The tenant’s music upstairs is too loud… the dog won’t stop barking… can we catch up on the rent next week?…when is the stove going to be fixed?

We are living in a society where client and customer expectations are a priority. People want things fast and now. Following is a small extract from a popular statement – “I am your tenant”

“I am sophisticated, much more so than I was a few years ago. My needs are more complex. I have grown accustomed to better things, to a better standard of housing and living conditions. I have more money to spend.

I am a perfectionist. I want the best I can get with the money I spend. When I criticise your service – and I will, to anyone who will listen when I am dissatisfied – then take heed. The source of my discontent lies in something you failed to do. Find that source and eliminate it, or you will lose my business and that of my friends.”

From this, we can clearly see that service expectations are high when a tenant rents a property – as they are paying for a commodity and expect to receive the property in good working order. As we all know, when there are high expectations there will be the odd dispute that needs to be addressed and resolved.

As Tenancy Managers – our job is to massage away disputes on your behalf!

What are we doing to minimise disputes on your behalf?
We educate new tenants upfront, of their responsibilities as a tenant; our office policies, expectations and legislation requirements surrounding their tenancy. We set the same ground rules from the commencement of every tenancy, through our thorough tenancy sign up DVD – developed by us, specifically for our tenants – to benefit our landlords and enable a smooth tenancy from the outset.

If there is a dispute, what happens?
Self-Resolution: Our first step is to work with our landlord and the tenant to come to an amicable resolution. With good communication and negotiation, hopefully the dispute is resolved!

Conciliation/Mediation: If all parties are unable to come to a resolution we have access to a third party who can conciliate the matter. Engaging a neutral third party can be very beneficial as they can offer non-biased input with reference to legislation.

Tribunal: If all parties are still unable to come to a resolution we will need to lodge an application with NCAT and have a tribunal member determine an outcome. In many cases there is no guarantee as to who will win. The orders are determined on the evidence presented and ultimately can come down to a personal decision of the tribunal member. We do not have to attend NCAT often, as our negotiation skills generally will resolve issues. However, when cases do proceed to tribunal, our experienced Tenancy Managers achieve a high success rate. This is attributed to our sound management through the tenancy; thorough evidence presented and extensive training and support of staff attending tribunal on behalf of our landlords.
Once the Tribunal makes a decision, the orders are final!

Our award winning team is trained and educated in handling disputes on your behalf and will keep you updated on all matters relating to your property. Can you afford to select the wrong Agency to look after your valuable asset?

If you’d like to get some individual advice on investment and become a property investor or expand your portfolio, please feel free to contact our New Client Consultants Angela King on 0408 284 053.