during an inspection we found something that needs fixed. Let us know about it and we’ll sort out someone from the maintenance team to arrange a time with you to visit the property to fix it. If you can’t be home to meet our maintenance team, you can let the maintenance team know and they can get a key for access from your Property Manager

If you get a notification that a work order has been arranged and you haven’t heard from the maintenance team within a week, let your Property Manager know so this can be followed up. Property Managers are many things, but Psychic isn’t one of them……

Your rent is determined by the date, not the dollar. If you change the date that you pay your rent AP, or you manually pay your rent each week by transfer, it’s easy to get out of step by a day or two. Maybe you’ve changed jobs and get paid on a different day of the week, or even paid monthly.

Our system works on dates, so if you pay your rent a day or two later than usual, our system will show that you’re in arrears. Your rent is paid into a Commercial Trust Account, and that simply means that the account must balance every day without fail! If you pay rent into that account, it is automatically recorded, and so it’s virtually impossible for us to misplace a payment from you.

When you signed your Tenancy Agreement, you also paid your Bond of four weeks rent and your first week’s rent in advance to us. Your “rent in advance” pays for your first week in the property. Towards the end of that first week, your rent payment for the next week will be due, and if you’ve set up your rent payments to be made by Automatic Payment (AP) through your bank account, you have no worries.

Think of it like the petrol tank in a car – you fill up the tank and then drive until it’s empty. Then you fill it up again. It’s exactly the same with your rent – you pay for the week in advance and you live in the property for that week. Then you pay for the next week in advance, and so on.

Just so you know, we do not hold on to your “rent in advance”. You used up your “rent in advance” during your first week of your tenancy.

If your Tenancy includes (for example) a fridge/freezer, or a microwave, or perhaps a king size hot tub with cocktail dispenser and ice making machine, and one of them stops working, call your Property Manager. You don’t need to call anyone else, and definitely don’t call a tradesman to come fix it and then send us the bill. Your first call is always to your Property Manager.

If there’s an insulation statement included in your Tenancy Agreement, it should detail what insulation your property has. Insulation is now included in Tenancy Law and comes into effect in July 2019.

It’s a constant battle, and one you can win with a little knowledge. Here’s a link to the Tenancy Services website for more information on what you can do to keep mould under control.

There will be smoke alarms in the property that have been checked and tested before your tenancy started. If you think that’s not the case, call us. As the tenant, it’s your responsibility to ensure that the smoke alarms are not interfered with or removed. If your smoke alarm starts “chirping” every couple of minutes, that means it needs a new battery, and you are required to change the battery for a new one.

Oh dear, that will never do. In reality, it’s not up to the Landlord to provide internet access at the property. This is simply because different providers require different set-ups, kind of similar to the TV aerial question.

Most properties are able to access the internet through a simple jack point, but if you’re wanting ultrafast or fibre connectivity, you should contact your chosen provider directly so they can advise you on your installation needs. If any cabling or wiring needs to be done by your provider, you will have to get permission from the property owner through us, so contact your Property Manager before you do anything.

Because there are so many different set-ups for TV reception, you might find that the system you have does not match the reception set-up at the property. Differences like a topbox for Freeview may not work unless you get a dish installed. The best thing to do is to talk to a TV installation specialist for proper advice.

If you want to move out of the place you’re renting and change the names of the people on your Tenancy Agreement, it’s not as simple as it seems. Check out this How To page to find out how the whole process works and what you need to do to make it work.

Remember, there may be a cost that the landlord can reasonably charge you to make this change.  The first thing you should do is call your Property Manager and tell them what you want to do, so they can help you.

Another good suggestion would be to call Tenancy Services on 0800 836 262 for advice or visit their website which has all the answers.

If you’ve been a great tenant and everything has gone swimmingly, then we will of course be very happy to give you a good reference. We generally don’t do written references, so all you would have to do is include our contact details and the name of the Property Manager that was looking after your tenancy. They should contact us direct for a reference on you.

It’s actually quite straightforward to end your tenancy, and it can depend on the type of Tenancy Agreement you have. If you do it the right way, it’s easy. To find out more, grab a copy of your Tenancy Agreement and go to this How To page.

We LOVE great tenants, and there’s a lot you can do to become one of our favourites. Simple stuff like paying your rent on time, reporting any leaks, squeaks and bumps in the night, and keeping the place clean and tidy go a long way towards being a great tenant.

For a bit more information, check out some more ideas here.

Applying for rental properties can be extremely frustrating, especially after a few knockbacks. People often wonder “what am I doing wrong?”  In some areas, demand for rentals so greatly outstrips supply that landlords often have a really hard time choosing between suitable applicants. However, there are a few things you can do to improve your chances. Check out the How To page here to learn how to do this.

You’ll be notified by email and text several days before your next inspection, so you’ll have plenty of time to make sure the place is looking good for our visit. It’s not practical to set a specific time for your inspection on that day, and you don’t actually need to be there for the inspection.

If anything needs fixed or you want to let us know about something in the property that you’re concerned about, please email us before your next inspection so we can check it out on the day.

Tenancy Services, who hold the Bond, do not pay out part of a bond. For more help with this, it’s best that you contact Tenancy Services Bond Helpline on 0800 737 666

At the end of your tenancy, we’re pretty sure you’ll want your bond refunded quickly after you move out. Your next landlord will be impressed knowing that you had your last bond fully refunded, so it’s always our aim to help you achieve that.

To get your full bond refunded to you quickly, you’ll need to ensure the following:

• Leave the property in a clean and tidy condition
• Remove all your furniture and belongings from the property before the tenancy end date
• Remove all your rubbish from the property and get rid of it
• Make sure all furniture and chattels listed on your Tenancy Agreement stay in the property
• Check for any wear or damage that may have happened during your stay
• Rent is fully paid up to date, and any outstanding rent is paid promptly
• The carpets are cleaned and vacuumed properly
• The lawns and section are trimmed and tidy
• Make sure any outstanding charges like water rates, damages, compensation and tenancy break fees are paid

If there’s more than one signatory on your Bond, you’ll need to get each one to sign the Bond Refund form as well. Remember, we don’t hold your bond – Tenancy Services holds it and releases it if the Bond Refund form is correctly completed and sent to them.

For good advice on this, or to find out where your bond refund is, contact Tenancy Services on 0800 737 666