Gordon Fraser Properties is an REIQ Accredited Agency. We pride ourselves in providing a highly professional Property Management service, giving your property the attention required for protecting and maximising returns on your investment.
Gordon and his small team of highly skilled professionals provide the best service to our valued clients and continues to grow by personal referral.
To ensure that you are provided with as much detail as possible, we have compiled the following information to assist you in gaining information on the Property Management services that we provide.
Upon choosing Gordon Fraser Properties to manage your property, Gordon will be your personal Property Manager with the backup of his qualified team.
Gordon and his team constantly attend many training seminars to ensure that you, the lessor, have the best advice and care.
Selecting the “Best” Property Manager for your investment
Your property will only ever be shown to prospective tenants by Gordon or by one of his team to ensure the security of your property and the safety of your future tenants are never compromised.
Marketing
We understand that presenting your property well is key to achieving good results. Upon notification of a property becoming vacant and to ensure that your property receives a high profile, we revise advertising copy and provide a range of digital photos for prospective tenants to view. Advertising is then placed as indicated below:
- Database – Prospective tenants are continually updated and contacted by email, providing them with an immediate notification of properties currently available.
- Web – A full property display is placed on our website gordonfraserproperties.com.au, this allows for an extensive slide show of photos and an informative
description of the property features. Your property will also be featured on realestate.com.au, domain.com - Signboards – These are a marketing tool that has many benefits such as referral by neighbouring properties and passers by
Tenant Applications
We ensure that all applicants are fully referenced. Only then are the tenants recommended to you.
This includes:
- 100 Point identification check
- Previous and current rental history
- Employment and personal reference history
- Confirmation of earnings
There are restrictions placed by the Federal Government – Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (QLD) to stop landlords setting down requirements in relation to gender, race or religion. Recently this has been amended to include marital status, and other related matters.
Tenancy Agreement
It is a mandatory requirement, under the Residential Tenancies Act, that all parties living at the premises sign this Agreement and for the appointed Managing Agent, acting on behalf of the landlord, to sign on behalf of the landlord. The usual term for a tenancy is between 6 – 12 months.
Entry Condition Reports & Inventories
The entry condition report is completed in detail and provided to the tenant for completion and returned within three days of the start of the tenancy. Accuracy of this report is essential as it assists in eliminating many of the problems which can arise at the end of the tenancy.
If your property requires an inventory of furnishings this must be provided by you, prior to signing of the agreement, or no later than the date the tenancy commences. it is essential to list each item individually, and provide as much detail of its description, age and any damage.
Payment of Rent
An approved applicant will pay 2 weeks’ rent in advance. Further rental payments will then be made on the due date, being 2 weeks into the agreement, then every 2 weeks there after until the tenant vacates.
Bond
A rental bond will be paid equivalent to 4 weeks rent. The receipted bond will then be lodged with the Residential Tenancies Authority until the tenants vacate.
Arrears Management
And arrears report is printed daily. Tenants who are three days in arrears are contacted personally, to remind them that the rent is required to be paid in advance at all times. If rent remains in arrears for seven continuous days, the tenants are sent a notice to remedy breach on the eighth day, In accordance with the Residential Tenancy Authority. If this occurs, you will be informed immediately. If rent continues to remain unpaid, then a Notice to Leave may be issued, but this is relatively rare.
Routine inspections
Gordon will ensure that routine inspections are carried out periodically unless a recent vacancy / change of tenancy has occurred. Following the inspection, a full report is compiled and sent to you detailing the condition of the property and any matters, such as maintenance, that may need attention.
Maintenance and repairs
Upon a tenant reporting maintenance is requirement, we will contact you for your instruction or in the case of an emergency a tradesperson will be instructed immediately to reduce further damage/losses.
Neglect of minor repairs can often lead to major and more costly repairs, and in some cases also causing tenants to leave. Tradespeople commissioned by our office are fully referenced ensuring that they are qualified and registered and insurance and Work Cover policies checked.
Lease Renewals and Rent Negotiations
We will contact you weeks prior to your lease becoming due for renewal to discuss rent increases, renewal etc.
Managing your investments
We can automatically pay any or all your outgoings from the rent received, such as council rates, body corporate levies (where applicable) and Insurance premiums. That way all your payments and income are on the one report at year end ready for your accountant.Any maintenance carried out will be invoiced by the relevant attending tradesperson and deducted from your rental income. A copy of the invoice will then be attached to the monthly statement for your records.
Monthly payments
Every month a statement of income and disbursements is generated, similar to that of a bank statement showing all rent collected for the month and any outgoings. This, together with any invoices, is emailed to you and can be printed at any time or forwarded to your accountant. Payments are usually made directly to your bank account making funds available to you promptly.
Insurance
As a landlord it is imperative that you have adequate legal and Public Liability Cover; the REIQ currently recommends a minimum of $10 million. Imagine if a claim against you is unsuccessful, your costs in defending the suit could be extensive. Note that strata title properties only provide liability cover in the common areas, not inside the property.
It is becoming essential for landlords to consider Landlord Protection Insurance for security of losses over and above the required bond.
By-laws
If your property is a unit, each new tenant must sight and sign to acknowledge that they have read and understood the Body Corporate By-Laws pertaining to that building.
Commission, Fees and Charges
Please contact Gordon Fraser for a copy of our commission structure, fees and charges associated with managing your property on your behalf. There are no hidden costs with our services.
Be careful of agencies offering cheaper fees. It’s often used as a marketing ploy to lure you in. As the months go by you will start to see extra hidden charges slowly being added to your account.
Preparing your property for tenants
Under the Residential Tenancies Act 1994 the owner must:
- Ensure that the property must be clean and fit and safe to live in, and in a good state of repair.
- Maintain the premises in good repair and in a way the premises remain fit for tenant to live in.
Other considerations
- Smoke alarms – From one July 2007, both tenants and lessors have new responsibilities for maintaining smoke alarms in their rental properties. We can arrange for an inspection of the property to have a correct installation number of smoke alarms fitted (wired in are recommended for rental properties).
- Safety Switches – From 1 March 2006, owners of lease domestic residences must have a safety switch installed for the power circuit of the residents within six months of a residential tenancy agreement being entered into.
- Keys – We require a full set of keys to be held at our office. The RTA states that a full set of keys must be provided to the tenant for each lock at the property, and access keys to all other named tenants. We can arrange for any keys to be cut in accordance with the number of tenants renting the property.
- Shampooing Carpets – Please provide a receipt prior to the first tenancy for confirmation of shampooing upon the first tenants vacating.
- Cleaning – A thorough clean of the property at the start of the tenancy insures there is no discrepancy with cleanliness upon the tenants vacating, paying special attention to details i.e. oven, fans, baths, showers, etc.
- Swimming Pools – It is the lessor’s responsibility to ensure the pool safety and regulations are met. Many tenants are not experienced in pool maintenance. If your property has a pool, we suggest including the regular maintenance in your weekly rent and a pool service then carried out by a qualified pool company on regular basis.
- Pest Control – A pest control for cockroaches, spiders and ant treatment should be carried out annually.
- Gardens – For large or landscaped gardens we suggest including the regular maintenance in the weekly rent. We are then able to instruct a gardener to carry out regular maintenance, thus keeping the garden to it’s original standard.
- Appliances – Any appliances left at the property for use by the tenants must be maintained i.e. repaired and / or replaced if necessary by the lessor. It is recommended that a five-year guarantee be provided on any appliances. It is recommended that a coup of all instruction manuals be available at the property for use by the tenants.
- Pets – We do not recommend pets be allowed in any of our managed properties.
- Alarms – Allocate a Master Code that is for use by the Property Manger. Supply an access code for use by the tenants.
Reasons for choosing Gordon Fraser Properties
- Talk directly to us – When you call, you will always be talking directly with Gordon, not some inexperienced person who knows nothing about your property and has hundreds of other properties to look after and may not be there the next time you call.
- Prompt Responses – Unless Gordon is in a meeting, on the phone, or dealing with an urgent matter, our clients should be able to get through him every time. A prompt response is something we place enormous importance on. The same applies to emails or texts. No call or enquiry will go unanswered.
- Family business – Probably the most important thing to realise is this is a family business so reputation means everything to us. Brisbane is a very small place. Word travels fast so It’s in our best interest to make sure you’re 100% happy. If you’re not, we would like to hear about it. You are the reason we exist.
- Life experience – Gordon and his team have the life experience to know how to deal with tenants and trades people. Gordon only works with trusted tradesmen he has dealt with over the 28 years working in real estate in the area. He has also worked on a large number of renovations and building extensions over the years, so knows how to quickly spot an over inflated quote.
- We’re not afraid to get our hands dirty – Routine inspections will be carried out on your property and any maintenance or necessary repairs will be attended to in order to protect your investment. We are not afraid to get our hands dirty either if it means it saves you money on unnecessary call out fees. It is also a good chance for us to inspect the property and talk to the tenants while we’re there.
- We take the time to talk to you – You won’t feel we’re rushing you off the phone because we’ve got a million other things to do. Your property is probably one of your biggest investments you have. It’s something we take very seriously. It’s not just another transaction.
- It’s not about the quick dollar – Large companies have high overhead costs. To cover those costs, they need to sell a lot of properties quickly. Achieving maximum dollars is not a priority. With rental properties often the quality of tenants is also compromised. At Gordon Fraser Properties we keep our costs to a minimum only focusing on a smaller number of properties so we never have to compromise on service or price. If our landlord or vendor wants to try for a higher rent or sale price we’re going to do everything possible to get that for them. It’s not about getting the landlord or vendor down in price. It’s about getting the tenant and buyers to come up in price
