Hi everyone,
this may seem an unusual post on this site, but hey, we all have to live somewhere!! Please excuse the length but I want to provide as much detail as possible.
My boyfriend and I are trying to decide whether or not to rent a particular property. We have been looking at buying a PPOR for quite a while but prices are so inflated where we want to buy (Hawthorn/Camberwell in Melbourne) that we just can’t find anything that really seems like good value. We thought also that perhaps the market may slow a bit over the next little while and that maybe in a year or two we could resume our search. Meanwhile we have been considering renting.
We found a property for rent yesterday – in the South East suburbs – which we are both very keen on. It was built in recent years and is very well decked out. It is perfect for our needs.
We called this morning to say we were going to apply but asked if the PM could put it to the landlord that we rent it for $15 less per week than the advertised price. They later got back to us and told us that someone else had applied. I asked if they applied for the property at the advertised price to which they naturally replied “yes”. We put in our forms shortly after this. They called us back almost immediately, without checking all of our references (although we did include many written work references) saying that the landlord would prefer us to the other applicants as we could move in sooner than they could, although they weren’t able to rent it to us for the discounted price. We said we would let them know what we have decided tomorrow morning!!
Firstly, do you think they are playing us, or do you actually think these other applicants really exist? The only thing they told me about them is that they are “very different” to us (does that mean they are riff raff? Elderly? Imaginary friends???)
We REALLY like the place although it is priced at more than we were willing to spend (we can afford it though).
How should we approach this?
My only idea was that we could agree to the advertised rental if they would install an air conditioner. The same idea also crossed my mind with regards to broadband internet connection.
All your ideas and suggestions are most welcome – the clock is ticking and I don’t know what to do!!
Thanks in advance. [biggrin]
Cheers,
Ali G
Hi Ali,
Ultimately only you can decide if the extra $15 is worth it.
To a certain degree the willingness of the landlord to reduce the rent will be determined by the length of time the property has been vacant and by the number of vacancies in the area – do you know these answers?
Given we are in winter when properties are historically harder to rent I would suggest that you have the upper hand, particularly if you are prepared to walk away and look elsewhere – you need to remember there will always be somewhere else to rent.
If you really want the property then by all means ask for the A/C but bear in mind you could also counter with a ‘that is the limit of our budget, is there anything else to rent?’ type of comment.
Derek
[email protected]Property Investment Support Available. Ongoing and never stopping. PM welcome.
Hi Ali,
yes – I think the agent is playing you – just my opinion though.
try making a comprmise – tell the owner to install an air-conditioner, and take off maybe $5 or $10 instead of $15.
best regards,
George.I’ve found a way to help you save and earn whilst not selling or delivering any product. If interested, drop me an email or PM me to find out how
Hi Ali G
Up the time schedule immediately, so you get a decision now, and time to recover the situation if it goes wrong.
Place a new earlier deadline on your availability because you have to give an answer to another agent on another property which is $15 cheaper within the hour.
If you are that popular with them, you are that much better than the next best tenancy applicant, then it is worth a discount – how much ? who knows. good luck [wink4]
cheers
thecrestthecrest | Tony Neale - Statewide Motel Brokers
http://www.statewidemotelbrokers.com.au
Email Me | Phone Meselling motels in NSW
Hi all,
thanks for your responses. There are many updates to add:
We saw the house advertised with another agent for $5 less so after much haggling with the landlord we got it at the cheaper price through the agent we originally applied through. I guess the other agency must have cheaper PM fees or something. It turns out the other applicants were legitimate – I saw their details recorded on the PM’s file.
The doors had no deadlocks and we requested that these be installed before we moved in. The landlord refused to put them on so we did so ourselves at our own expense shortly after we moved in.
Three to five days into our lease we were robbed (not sure which day because the place was still a mess and only small things were taken – the place looked untouched).
A fly screen had been removed and was nowhere to be found. The landlord told us it would not cost much and that we had to pay for it because he has to pay an excess on his insurance. Ha! Later, after more haggling, he changed his mind.
Because our insurance policy was so new and because there was no obvious point of entry, and also no finger prints, the insurance company did not believe us. A full investigation was conducted and finally they decided to approve our claim. As if the robbery was not traumatic enough, that was like being guilty before proven innocent and an awful thing to have to go through.
Oh well, what do you do? I guess this is where that old adage comes from: whatever does kill you only makes you stronger. Let’s hope so.
Thanks again for all your ideas initially. This update was just for interests sake.
Cheers,
Ali G
Dear Ali G,
I am so sorry to hear about your robbery. I would assume that any landlord worth his/her pinch of salt would take out landlord/home insurance? To throw that responsilibilty back on to you is a real insult! I would imagine that with the law being heavily in your favour (tennants) that you should not try and sweat it too much (apart from the robbery!). I recently had a property vacant for 3 weeks and one prospective tennant who looked at the place but did not put an application in mentioned that it could do with a new heater. So I put a new heater in ($400). Next weekend I had three good prospective applications and I dropped the rent $5 for a longer lease to one of the tennants. All the tennants had great references however the best one made me decide to go on terms (longer lease) not rent. The heater had already been installed before three tennants applied. I guess sometimes it pays to listen to tennants’ needs and it will come back to you to benefit eventually. I hope you didn’t lose too much sentimental stuff.
Kind regards,
Gatsby.I had a tenant robbed and the access was through the kitchen window. Through the agent I was asked if they could get a security screen for the window. 2 days later it was installed. These tenants have just signed up for a 12 month lease again so yes it does pay to listen to tenants.
The security screen cost me $80.00 plus install so 1) its the tax mans bill, 2) its happy tenants, 3) PM loves that we respond quickly when needed and 4) my house is more rentable later.
Win win win.
From what you have said you have a shonky landlord who needs a kick in the butt to get anything done. ok in 4 months find another property, in 5 months give a months notice and in 6 move. The shonky landlord is then up for another letting fee to his agent, and we both know he is loosing an intelligent tenant.
Karma wins in that one. Yeah baby!!
DD
Don’t sweat the small stuff,and it’s all small stuff!!
Gatsby – unfortunately we did lose some sentimental stuff which is totally irreplaceable and of course that is what hurts the most. The rest is being replaced by the insurance company today.
DD, I wish you were my landlord!! First we had to push ours for the necessary locks, we installed them ourselves upon his refusal, and then after the robbery we pushed for more and he finally added them. After this he just kept saying “are you happy now? Are you happy now?” as if he had done as a huge favour. It really rubs you up the wrong way – and correct – it makes us want to get out of here as soon as our lease is up, despite the fact that we love the place. There is still 11 months to go on our lease so I guess if we move in 5 months we will have to pay the cost of readvertising and the rent until someone else moves in – I think that’s what it says in my lease. Never mind… hopefully by the time our lease is up we will have bought ourselves a little pad closer in towards the city.
Thanks again for all your replies.
Cheers,
Ali G
PS. Laughed DD when you spoke of karma. So true, so true!
Ali, its always the way, as soon as you sign up for something or buy something, its a better deal or on sale down the road the next week, doh!!
I also have the backing of good property managers too. Thats where most landlords get caught out. We had a rental manager in Ipswich that had 10 of ours on the books and then within 6 months changed 3 of their management staff. Did service drop, yes to a non existent level where we would leave the same message with 3 people and the person we wanted to speak to got back to us a week and a half later. This was on a property that we were selling for part of this deposit here in Coffs. We needed action urgently and it didnt happen.
Another thing about poor communication is that rents had risen in Redbank Plains from the $160 we had a property on to $175 as average. We thought ok lets not hit our tenant with it all in one go so we told the agent $165/wk for 6 months.
When we got the agreement faxed through we didnt check it as well as we should(trusting the professionalism of the agent) as the agent had made it 12 months not 6. This meant that we couldnt raise that rent for a further 12 months and we are now falling behind with the current rental pricing.
The tenant has now defaulted twice and will be moving out in November when this lease expires.
Needless to say we have changed agents and are totally impressed with our new proactive rental managers.
DD
Don’t sweat the small stuff,and it’s all small stuff!!
dear Ali G,
That really sucks when you are robbed/have things stolen. I know this is getting off the track but when I first went to Africa the customs officials tore my back pack open after I checked it into them! I lost a camera, etc. It wasn’t the camera that hurt but the pictures I had on the film. I had photos of Masai warriors from the Masai Mara with there bow and arrows aimed at an apple on my head (true story). I had a lot of fun living with them at the time but that’s something I can never get back or replace. Now when I travel I think I’d rather reminisce with strangers. Just to be on the safe side!
Cheers,
Gatsby.
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