Investors with Ball Realty

If you’re looking for the perfect investment property on the Gold Coast, then you’ve come to the right place. Ball Realty has the systems and all the expertise and experience to help fully achieve your property investment goals.

So, if you’re after just the right property to invest in you’ll want to have the Balls in your court!

CONTACT US

Investors Check List

Safety Switch

All rental properties in Queensland are required to have safety switches fitted and working. Failure to have a working Safety Switch can result in a $1500. You can find more information about Electrical Safety Requirements in Queensland on the Qld Government Website here.

Water Meter

In Queensland a landlord can charge the tenant for water consumption. The Residential Tenancies Authorities (RTA) state that the minimum requirements for charging for water consumption are:

The rental premises are individually metered (or water is delivered by vehicle), and
The rental premises are water efficient, and
The tenancy agreement states the tenant must pay for water consumption.

The RTA has a fact sheet you can download here

Pool / Spa

You are required to have a Pool Compliance certificate before letting (or selling) your property. The Qld Government website has a guide on pool fences compliance here and a general guide here

For the pool barrier to be compliant: An extract from the Qld Gov. website ...

Replace, tighten or adjust the hinges on your gates
Ensure the pool barrier height is at least 1200mm from bottom to top
trim back any vegetation or branches that a child could use to climb over the pool barrier
Shield or remove climbable objects within 900mm of the pool barrier
install fixed security screens on windows that open into the pool enclosure
Remove climbable objects from the pool barrier and surrounding areas.

Ball Realty Pool and Spa fencing checklist here

Insurances

If you want to protect your property then you must insure it. No rental agency or tenant insurance will protect you in the event of loss. As a minimum we recommend you have both buildings protection (to cover structural damage and Landlord insurance which will protect you against non-payment by tenants. Landlord insurances can also cover you for public liability and other claims against you and your property. There are a number of specialist landlord insurers, we recommend talking to companies like Terri Scheer

Management Company

Although you can of course manage your property yourself, there are many advantages to using a professional management company that is familiar with all the policies, procedures and legal requirements of renting a property. Using a Qualified and professional agency helps to protect you and your property and it takes all the potential hassle away and allows you to reap the rewards of your investment. Just some of the advantages of using a qualified management company are

Finding tenants – Typically they will have tenants waiting
Guided open homes – A professional letting agent will show your property and be able to answer questions a prospective tenant might ask
Vetting prospective tenants – Agencies as well as being able to take references will also have access to bad debt and bad tenant registers and will be able to exclude tenants who have breached rental conditions, for example not paying their rent or not paying on time
Process applications – it’s not uncommon to have 10, 20,30, 40 or more applications for a single property, being able to access and deal with them quickly is important if you want to get the best possible tenant for your property, well set up agencies will have industry leading tools and procedures in place to do this
Legal Documentation and Bond Lodgement – The tenancy agreement not only protects the tenant but it also protects you, get it wrong at it could be costly. Your agent will have Industry and government approved application and lease agreements and will deal with the correct lodgement of these legally binding documents
Rent Collection - Your agent will collect the rent and act on your behalf to collect any arears if the tenant misses a payment for any reason. They will also attend court or Rent Tribunals on your behalf if there is a dispute.
Maintenance and Property Car – Your agent will have a dedicated list of fully qualified contractors and trades people that can be used to carry out industry compliant maintenance or repairs. Your agent will handle all the negotiation for you seeking approvals where necessary and ensuring all communications is logged and all affected parties and kept informed in writing
Regular Inspections – Your agent will carry out quarterly property inspections making detailed notes and taking photographic evidence of condition so that it cannot be disputed at a later date. As an owner you can also request to attend an inspection with your agent.
Lease Terminations – when the lease ends, for whatever reason, a full final inspection will be carried out and the condition compared with the entry condition. Your agent will authorise the release of the tenants bond, once the exit conditions have been satisfied.