HOME OWNERS
If you are planning to move away from Darwin, into a specific school zone, or simply up or down size but don’t want to sell your family home, we can help. The right advice is the key to finding a solution that fits you and your family’s needs.
NOW Leasing NT will arrange to meet you at your home to assess the property, discuss the rental price, offer advice on preparing your home for rental and guide you through the property management process. Together we design a marketing strategy and work with you to achieve the best outcome for your individual needs.
PRICE
We price your property based on the following factors; time of year, number of other properties available, school zones, type and size of property, features and target market. We then compare your property with like properties we manage, and other properties currently available on the market. We will offer you a rental price range, and then a start price, where we would suggest we commence marketing.
PAPERWORK
The Management Agreement and Schedule needs to be completed and returned before we begin marketing. The Schedule is a breakdown of your inclusions, location of water meters, insurance details, body corporate information and other key information about your property. This ensures that we have all the information required to market your home effectively and you can focus on the all-important task of packing.
SHOWING OFF YOUR PROPERTY
It is best to keep your home as you wish to present it during this process as it is important to show prospective tenants through as soon as THEY want to see it. We will avoid doing ‘Open Homes” on a set date to “send” all prospective tenants too, rather we would endeavor to show them at the earliest possible convenience to both.
We will always arrange to meet prospective tenants at your property and walk them through so we are able to sell the features of the property. To do this we prefer to meet tenants on a one to one basis. We will provide you with feedback after each viewing and keep in regular contact with you during the marketing process. We do not hand out keys to your property.
MARKETING
Good photographs and descriptions are key to leasing properties faster and attract higher numbers of prospective tenants. We only use professional photography for all NOW Leasing NT properties. These images will be well composed and showcase your property looking its best. We will write a thorough description, describing your home, selling its features and positive aspects of your suburb.
Sometimes when the home is occupied for the marketing process it is better to have just a number of professional photos taken of the main areas that can be easily presented as vacant ie. the kitchen, bathrooms, outdoor area, pool and yard and sometimes living areas.
MAINTENANCE INSPECTIONS
We will complete regular maintenance inspections of your property, between 2-4 times a year. Your property manager will arrange a time with your tenant to carry out these inspections and you will receive a report that outlines any maintenance required, comments on the market rental, tenants, area developments and suggestions to increase the capital value or rental return of your property.
We offer virtual tours of your property, the video is uploaded and you can access this from anywhere in the world. We find this is very popular with owners who live overseas and want to feel reassured that their tenants are caring for the property. We can also offer this as part of the marketing plan at the time of letting. A video ensures that only pre-qualified tenants inspect your property and that they are able to see an accurate representation of the space and layout of the rooms.
NOTICE TO VACATE
When your tenant decides to vacate your property, they must provide us written notice of no less than 14 days. We will contact you to discuss what you would like to do, the rental rate we will market the property at and any maintenance that should be done when the property is vacant. We allow a minimum of 3 days between tenancies to ensure that the property is ready for the new tenants and there is time to complete the necessary paperwork and inspection reports. We endeavour to rent your property as quickly as possible and we will continue to keep in contact with you throughout the entire marketing process.
If your tenants are in a fixed term lease and you wish to move back in before this expires then we will need to negotiate this with the tenants and they can refuse. If you are considering moving back in to the property, you are best to leave the tenancy on a Periodic Tenancy. Your property manager will discuss this in detail once a tenant has been selected to ensure that the lease is structured to suit your future plans.
WHAT IF YOU WANT TO SELL?
Contact your property manager and they can help. Although we do not offer a sales service at NOW Leasing NT we are extremely fortunate to have strong relationships with some of Darwin’s most successful sales agents we feel confident in recommending a suitable agent to you.
We can arrange a free market appraisal for you and work with you to decide whether to market the property vacant or with tenants in place. We can then work with your tenants to present the property in preparation for sale and you can continue to receive income while the property is on the market. Speak with your property manager about the option that will suit you and your property.
TENANT SELECTION
Every prospective tenant who is interested in renting your home will need to complete an application form. We then process the application and complete all reference checks. Our approach is to investigate and check a tenant until we are 100% happy with the application. If in doubt we will request additional information from the tenant until we are satisfied. At this stage, we will contact you to discuss each application. You ultimately make the decision of who will tenant your home.
PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR TENANTS
As you are packing and preparing for the move, we are also working to arrange the new tenancy. This involves meeting the chosen tenant, signing the tenancy agreement and all move in documentation, inducting the tenant so they understand their responsibilities, preparing keys and prepare a thorough ingoing inspection report. Our initial inspections are completed using an app on an ipad, which allows us to record a detailed description of surfaces, condition of chattels and gardens, with photographs and notes as needed. This report is very valuable should a dispute arise at the end of a tenancy, as it is a signed record of the condition of the property before the tenants moved in.
MONTHLY REPORTING PAYMENTS
We flush out our trust account weekly so you will receive your rental income the within days after your tenant has paid it. The regularity of that depends on how often your tenant pays their rent but if you elect for the weekly payment option you will receive it almost as soon as we do. All funds are paid via electronic transfer. Statements are sent monthly either by email or if preferred via standard mail. We also provide you with a Year End Statement, which your accountant will find helpful when completing your tax return. If this requires any further explanation your property manager will happily assist.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU WANT TO MOVE BACK IN?
If and when you wish to move back in, you can contact us and we will notify the tenants, giving them the appropriate notice to vacate the property. We will do all we can to rehouse your tenants.