Moving House Tips

It’s always nice to get things for free, however when moving house, freebies are unfortunately few and far between. Even enlisting the help of your friends and loved ones might require some sort of bribe or promise to return the favour. In saying that, the crew at movinghousetips.co.nz have put together a list of all the free (or very cheap!) services which might make your next move just a bit easier.

www.smartmove.co.nz
If you are looking to enlist professionals for your next move, try Smart Move to get accurate quotes from multiple companies at once – for free! Smart Move works by taking the particulars provided by you and then sends them to various reputable moving companies in your area. Those companies will then come back to you with their best price, leaving you to decide who you want to employ. www.moving-companies.co.nz provide a similar service to compare NZ moving companies.

www.powerswitch.co.nz
Power Switch provide a free and impartial service to help New Zealanders find low cost power providers. They have a comprehensive database of electricity and gas prices to help you determine which company and pricing plan is best for you. They also have information on contracts, making complaints, price trends and energy saving tips for your home.
www.switchme.co.nz provide a similar service to compare and switch power companies.

www.fastconnect.co.nz
Fast Connect provide a free, nationwide utility connection service. They can arrange new connections or transfer existing accounts for your electricity, gas, telephone, internet and Sky TV. As well as being a free service, they have a number of great promotions to help save you money when you move. You can call them free or go online to complete an application.

www.consumerbuild.org.nz
Consumer Build provides a range of clear, independent and up-to-date information on building, buying, renovating and maintain houses in New Zealand. They can guide you through your responsibilities under the Building Act and other relevant legislation, help you locate and work with builders, subcontractors and building professionals and give good, practical advice about what you can and can’t do yourself.

www.telme.org.nz
Similar to Power Switch, Consumer TelMe is another government funded site designed to help you save money on your utilities. The service allows you to compare prices on landline, internet, mobile phone and pay TV services to work out which combination will work best for you. They do this by taking a snapshot of your current or projected telecommunications usage and then giving you a variety of options ranked on price.

www.energywise.govt.nz
Energy Wise is a fairly recent government initiative which is trying to make New Zealand homes more energy efficient. The website has a plethora of information about energy efficient heating and lighting for homes, and tips to help you save on your electric bill. The main benefit of Energy Wise however will come if you are looking to install insulation or efficient heating systems (i.e. a heat pump). Do a quick test online to see if you are eligible for a significant subsidy to help you cover the costs of these items.

www.nzpost.co.nz
You can use the “ChangeMyAddress” service from New Zealand Post to notify multiple organisations at once of your change of address. The service is free and organisations you can notify include government organisations, charities and finance companies.

This post was brought to you by Moving House Tips

Do you inspect the property at the beginning of a tenancy?

Your Property Manager makes a detailed Property Condition Report with photos to record the condition of your property before tenants move in. 

We inspect your property area by area (lounge room, bedrooms, kitchen, front and rear yards, garage etc) and then all items present in each area (walls, ceiling, light fittings, curtains, windows, stove etc). 

We record their condition and cleanliness item by item, and a brief description of item (e.g. details of any marks, scratches and dents).  We take photos outside, as well as inside the property (where required). 

We also itemise the chattels or you can give us a chattels list. Your tenant is given a copy of the report when they move in and have 10 working days to make any changes. 

How often do you inspect the property during the tenancy?

We inspect the property approximately every 3-4 months – this helps us to make sure your property is being looked after.  We let your tenants know 7 days before an inspection, and provide them with a form where they can note any maintenance issues or concerns.

The inspections allow us to check room-by-room that the tenant is keeping the property damage-free and reasonably clean, and can capture any maintenance issues that have not been reported.

We keep you informed with a written report including photos, and contact you if maintenance may cost more than $350.00. If the tenant has caused the damage, we will ask them to pay for repairs and follow-up reimbursement for you.

What about when the tenant vacates the property?

When the tenant lets us know they will be vacating, we send them detailed information on our expectations of how the property needs to be presented.

Final Inspections are completed on the next available working day after a Tenancy has ended.

On the next available working day after the tenant official vacating date, we complete a final inspection, comparing the property in detail to the Property Condition Report we did when the tenant moved into the property.

We carefully check through the report item-by-item, making sure it has been left in the same condition as when they moved in, taking into account reasonable wear and tear for the period of time they have been in the property. This is a legislative requirement.

We make sure the property has been left reasonably clean and check the smoke alarms.

When do I get paid my rent?

We deposit your rental income into your bank twice every month, on the 1st and the 15th day of each month (or closest working day).

How do you collect the rent?

We always collect the rent by Automatic Payment 

What happens if my tenant does not pay the rent?

We have a ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy for rent arrears.  Rent payments are checked every day and if a tenant does get behind in their rent payments, this is the process we follow:

1 Day Behind – we send a text message or phone to tell the tenant their rent is overdue and request immediate payment.

4 Days Behind – we send a letter advising the tenants that they are in breach of their obligations under the tenancy agreement and further action will be taken if their rent is not received.

7 days behind – we complete an Application for Order of the Tenancy Tribunal under S54 of the Residential Tenancies Act and advise the tenant via phone or text that we are lodging a court application today.  We visit the property to check for abandonment if we have been unable to contact the tenants.

In most cases, either the first or the second course of action will cause an immediate response or payment from the tenant (many tenants have a genuine reason for the lapse and are quick to remedy the problem).  

If we do have to terminate a tenancy, the time taken to achieve termination varies depending on the length of time the Tribunal takes to arrange a hearing. This is out of our control, and can be up to three weeks in some cases.  

Housemart request four weeks rent as bond – this is the maximum amount we can request under the Residential Tenancy Act, so we can at least minimise any shortfall.

If I Allow Dog/s At My Property, What Expectations Will Be Given To The Tenant?

If you decide to allow pets at your property, we always use a pet clause in our agreement with your tenant:

• No additional pet may occupy the property without prior permission.
• It can be stipulated that the pet may not come inside the property.
• The pet must be removed from the property if it becomes annoying to neighbours (after reasonable warning has been given in writing).
• The tenant must be responsible for any damage caused by their pet, and remove any rubbish or pet droppings.
• The pet clause stipulates that the carpets must be professionally cleaned when the tenant vacates your property.
• We also record the details of the pet on the agreement, which is then signed by the tenant.

How Do I Ensure The Pet Will Not Come Inside The Property?

The tenant makes a commitment in writing that they will not bring the pet inside. However as we are unable to monitor the property all of the time, we cannot guarantee that the pet will not come inside the property.

We do look out for any warning signs when we are at the property conducting inspections. But the only way to ensure no pets will come inside the property is to insist ‘No Pets’ right from the start of the tenancy.

How Should The Property Be Presented?

To get the right tenant for your property, it must be presented in the best possible light. That means your property needs to be spotlessly clean, with any repairs and maintenance completed. We’ve all heard the cliché “first impressions last”, and in our experience they do!  So it’s also a good idea to have the outside of your property looking tidy and well maintained, as well as the interior.

How Clean Should The Property Be When A New Tenant Moves In?

Tenancy legislation requires that the property should be presented ‘reasonably clean’.

As a guide, we ask the tenant to leave the property at the standard they found the property – so if it starts spotlessly clean, it’s more likely to be left that way!

However in the case of a dispute, legally we can only enforce that the tenant return the property to a ‘reasonably clean’ condition, this being their minimum legal obligation.

What Do You Do To Advertise My Property?

Once we have a signed Management Agreement authorising us to act on your behalf, we list your property in the following forms of advertising:

1. Newspaper - We advertise your property along with all our available property listings in the Upper Clutha Messenger.  Our ad is placed with details of your property and the rental amount.
2. Property Rentals Handout - Your property is added to our Rental listings handout.  The list is updated daily and includes a photo and details of your property. This is given to anyone that comes in to our offices looking for a rental property.
3. Window Display – your property is advertised in our window display, allowing easy access after hours.
4. Internet - Your property along with photos is placed on the following websites, maximising coverage for any tenant using the Internet to locate a rental property.
   
   a)    The National Housemart website www.housemart.co.nz
   b)    www.trademe.co.nz
   c)    www.realestate.co.nz

How Does Someone Apply For My Property?

Each prospective tenant completes an application with references, income details and rental history. They sign to give us permission to check the information provided.

What If An Applicant Contacts Me?

We never supply your contact details to any applicant. If a prospective tenant does manage to contact you to discuss their application, or question why their application has been rejected, always ask them to contact us at Housemart. Please never discuss anything with a prospective tenant, particularly a rejected application – this can cause unnecessary problems and complications. After all, why suffer the headaches? We are here to solve the problems and do the-leg work for you.

How Do You Check An Applicant?

We check references and credit background for every tenant, and help you make a final choice. We confirm each applicant’s payment and tenancy history by calling their current and/or previous landlord or agent. We confirm their employment, and check them against a National Database which searches:

• Ministry of Justice Tenancy Tribunal orders
• The C.I.A. Debt Recovery Group Ltd www.cia.co.nz,
• T.I.N.Z. (Tenancy Information NZ) database
• VEDA ADVANTAGE (previously BAYCORP)

If an applicant has no tenancy history we follow up alternative references, like employers or character references to establish whether they may be good tenants for your property.

We also trust our gut feeling! In general, we err on the side of caution – it’s all about getting the right tenant for your property from the outset.

What reason do you have to give the applicant to reject their application?

Legally we do not have to give a reason. Housemart policy is to never give a reason (this is the best way to avoid complaints from the applicant).

Who selects the applicant for my property?

We give you all the details you need to make an informed decision. We can help with guidance based on our background and experience in property management. But at the end of the day, the choice is yours.

Do You Guarantee The Tenant?

We can’t guarantee any tenant. However, we do our best to minimize your risk by following meticulous application and checking procedures.

How Do You Determine the Best Rent For My Property?

It's a balancing act.  We aim to get you the best possible rent and tenant your property in the quickest possible time.  To do this, we consider these factors:

• Demand - Is there a high or low demand for properties at the moment? Demand can be seasonal or can be affected by a several other factors.
• What Is Available Now - we look at properties currently available for rent in the newspaper and on the internet, consider their location and features for comparison and calculate a maximum rent for your property.
• What We Have Rented Right Now - We compare your property with what we have currently rented, taking into account property location and features.
• Presentation of the property – is it new, recently renovated or in need of a spruce up
• Fully furnished or unfurnished
• Length of time the property is available

We are local experts, so we can give you the right information to help you set the best rent for your property.

What if I want a rent amount that is higher?

You can certainly place your property on the market at a higher rental amount.  Keep in mind that the current market demand strongly affects rent - so if prospective tenants think the rent is too high, your property may stay vacant for longer.

The facts - your annual rental return will be reduced by 2% for every week it is vacant!

How is the rent reviewed during the time that you manage it?

Our team at Housemart makes sure your rent is reviewed regularly against market conditions.  

• We check your rent
• When we need to find a new tenant for your property
• At lease renewal time
• Every 6 months (as a condition in the Housemart tenancy agreement)

We will always contact you for your permission before the rent is increased. Feel free to get in touch with one of our team today.