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7 Ways to Make Your Apartment More Attractive to Tenants
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7 Ways to Make Your Apartment More Attractive to Tenants

7 Ways to Make Your Apartment More Attractive to Tenants

If you’re not getting the quality of tenants you want (despite how aggressive you’ve been with your marketing), then your apartment may not be appealing enough for them to pursue.

In this case, sprucing up your apartment and adding the right features can do a great deal in getting their attention.

The good news is you don’t even need to make major renovations to make them take notice. All you need are the right adjustments to make your property look irresistible.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Give it a professional clean

Never underestimate the power of a good and thorough clean. While you probably think you do a good job yourself, a professional cleaner can go beyond a simple surface clean and spruce up the areas in your unit you may have overlooked.

You’ll be amazed by how much more attractive your apartment can be with a professional clean, and it can even look completely different once it’s done. A thorough clean can rejuvenate your apartment. Everything from removing old stains and marks, tidying up your interiors, and restoring the shine on your tiles and glass surfaces can all add up to make for a more appealing look overall.

It’s often best to hire professionals for these in-depth cleans because they’ll have the equipment, expertise, and experience to complete even the most demanding cleaning jobs.

2. Refurnish the kitchen cupboards and benchtops

Kitchens are the heart of every home, so improvements here will make the rest of your unit instantly better.

But you don’t even need to renovate your entire kitchen to make a big difference. Even refurbishing your kitchen cupboards and benchtops will do the trick. You can try repainting your cupboards to give them a new look or replace them entirely if they’re looking old and dated.

If you have a bigger budget, you can also upgrade your kitchen benchtops and counters with more high-end materials to refresh your kitchen.

3. Update the bathroom fixtures

Next to the kitchen, the bathroom is often the most highly valued room in the house, so make yours more desirable by adding touches of comfort and luxury.

A good way to do this is to upgrade your bathroom fixtures, whether it’s installing new bathroom cabinets, replacing your showerheads and faucets, or updating the main mirror. You can even consider investing in new tiling or a new bathtub if you have the resources.

4. Update and purchase essential appliances

Updating the essential appliances in your apartment will help modernise your home and make it more valuable for tenants. In the kitchen, you should aim to replace old stove tops, ovens, microwaves and dishwashers with newer and better versions if you can afford it. As for the rest of the house, whether it’s replacing your old air-conditioners or upgrading your laundry and dryer units, a new batch of modern appliances will make your home more enticing and liveable.

5. Repaint the walls

Nothing will freshen up your apartment more than repainting the walls. A fresh coat of paint can invigorate your apartment, making it look new again even if it’s years or decades old.

Neutral colours often work best for rental properties, providing a calm and relaxing backdrop that goes well with different styles of living. You’ll also want to pick colours that don’t leave light marks easily, which could make it more desirable for families with kids.

6. Create more storage

Storage is important to most tenants, so giving them more storage space will undoubtedly make your apartment more attractive.

Adding shelves and cabinets in key areas will go long ways in providing more storage for your tenants throughout their stay. You can also consider turning to areas often underused in apartments (e.g. under sets of stairs, behind some walls, under sofas, etc.) to create more storage. This is especially important if your apartment is small and compact.

By finding and creating more storage in your apartment, you can make your unit look more practical and functional for all types of tenants.

7. Make it brighter and lighter

There’s a reason why properties are always fully lit in real estate magazines and websites: bright living spaces look bigger and more inviting. Compared to dark and dimly lit units, bright and well-lighted apartments look more open and defined – a big plus for many tenants and homeowners. Use this to your advantage by brightening up your apartment and providing more light.

Upgrading your lighting systems will also make your property look livelier and more exciting.

Ask Yourself This Question

If you’re not sure what will make your apartment more attractive to quality tenants, ask yourself this question:

“If I lived here, what improvements would I want, to make my stay here more comfortable and enjoyable?”

By putting yourself in your tenant’s shoes, you’ll get a better idea of what will catch their attention and make them consider your property more seriously.

Need more ideas and solutions? Get in touch with us to find out more.

The Right Way to Handle a Tenancy Dispute
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The Right Way to Handle a Tenancy Dispute

The Right Way to Handle a Tenancy Dispute

Tenant disputes may not happen often, but they are a regular part of property management – they’re simply part of the job.

And no matter how good you are at handling disagreements, managing a tenant dispute will always be a challenge. People can get emotional with even the most minor dispute, so it’s important to handle these matters properly to prevent it from blowing up into an ugly fight between parties.

The better you handle a tenancy dispute, the more likely you’ll reach a solution that satisfies everyone.

Here’s how to do it.

Before Your Discussion

Before confronting your tenant about the dispute, it’s important to prepare and know all the details of the issue. This will help you stay objective and lay the foundation for smooth discussions and/or negotiations.

– Define the problem and objectives clearly. Identify the exact issues at hand and why/how it happened. Note your concerns on the matter and identify the outcomes you want to achieve when resolving the dispute.

– Consider all sides. Put yourself in the shoes of everyone involved and try to understand the problem from their perspective. Why do they feel the way they do about the issue? How do they want to resolve this dispute? Resolving tenancy disputes sometimes requires compromise, so considering everyone’s perspective will help you negotiate and reach a middle ground that works for everyone.

– Be realistic. Not every dispute resolves the way you want, so be prepared to deal with the worst-case scenario. What’s the worst that could happen if you don’t resolve this dispute like you envisioned? And how will the parties involved react and deal with that outcome?

During Your Discussion

Once you’ve prepared and gathered all relevant information, it’s time to reach out to your tenant and other parties involved.

– Initiate communications. If possible, contact your tenant directly to discuss the issue before proposing a discussion. This will let you voice your concerns and hear their side of the story. In some cases, you might even be able to resolve the issue in this initial discussion. Keep a record of this discussion (by putting it in writing) and record any details or agreements from this. Even if you do not resolve the issue in this initial communication, you’ll get a better idea of how to approach your ensuing discussion with them.

– Keep calm. Things can get intense during discussions, especially if the dispute involves sensitive matters. Remember to always keep calm, professional, and respectful throughout the process. Be as objective as possible and avoid making the discussions personal.

– Discuss the problem objectively. Stay on track in your discussions by defining what happened, identifying the problem, voicing your concerns, and proposing the best way to resolve it. If you get side-tracked in your discussions, work your way back to the problem and finding a solution together.

– Hear their side. Give your tenant a chance to explain and discuss their side of the dispute. Consider their concerns and understand why they feel the way they do. Also, take note of any information or details that you may not have known and consider these when working to resolve the issue.

– Be flexible. Chances are you and your tenant will be on different sides in a tenancy dispute. Be willing to meet in the middle if the situation calls for it. Remember that compromise requires give and take, so try to arrive at a solution that makes sense for everyone.

Assistance from the RTA

If you’re still having trouble resolving your tenant dispute despite these discussions and negotiations, you can apply for dispute resolution from the RTA to help resolve it. This will give you another opportunity to resolve your tenant dispute before it escalates into a legal matter with the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).

Need More Information?

Looking for a property manager who knows how to handle disputes the right way?

Here at Beyond Property Management, we go above and beyond to take care of your property and resolve any tenancy dispute that may arise. Get in touch with us to find out more.

5 Common Traps Landlords Fall For and How to Avoid Them
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5 Common Traps Landlords Fall For and How to Avoid Them

5 Common Traps Landlords Fall For and How to Avoid Them


Being a landlord isn’t easy.

The pressures of keeping a property rented out and maximising ROIs can make even the most experienced landlords make silly mistakes.

As a landlord, the worst mistakes are the ones that don’t look like mistakes at all. What makes these so bad is that they seem harmless and work to your benefit at first. But in the long run, they end up costing you a lot more money and resources.

If you want to be a better and more profitable landlord, it’s best to avoid mistakes like these as much as you can. Here are five that we see many landlords make:

1. Approving applicants right away

We get it: It’s tempting to approve any applicant who can pay your rent, especially if the rental market is sluggish. But if you don’t do your due diligence in screening applicants, then you could end up with bad tenants on your property.

There’s a variety of bad tenants out there, ranging from those who miss some payments (a minor headache) to those who badly damage properties (a major and costly problem).

Yes, it takes time and effort to screen applicants. But if you don’t do it right, you could end up with tenants who cost you even more time and money in the end.

Save yourself the trouble by making sure you always screen applicants and conduct the right background checks.

2. Putting off maintenance and repairs

Maintenance and repairs are big expenses, so it’s easy to understand why many landowners delay them until they’re absolutely necessary.

But doing this will often end up costing you much more in the end.

Addressing maintenance and repair requests as soon as possible is important because some issues can worsen and damage your property quickly (e.g. plumbing issues, mould growth, pest problems).

The longer you put off maintenance and repairs, the worse those issues are likely to get. And when that happens, you’ll spend even more time and money repairing them than you would have if you fixed them when they were first reported.

If your tenant reports a maintenance issue, or if you notice anything that requires repairs, make sure to get it done sooner rather than later.

3. Setting the rent rate yourself

As many landowners have learned too late, there’s a difference between the rate you want and the rate that’s right for the rental market.

We all want to set a high rent rate to get higher returns but setting the highest rate possible will often drive applicants away and make finding the right tenant more difficult.

Some landlords also make the mistake on the other side of the spectrum, setting the rate much lower than what it should be, simply to get someone to rent their property.

Avoid setting your rent rate too high or too low by doing your research, understanding the market in your neighbourhood, and consulting experts who know to price rental properties accurately.

4. Skipping insurance

Many landowners like to save money by not getting landlord’s insurance for their rental properties.

But the money you save by not getting this insurance may be nothing compared to what you’ll need to pay if your tenant is suddenly unable to pay your rent or if your property becomes badly damaged. In such cases, the rental bond may not be enough to pay these costs, and you’ll end up paying for them out of your own pocket.

Landlord’s insurance is there for a reason: to protect you (and your tenant) from situations like these.

To avoid this, it’s important to not only get the right landlord insurance for your property (including property insurance and liability insurance), but also to get the right coverage for your needs.

5. Treating it like a hobby/side project

Being a landlord is many things. But one thing it’s not is a hobby or a side project.

Managing a rental property properly (and profitably) demands a lot of time and work. Many landlords spread themselves too thinly between different properties and do the bare minimum (or even less) of what they’re supposed to do. And while some can get away with it for a while, they often end up getting caught by unhappy tenants, costly damage to properties, and expensive fines and penalties from regulatory bodies.

Property management is not something you do half-heartedly – it requires your full effort and attention.

If you want to be a successful landlord and make the kind of money you want from it, you need to treat it like a full-time job – because it is!

If you don’t have the time or energy to manage your property, then simply hire a good property manager to do it for you. This will help ensure your property and tenants are taken care of.

Need Help with Your Rental Property?

If you need more advice for managing your rental property, or if you want professionals to manage your property for you, give us a call on 07 3188 7651 or send us a message. We can help you save time, money, and effort in managing your property – not to mention get higher returns on your rental.

Natural disasters and the impact on tenancy agreements
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Natural disasters and the impact on tenancy agreements

Natural disasters and the impact on tenancy agreements

As I look out the window on a Friday afternoon at clear skies but the wind noticeably increasing, and news of Cyclone Owen on its way, now is a good time to ensure your property manager understands legislation surrounding natural disasters and potential situations of non-liveability in rental properties in Queensland.

While we all hope this is legislation we never need to draw on, we do also need to be prepared.

Following is information you may find useful.

Preparing for natural disasters – helpful information here

The RTA’s natural disaster factsheet – here

Natural disasters are not actually separately legislated under the RTRA Act, however usually refers to situations like cyclones, floods, storms etc and fall under “Non-liveability”, that also encompasses situations such as fires in rental properties, and other situations that cause damage to an extent where a property cannot reasonably be lived in either completely or partly.

Non-liveability is described under the RTRA Act as ‘agreement frustrated’.  It is important to note that the notice period is same day.

284 Notice to leave if agreement frustrated

 (1) The lessor may give a notice to leave the premises to the tenant because the premises—

(a) have been destroyed, or made completely or partly unfit to live in, other than because of a breach of the agreement; or

(b) no longer may be used lawfully as a residence; or

(c) have been appropriated or acquired compulsorily by an authority.

(2) A notice to leave under this section must be given within 1 month after the happening of the event mentioned in subsection (1).

(3) A notice to leave under subsection (1)(a) or (b) is called a notice to leave for non-livability.

Editor’s note—

See sections 329(2)(d) (Handover day for notice to leave for premises that are not moveable dwelling premises) and 330(2)(d) (Handover day for notice to leave for moveable dwelling premises) for requirements about the handover day for a notice to leave given because of non-livability.

(4) A notice to leave under subsection (1)(c) is called a notice to leave for compulsory acquisition.

Editor’s note—

See sections 329(2)(e) (Handover day for notice to leave for premises that are not moveable dwelling premises) and 330(2)(e) (Handover day for notice to leave for moveable dwelling premises) for requirements about the handover day.

If there is not agreement over whether the property is fit to be lived in, the usual dispute resolution process is applied.

It is also important to note that this only applies to situations where there is no breach of agreement (ie this cannot be applied to situations relating to required maintenance), and that no compensation is generally payable by either party to the other as neither party was in breach of the agreement.   If liveability is found to have been declared unreasonably by either party, then compensation may be sought and the proper chanels should be followed for this process.

(Acknowledgement for sourced information from www.realestateexcellence.com.au)

RTRA Act Review - Media Release for your interest
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RTRA Act Review - Media Release for your interest

RTRA Act Review – Media Release for your interest

Beyond Property Management have been carefully monitoring the recent RTRA Act review process, and share at the link below a media release made today regarding this.

The public consultation process finalised on 30th November. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

MEDIA RELEASE

Beyond Property Management offer professional property management services Brisbane wide. We are property management specialists and pride ourselves on keeping up-to-date with legislative changes and QCAT case study precedents that impact our industry – and therefore our clients. Property Management is so much more than just ‘rent collection’. It has become a complex role that requires specialist knowledge across a broad legislative base, and a broad skill set that it takes a professional approach to master.

We thoroughly enjoy being a part of our client’s property investment journey and the relationship we build with them, and appreciate the recognition and gratitude they show us, for the professional service and expertise to guide them.

If you are a property investor looking for a professional property management service in Brisbane, who offers so much more than just rent collection, then we would love to chat!