Landlord Information

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Sanctuary Real Estate will brood over your treasured investment as if it were our own. In all long-term relationships trust is paramount. We will treat you and your property in a manner in which you will be ecstatic at the level of service. Let us manage your investment property, we look after all of the day to day activities. We will handle the marketing, financial, tenancy, administration and risk management.

 

  • PASSION FOR OUR CLIENTS

We are passionately committed to our clients and owners and all things Real Estate. We enjoy sharing our ideas and improving our partnerships. We are dedicated to client satisfaction.

 

  • INTEGRITY

We are committed to the highest standards of ethical and professional behaviour and endeavour to instil proper conduct in all our employees and independent contractors. We act ethically and legally as we work to meet and exceed our contractual commitments to clients. We take responsibility for our behaviour and our performance.

 

  • COMMUNICATION

We believe communication is the central component to effective management. Through communication we can truly understand and meet the needs of our clients to create long-term, win-win partnerships.

 

  • TEAMWORK

We operate as a coordinated body of collective wisdom and embrace the thoughts and ideas of our client representatives. Everyday our employees and independent contractors strive to discover and implement cohesive solutions to client challenges.

 

  • MODERNIZATION

We value, encourage and empower our employees and independent contractors to modernize their efforts to increase efficiency and accuracy. We support them in challenging conventional wisdom and practices in the property management field. We develop plans to use technology to exceed our customer’s expectations.

 

  • PRO-ACTIVE

We are pro-active every day in our actions with our clients, owners, tenants and independent contractors. We support quality assurance and personal discipline in all our endeavours. We seek to pro-actively identify and rectify issues before they become problems.

 

  • EXCELLENCE

We meet or exceed all professional and contractual expectations and obligations to our clients. We strive to deliver reliable and exceptional service and focus on achieving excellence. Our employees and independent contractors are dedicated, loyal and honourable.

 

  • EFFICIENCY

We operate a streamlined organization that prides itself on solving issues in a lean, economical manner, while maintaining the highest of standards. We deliver a great value for a great price.

 

  • SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS

We believe in respecting, preserving, and promoting the neighbourhoods we work in. We operate in an environmentally sensitive manner. We are active and involved members of the community and our industry.

 

MAXIMISE YOUR WEALTH

With today’s low real estate prices and mortgage rates, is this the right time to invest in rental property? It could be, though being a landlord can be a challenge even in the best of times. So, before you jump on any seemingly excellent buys on rental property, it’s important to understand your local real estate market and analyse the deal to see what it would cost you under the worst-case scenario.

Statistics are the key:

  • You need to get data on vacancy days of comparable properties
  • Length of time in tenant turnovers
  • Rental rates in your community
  • General demand
  • Remember that a property might be priced low because rentals are down in that area.

Sanctuary can help you make an informed decision.

Property Management has become a specialised field with vast legal implications. The Residential Tenancies Act and Acts of Parliament contain complex rules and regulations regarding Property Management. The strength of our service lies in our agents’ thorough working knowledge and understanding of the relevant legislation, in turn, providing you with peace of mind.

Ask yourself the question – “When you are offered a reduced rate, what services are you missing out on”?

 

PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT

Sanctuary level of experience means we are renowned for dedication and complete integrity. This is demonstrated by our proven record of success and impressive portfolio of satisfied clients. Put simply, we know how to deliver a superlative service.

We undertake the following broad range of services to ensure unmatched individual care for you and your property:

  • Routine inspections every 3 months
  • Reliable and cost-effective team of qualified tradespeople to keep the asset in your investment reporting back to you with full photographic reports.
  • Handling maintenance requests with you prior to conducting any work.
  • Management of all financials including monitoring rental payments.
  • Bi-monthly or monthly disbursements to owners along with electronic statements.
  • Monitor the market conditions and conduct regular rent reviews.
  • Comprehensive and efficient administrative systems.

 

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR RISK

Sanctuary wants the best for our clients and we have implemented the most up to date programs which will look after your best interests.

Landlords are in a difficult position regarding their exposure to personal injury claims from tenants for visitors to their property as they can be included in a claim or even held responsible even though they do not actively manage or visit the property. This is because they have a clear responsibility to ensure that the tenant is provided with a safe property and free from issues that they should have reasonably been known about, irrespective of whether they personally inspected the property.

Landlords cannot merely rely upon the Property Manager to be able to avoid the risk via arguing that “I was paying a professional property manager to look after the property, so it was their responsibility!” The courts have demonstrated that line of defence will not usually be upheld. All stakeholders need to be pro-active and remove the risk completely.

Self-managing landlords are significantly more exposed and, unless they have the specific experience in inspecting properties for safety issues, they have a much higher probability of being included in a claim. In such a situation, any successful claim will be directly focused upon them and not apportioned with an agency.

Irrespective, whether the landlord was or was not contributory to the injury, one thing is certain, being that they will need to spend a very significant amount of time and cost preparing for and defending their actions. If they lose, then the situation moves to a totally different level regarding the magnitude of the claim and their ability to meet that claim. It is important to be aware that some personal injury claims have been awarded whole of life damages approaching $30M in recent years.

The majority of building insurance policies include wording that if a claim occurs as a result of something that you knew, or should have known about, the claim can be reduced or rejected.

Do not risk your valuable asset or simply your time and money!

 

ATTRACTING THE BEST CLIENTS

The quality of the interior decoration and the way the property is presented may substantially affect the level of rent achieved and the clientele attracted.

 

  • COLOUR

Carpets and walls should be neutral. Beige, cream, and light pastel shades make a cleaner, fresher impression. Good quality, hardwearing curtains and carpets should be provided as they will have a much longer lifespan and attract quality tenants. You could consider tiling areas as they are easier for tenants to maintain.

 

  • CLEAN & TIDY

Make sure the property is clean. Ensuring the home is handed over in a high clean standard leaves no room for tenants to dispute an initial or final property condition report.

The kitchen is the hub of the home and is also a focal point for potential tenants, a few areas to consider; do all the appliances function correctly, is the lighting sufficient, is there enough cupboard space, are the fittings in good order – a simple change of handles could modernise the appeal, have you considered installing a dishwasher, are the drains clean and free from odour, have you supplied sufficient plugs.

Bathroom areas should be clean and free from mould and mildew, do the taps need updating, is the silicon & grout maintained, plugs available, new shower curtain, is the lighting sufficient, does the bathroom/s have exhaust fans to prevent mould.

Go through the property’s contents and ask yourself the following question – does this item have a definite benefit to a tenant, does it add beauty to the home and am I going to replace it if it breaks/down. If the answer is no, then get rid of it, or store it off site.

Make sure that the garden is tidy and inviting. Consider putting fresh mulch on the gardens.

 

  • LIGHTING

Lights make a property welcoming. If the viewing is taking place after dark, make sure the front door outside light is working and is switched on. Ensure that all blown light bulbs are replaced. Consider using down lighting in kitchens and bathrooms.

 

  • ODOURS

The smell of a property is the sense most remembered by tenants viewing properties.

If the previous tenant has kept pets, ensure that the carpets are professionally cleaned and neutralized. Make sure there are no food smells, and that toilets and sinks are cleaned and disinfected.

Let some fresh air in and avoid using overpowering air fresheners to mask bad smells.

Wash the council bins.

If your property is vacant or you are having trouble finding a tenant, it could be down to the decoration or presentation of the home.

 

  • SMOKE ALARMS

One question which gets raised a lot is around smoke alarms. Who is responsible to see that the smoke alarms in a property are in working order?

Ultimately it is owner responsibility.

Your property manager will usually discuss with you at the time of signing the management authority about how you wish to maintain compliance of the smoke alarms (and residual current devices (RCDs) at your investment property. This usually involves a qualified electrician to complete a check on the property and provide an electrical safety certificate to keep on file.

However, the tenant must also check and test the smoke alarms and residual current devices (RCDs) regularly and report to the property manager urgently if there are any issues with them.

The following is recommended from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services in relation to your smoke alarms:

  • Test all smoke alarms every month to ensure the battery and the alarm are in working order.
  • Every six months, vacuum your smoke alarm with a soft brush attachment.