How do you handle conflicting interests between your landlord and tenant when it comes to installing air-conditioning? Residential Property Manager asks leaders in the property management space for their opinions.
In our newest case study feature, Residential Property Manager asks a multitude of property management professionals the following question:
"It’s the middle of a hot summer and a tenant of yours rings up and says they want to pay an extra $30 a week to get an air-conditioner installed in the property. You ring the owner, who doesn’t have a job at the moment, and he says 'No, I don’t have the money at the moment to afford it'. What do you do?"
Toop&Toop head of property management Suzannah Toop said it is quite common for tenants to apply for a property without checking all of the features.
“The approach a property manager takes to this scenario is critical and can be the difference between getting off on the right or wrong foot with the tenants,” she said.
Real+ business manager Hermione Gardiner said putting aside the legality of increasing the rent mid fixed-term tenancy, an owner not being able to afford repairs/upgrades is a common concern for a property manager.
“There are different types of owners – intentional investors and accidental investors – and often accidental investors have not budgeted for maintenance, so we come up against a wall, even if the tenant is prepared to pay more rent,” she said.
To read the extended version of Ms Toop’s and Ms Gardiner’s response and those of the entire panel, CLICK HERE.
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