APPLYING FOR A RENTAL
If you are interested in renting one of our properties after you have inspected, please note that each occupant over 18 years is required to complete an application.
Please also ensure all your information are accurately submitted so we can quickly process your application.
RESIDENTIAL TENANCY AGREEMENT
Your Residential Tenancy Agreement is a legal and binding contract, which provides protection to both – you and the Landlord. For facts you must know when starting a tenancy, please download the Tenant Information Statement.
RENTAL BOND
You must pay your rental bond prior to signing the lease. After you have paid your holding deposit to us, you will be sent an email from Rental Bonds Online. If you already have an online account, you will be sent a temporary code and instructions on linking your new bond lodgement to your online account.
If you do not have an account, you will receive an email with a link you simply open and you will be shown how to create your bond online account; we will be notified when your bond is paid.
CONTACT DETAILS
As part of your Residential Tenancy Agreement, you are required to keep us updated with any changes to all your contact information.
CONDITION REPORT
At the start of your tenancy, you will be given a Condition Report, which will have been completed by our office. Please read our instructions in relation to completing this Report and check the Condition Report thoroughly. If you disagree with anything, please ensure that you mark the correct box with an “N” and write a comment as to why you disagree. In some instances, the refund of the bond will depend on the accuracy of the Condition Report, please make sure you retain a copy of the report.
The signed report must be returned to our office within seven (7) days of the start of your tenancy. Should you fail to return the completed Condition Report within the said seven (7) days, the original condition report shall be deemed to be a true report as to the condition of the premises upon taking possession of the property and will be used at the time you vacate the property.
Please note, the Condition Report is NOT a request for any maintenance work to be carried out. Please contact our office in regards to repair requests separately.
WELCOME HOME
We know that when moving houses there is so much to organise and remember, it can be easy to forget about the minor details that help make your time in your new home a problem-free and enjoyable one. We will provide you with our “Tenant Survival Guide” containing all useful information to help you during your tenancy with us.
PAYING YOUR RENT
At CPM, we make paying your rent hassle free by using Direct Debit. You will be required to sign the Direct Debit authority containing your bank account details upon signing your Residential Tenancy Agreement. Rent is drawn on a Friday either weekly or fortnightly. Please keep us updated on any change of the nominated bank account in writing 24 hours prior to rent being drawn.
IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RENTAL PAYMENTS ARE RECEIVED ON THE DUE DATE AND FROM ONE (1) ACCOUNT PER HOUSEHOLD. WE DO NOT ACCEPT SPLIT RENTAL PAYMENTS PER TENANT.
UTILITY SERVICES
It is your responsibility to connect electricity, internet/phone and gas in your name for the duration of the lease and again to terminate services at the end of your tenancy.
At no time should a tenant have the electricity or gas physically disconnected at any property at the time they vacate, especially if the property has a security system or swimming pool. Please ensure that you have your account finalised when you vacate.
CPM does not take any responsibility for any of your utility services or costs if you neglect to connect or disconnect any of these services.
To save you time when you are moving in, the free service “My Connect” can help you arrange your utility connections for phone, electricity, gas, internet and pay TV, please contact “My Connect” on 1300 854 478.
WATER USAGE
Tenants renting properties that are separately metered for water, such as houses and some townhouses/units, will be charged for the water usage incurred during the period of the tenancy. CPM will provide a copy of the water usage invoice. Please ensure that you pay your bill within twenty-one (21) days of the date of invoice directly into the CPM Trust Account and NOT to the Water Authority for the invoiced amount.
SMOKE ALARMS
The Landlord is responsible for providing smoke alarms for all tenanted properties.
Tenants are responsible to advise us immediately of any concerns regarding smoke alarms. If an alarm is constantly beeping, please do not temper with it; contact us instead and we will get a qualified technician for you.
INSURANCE
CPM strongly suggests that you personally insure your belongings against any loss, damage or theft. The Landlord has no obligation to insure your personal belongings and the Landlord’s building insurance will not cover your household contents.
ROUTINE INSPECTIONS
Throughout the period of your tenancy, CPM staff will regularly conduct routine inspections of the premises. You will be sent an email advising the date of the inspection together with a “Routine Inspection Guide” and “Tenant Routine Inspection Check List”. It is up to you if would like to be present or not during the inspection, our office retains a duplicate key to your premises for emergency or prearranged access such as an inspection.
Please complete the emailed questionnaire regardless whether you plan to attend the inspection or not. If you are not going to be home at the time of the inspection, please leave this form completed on your kitchen bench.
The first inspection will take place approximately 3 months after you have moved in and your landlord may accompany our staff.
REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE
If you encounter a maintenance issue which requires repair, please notify our office to your earliest convenience by submitting our “Maintenance Request and Damage Report Form”. Once you have submitted, you will receive a confirmation.
We endeavour to respond to all requests promptly, however, some repairs require the Landlord’s approval and/or quotes before any work can commence, so a delay may be experienced on some occasions. Please also do not assume your request will always be automatically approved, in some instances, the Landlord may not agree to the repairs in which case you will be notified.
You will also receive an email if the request progresses and advised which trades person will be contacting you directly to arrange access.
If a tradesman is not able to gain access to your premises after confirmed arrangements have been previously made by you, the cost of the service call will be passed on to you for payment. Alternatively, if you cannot be at home at the time the tradespeople would like to attend the job, please contact our office and we can arrange for them to pick up the key from our office. We have been working with our tradespeople for years and consider them as 100% reliable and trustworthy.
Once the maintenance issue has been attended to, you may receive an email to advise you that the trade supplier has informed us that the job is complete. If you receive a verification request, please respond and let us know if there are any issues with the work that has been done. Where possible, please attach a photo of the finished job for the Property Manager and Landlord. You can also add a note to the property manager if required.
Please note, the upkeep of gardens and grounds are your responsibility when renting with us unless otherwise negotiated in writing. If you require assistance with the maintaining of the property, please let us know and we can arrange help for you.
EMERGENCY REPAIRS
At CPM we always strive to provide you with the highest level of service. For emergencies during office hours, please call our office and/or Property Manager.
When you find yourself in hot water (or without it!) while our office is closed, please call our office on the after-hours emergency number. If you are unable to reach a staff member, please proceed with calling the related tradesperson noted in your Lease.
Here are the details which in the event of an urgent repair you need to be aware of prior to arranging an emergency call out.
STEP 1: Check whether it IS an emergency.
As per the Residential Tenancies Act and Regulations; the below repairs are deemed an emergency:
A burst water service,
An appliance, fitting or fixture that uses water or is used to supply water that is broken or not functioning properly, so that a substantial amount of water is wasted,
A blocked or broken lavatory system,
A serious roof leak,
A gas leak,
A dangerous electrical fault,
Flooding or serious flood damage,
Serious storm or fire damage,
A failure or breakdown of the gas, electrical or water supply to the premises,
A failure or breakdown of any essential service on the residential premises such as a hot water system,
Any fault or damage that causes the premises to be unsafe or insecure.
Please note, the cost of call outs for lost or misplaced keys are your responsibility and payment must be made directly to the locksmith at the time of callout.
STEP 2: IF it is an emergency – take action!
If you find that any of items detailed in Step 1 have occurred at your rental property, you can contact the tradesmen noted as “Emergency Contacts” in your Rental Agreement for after hour services. Please also help in keeping any damage to a minimum while you are waiting for the tradespeople to arrive.
BURST WATER
Turn the water off at the tap near the hot water service to avoid further flooding. If it is a house the water may be turned off at the main which is the tap on the water meter located on the front boundary of the property.
LOSS OF ELECTRICITY
If you lose power, please make sure by checking your meter box that the safety switch has not switched to the off position. This will happen if you have a faulty electrical appliance. If this happens unplug all appliances and then plug them in one at a time until you find the faulty appliance. Check that there is not a black out or maintenance being carried out by your electricity supplier before requesting an emergency repair.
STEP 3: Let us know!
It is important to notify our office of any emergency repairs that have been arranged so the landlord can be advised accordingly. Please notify our office as soon as possible, latest on the next working day advising the nature of the emergency and the tradesman you contacted.
ALTERATIONS
No alterations to the property are to take place without approval from the Landlord. This includes placing nails, screws, sticky tape or blue tac on the walls.
TERMINATION OF THE TENANCY AGREEMENT
The Residential Tenancy Agreement may be terminated by you in the following ways:
If you intend to vacate at the end of your Residential Tenancy Agreement you are required to give fourteen (14) days written notice prior to the expiry of the fixed term of your agreement.
Once the fixed term has expired, you are at liberty to continue living at the property or to vacate. If you intend to vacate, written notice to that effect must be received by our office at least twenty-one (21) days prior to the vacating date.
BREAK LEASE
If unforeseen circumstances arise and you have to vacate prior to the end of your Residential Tenancy Agreement fixed term, please contact our office immediately and we will confirm the break lease procedure for you.
There have been major changes to NSW Tenancy Laws from 23rd March 2020. As part of the changes to residential tenancy laws, mandatory fees apply to all new fixed-term agreements of 3 years or less, when a tenant ends the agreement early. The set fees depend on how much of the agreement is left.
THE BREAK FEES ARE:
4 weeks rent if less than 25% of the agreement has expired
3 weeks rent if 25% or more, but less than 50% of the agreement has expired
2 weeks rent if 50% or more, but less than 75% of the agreement has expired
1 week’s rent if 75% or more of the agreement has expired.
EXAMPLES:
If 7 months of a 12-month tenancy agreement (or 58%) has expired, a tenant would need to pay a fee equal to 2 weeks’ rent to the landlord to end the agreement early.
If 2 months of a 6-month tenancy agreement (or 33%) has expired, the tenant would need to pay a fee equal to 3 weeks’ rent to the landlord to end their agreement early.
When ending an agreement early, legislation suggests that a tenant should try to give as much notice to their landlord as they can.
GIVING NOTICE
It is a legal requirement that you provide us with your Notice to Vacate in writing/email. We recommend that you use our Vacate Notice as it provides us with all the information that will be required when vacating.
When giving notice and deciding on your vacating date, please ensure that you take into consideration the time required for cleaning, carpet cleaning, rubbish removal & gardening etc. This must be completed on or before your vacate date. Failure to do this may delay your bond refund.
In addition, rent is payable and will be charged for each day after you vacate that you require access to the property.
VACATING
Our “Tenant Survival Guide” contains all information you need to ensure everything can run smoothly when you are moving out and your bond can be returned without any delays.
Please take the time to read through this information and mark off maintenance, repairs and cleaning as you do them to ensure that the property is left in a clean and well-maintained condition. Alternatively allow us to arrange quotes for you.
Do not leave the keys at the property after you vacate. Rent will be charged until the keys are returned. Once the keys have been returned, we will attend the property to conduct the outgoing inspection. If you would like to be present for the inspection, please contact our office to arrange a mutually convenient time.
If you pay water usage, we will do a final water meter reading at this time and will notify you of the amount of water usage to be paid.
Ensure that your rent is paid to the vacate date to avoid delays in refunding your bond. Your bond cannot be used as rent.
