Brisbane is the third-most populous city in Australia, with around 1.25 million people. The capital city of Queensland provides all kinds of facilities, particularly employment.
As there are more than 131,000 registered businesses in Brisbane city, thousands of people move to this place every year in search of better job opportunity. When it comes to accommodation, people who move to Brisbane often choose to rent a property over purchasing a house because it saves a lot of money.
However, being a tenant can be very stressful. You not only have to deal with the interference of the landlord and the stress of rent increase but also need to keep the property clean and well maintained.
Despite making all the efforts, your security deposit can deduct at the end of the lease period in the name of cleaning fee. That is why you must hire professionals who offer the
best bond cleaning in Brisbane.
But more importantly, you should know about your rights and duties. It will help you during your stay as well as when you move out. Read on to know more about your rights and duties as a tenant.
Your Rights as a Tenant
When you opt for a rental property, you enjoy some rights, and you should know about them. It will save you from the unnecessary stress and hassles that your property can give during the stay and when you decide to move out.
Repair of Inclusion
If the inclusions, like dishwasher, oven, etc., are not working, the tenant should contact the landlord/property manager and request the inclusion’s repair. As a tenant, you should do it in writing so there is an evidence of the request.
If the landlord does not make arrangement for the repair, you have the right to issue your owner a notice to remedy breach or the form 11. Then the landlord will have seven days to fix the issue.
Routine Inspections
The landlord can carry out routine inspections to ensure the property is in good condition, but the inspection cannot be performed more than once every quarterly unless the owner has the tenant’s permission in writing. Moreover, the tenant must be given a notice of at least seven days for entry with the help of a notice or Form 9.
Peaceful Stay
According to the
Residential Tenancies Authority, a tenant can make full use of the rental living space and enjoy reasonable comfort, peace and privacy in the property. So, it is an offence for a landlord/property manager to interfere with the privacy and comfort of the tenant.
It means the owner cannot stop service like water or electricity during the lease period or say who can visit the tenant at the property.
Security Deposit
The law says that if the rental amount is $700 or less every week, the landlord can ask for a maximum of 4 weeks rent as a security deposit. However, if the weekly rent is more than $700, the property owner and tenant can negotiate to decide the final bond money amount.
To get back the amount at the end of the lease, make sure you hire professionals who offer reliable bond cleaning in Brisbane.
Increase of Rent
The rent of the rental living space can be increased if the landlord gives at least two months’ notice to the tenant in writing. The property owner also needs to make sure that there is a six-month gap since the last rent increased or the start of the tenancy.
Your Duties as a Tenant
Along with the rights, the tenants also have some important duties that you should never forget. If you know about all your duties and perform them properly, then moving out of the rental property would be a lot easier, and you are most likely to get back your bond money.
Property Condition Report
After receiving the property condition report from the landlord, you must return the signed and completed report to the owner within the next three days. If you fail to complete and return the property condition report,
it means you are accepting the owner’s description of the rental property. However, failure to acknowledge the report is an offence.
Permission of Landlord
If you want to attach a fixture like air conditioners, window awnings, cable TV connections, etc., or make any structural changes, you need the permission of your landlord.
The requests for consent should be in writing, which should describe the type of change you want to make and whether you will remove the fixture at the end of the lease period.
Notice Period of Tenants
When you decide to move out of the rental property, you need to give notice of at least 14 days unless the owner has breached the rental agreement. The lease period ends on the end date of the notice period or the last date of the agreement (whichever is the longer period). Whether it is a periodic agreement or a fixed-term agreement, the notice period remains the same.
Cleaning the Rental Property
As a tenant, it is also your responsibility to ensure that the property is perfectly clean as per the property condition report. Therefore you should have
different house cleaning tools and equipment at your place to keep the property spick and span.
It will make the cleaning task a lot easier at the end of the lease period. To get a better result and save your time, you can hire a reputed bond cleaning company.
The Bottom Line
It is no secret that tenants face several challenges during their stay in the rental property and also when the lease period is over. However, things can be a little easier for you if you know about the right and duties of the tenants that are mentioned above.
To get back the bond money, make sure you perform your duty of cleaning the property. To make the task easier, hire professional bond cleaners in Brisbane.