Our highly experienced and competent rental department is directed by Licenced Estate Agent Lynne Hayden and our senior Property Manager Louise Venter. They have a vast knowledge of the complex laws governed by today’s Residential Tenancies Act and are highly skilled in negotiating residential leases.
Louise Venter skillfully manages the property management division and has proven to be a fast moving, hard working and highly motivated professional operator. She delivers a high quality standard of service to each client.
We can boast we always have a high demand for all types of rental property on the Surf Coast. Current landlords are experiencing little or no vacancy when their investment property becomes vacant with Links Property.
When leasing your property presentation internally and externally should be considered, that is, state of cleanliness, tidy garden, etc. Our agency would be most happy to provide you with personal recommendations on presentation to ensure your property attracts the right tenant at the highest possible rental figure.
Tenants will search for a rental property via the following sites:
We have established strong relationships with all major relocation agencies who are employed by large organisations to find suitable rental accommodation for their overseas and interstate executives transferring to Melbourne. We ensure our landlord’s properties are leased to quality tenants by utilizing our good relationships with these relocation agencies.
It is our company policy to keep appropriate records of potential tenants waiting for quality rental properties on our database. We are constantly updating our database with daily requests from prospective tenants searching for property through our agency.
As a free service to you, our agency will prepare an in house brochure, similar to our “For Sale” brochure which is emailed to the relocation agencies and forwarded to clients on our waiting list looking for a property.
We offer a personalised service whereby we escort all potential tenants through all properties available for lease. Unlike most agencies, we do not hand over keys and allow prospects to view your property unaccompanied by an agent.
Most tenants today are time poor and prefer to inspect properties without the inconvenience of having to book an appointment with an agent. Therefore, we also conduct scheduled open for inspection times for our rental properties.
On the other hand, some relocation/agents prospective tenants prefer to inspect your property on a private viewing basis. We will always make ourselves available to suit each client.
All prospective tenants are required to complete a detailed tenancy application form which is thoroughly checked by our property management team. We engage National Tenancy Database who are endorsed by the Real Estate Institute of Victoria to provide a past rental history report and bank/credit history on prospects. We also request that each applicant provide current employment, past employment, current rental and past rental history. After careful selection, the reference checks are completed and then submitted to you for your approval. Upon approval, our agency prepares a residential tenancy agreement.
A written condition report is completed prior to a new tenant taking possession of your property. This establishes the condition of the property at the commencement of the tenancy.
A full set of colour photographs are taken of the interior and exterior of the property as a visual record. The extensive photography involved includes inside the oven, cook tops, toilets, fixtures and fittings etc. By keeping a correctly documented condition report ensures the property is returned in the same condition at the end of the tenancy. This is done for every property.
Once a suitable tenant has been selected we prepare a formal residential tenancy agreement. We use the prepared REIV tenancy agreement which has been specifically prepared by The Law Institute of Victoria in consultation with the Residential Tenancy Tribunal (Office of Fair Trading). We also incorporate a number of special conditions into the lease so as to tailor each lease to a specific property, i.e. swimming pool clause, open fireplace clause, no smoking clause, garden clause etc.
We offer a direct debit facility to all tenants direct to the owner thus reducing any problem with rental arrears and ensuring you receive your remittance/electronic transfer of rent efficiently. We are vigilant in our monitoring of rental arrears and pursuing outstanding money for our landlords. If a tenant is late with their rental payment we will send them an email, letter via surface mail, SMS or telephone call to remind them that their rental payment is overdue.
Our agency conducts six monthly property inspections on all properties as allowed by current legislation regardless of whether it is a $200.00 per week rental property or a $2000.00 per week rental property. This is conducted to monitor how the property is being maintained and to see if any routine maintenance is required. This is followed up by a written report forwarded to the landlord. We also conduct regular drive by inspections for the purpose of monitoring the condition of the exterior of the property.
It is imperative that your property is maintained to ensure your investment continues to improve in value. By attending to maintenance matters on a regular basis, your property will present well and appeal to the wider marketplace if it becomes available for re-leasing.
Over the years we have compiled a comprehensive list of various reliable, competent, cost effective tradespeople. In most instances, we prefer to personally inspect your property first prior to recommending a tradesperson attend to the problem. Should the need arise, our office can obtain competitive quotations for any maintenance required for your approval. We can also engage your own tradespeople if preferred.
Should any repairs to your property result in an insurance claim, our agency will lodge the claim on your behalf. We will follow through the claim until it is resolved, keeping you fully informed along the way. There is no extra fee for this service.
We understand the importance of ensuring your current rental return is comparable to similar properties. Our agency continually monitors your return and recommends rental increases as allowed under the Residential Tenancies Act.
Please talk to your accountant about tax deductable items allowable for your investment property.
Costs To Consider Claiming
- Advertising for tenants
- Agent fees and/or commissions
- Bank charges and interest
- Body corporate fees
- Borrowing expenses
- Council rates
- Decline in value of depreciating assets
- Gardening
- Insurance
- Land tax
- Pest control
- Telephone
- Repairs and maintenance
- Stationery
- Travel to inspect property
- Water charges
Our monthly management fees are charged six monthly and in advance. Leasing fees are charged when a new tenant is obtained and a residential tenancy agreement is prepared.
We can help you purchase, upgrade, sell or project manage major renovations to your investment property. Many of our existing landlords call on us for advice prior to making another investment purchase.
We provide outstanding service to all landlords and tenants and ensure all telephone enquiries and emails are diligently handled each day. We provide you with an annual taxation report each year to assist you with your taxation return. We pride ourselves on our personalised ongoing communication with all landlords and tenants during the management of all property and ensure excellence in service is always delivered. Our expanding rent roll is largely due to our personal referrals provided from existing landlords and associated professionals. True testament of the excellence in the service that we provide.