1. Communication
We ask that all communication with your Property Manager be put in writing (email preferred).
By putting your requests and/or questions in writing you will be able to protect yourselves and prove, if necessary, that the communication was in fact delivered.
Being in writing also ensures that the requested item/s are attended to and cannot be simply forgotten.
2. Our Standard Lease
Your lease is comprised of 3 parts (A, B and C).
The following slides will cover the lease you will be signing.
We recommend you have a pen and paper to jot down any questions you may have. Your Property Manager will answer any questions PRIOR to you signing the lease agreement.
The Lease – Part A
PARTIES TO THE AGREEMENT – Benchmark on behalf of the Lessor and you the tenant(s).
TERM OF AGREEMENT – The agreement is either for a fixed term or periodical term.
RESIDENTIAL PREMISES – The address is noted and any extraordinary inclusions/exclusions.
MAXIMUM # OF OCCUPANTS – No additional people are to reside at the property than those accepted. If any tenant to the lease vacates you must inform us immediately to complete a Bond Variation.
RENT – The weekly rent amount is listed, together with the “period” of each payment. This clause also states that rent must be kept ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE and when the first payment is to be made. (This will always be the start day of the lease).
SECURITY BOND – The security bond payable is 4x weekly rent, plus $260 if a pet has been accepted.
RENT INCREASE – The lessor may increase the rent no sooner than every 6 months, by no more than 10%. 60 days notice of such must be given. This applies to fixed term leases as well as periodical leases.
WATER SERVICES: Generally all properties in Perth are connected to water.
WATER USAGE COSTS: You will pay 100% of your water consumption cost.
PERMISSION TO CONTACT THE WATER SERVICES PROVIDER: The Water Corporation generally will not separate the water account, and since the lessor pays the water rates, we pay both rates and usage on their behalf and invoice you for the consumption portion.
ELECTRICITY, GAS AND OTHER UTILITIES: Houses are usually straightforward however in the case of units/apartments sometimes the utilities are not separately metered. This section sets out the calculation of bills if this the case.
STRATA BY-LAWS: If the rental property is governed by a strata, the by-laws will be attached and must be abided by.
PETS: Only the pets accepted upon application are to be kept at the premises (including outside). Permission must be sought for any other or additional. If a pet has been accepted, a Pet Lease will be accompanied to this lease as well.
RIGHT OF TENANT TO ASSIGN OR SUB-LET: Only the people named on the application and this lease may reside at the property. Approval must be sought for additional persons. Remember: if any tenant to this lease vacates, you must inform your Property Manager!
RIGHT OF TENANT TO AFFIX AND REMOVE FIXTURES: You must seek approval to affix, alter, renovate or make any addition to the premises. This includes painting, pictures hooks, 3M hooks, blutac, etc.
PROPERTY CONDITION REPORTS (Very important document)
You will be provided with 2 copies of the property condition report within 7 days of moving in. You must make any disagreements on this report, sign and date and return to our office within 7 days. Remember to use this report to return the property the same condition at the end of your lease.
You will receive a copy of the signed Property Condition Report once completed.
The Lease – Part B
RIGHT TO OCCUPY THE PREMISE – You have exclusive right to quiet enjoyment of the premises.
COPY OF AGREEMENT – you must be given a fully executed copy of the lease signed by all parties within 14 days.
RENT – Rent must be paid on time and in advance. We strictly issue breaches and terminations if payments are not received.
PAYMENT OF COUNCIL RATES, LAND TAX, WATER RATES etc – The lessor pays, not you.
PUBLIC UTILITY SERVICES – i.e. gas, electricity, and water usage. You will be responsible for these accounts.
POSSESSION OF THE PREMISES – You must be given the keys and vacant possession on the start date of this lease.
TENANTS RIGHT TO QUIET ENJOYMENT – We, nor the Lessor, can come around and interrupt you without providing the required written notice, unless you agree.
The Lease – Part C
1. REQUIREMENT FOR EXISTENCE OF LEASE
In order for this lease to be binding, all parties must have signed it, and you must have paid your bond monies and first 2 weeks worth of rent.
2. THE TENANT’S OBLIGATIONS
RENT – You must pay your rent punctually up to the end of your lease. You may be penalized $5000 if you intend for any rent monies to be deducted from your bond.
RENEGOTIATED FIXED TERM LEASE –The new rental amount can only take effect 30 days after a NEW lease begins.
RENT REVIEWS – Rent can increase by a maximum of 10% every 6 months. 60 days notice must be provided to you.
PETS – Only the pet(s) that has been accepted upon application can be kept on the premises. Any new pet requires a new pet application be accepted. No restricted breeds of dogs are allowed on the premises.
PET SECURITY BOND – If a pet has been accepted you must pay $260 as a pet bond. This may be applied to the cost of fumigation at the end of your lease.
SMOKING – Smoking is not permitted inside.
SERVICE – You must notify the gas and electricity utilities that you are now a tenant to the premises, and the opposite at the end of the lease. (If you ticked the box on your application for ConnectNow we will organise this for you).
TELEPHONE – The Lessor makes no representations about the availability of telephone lines or internet lines or services to the Premises. You must make your own enquiries. You are allowed to put in cabling and lines provided no damage is done to the Premises in installing or removing them and you pay all costs. Any cabling or lines left at the end of the tenancy with the Owner’s consent, becomes the property of the Owner. If the Owner requests the cabling or lines to be removed, You must remove them and make good any damage caused by the removal. (Foxtel, Satellite dishes etc must be approved.)
STRATA COMPANY – If applicable, you must comply with the Strata rules.
TENANT TO KEEP PREMISES CLEAN – You are required to keep the Premises in a clean and sanitary condition and free from dirt, oils, grease, insects, and vermin. You are responsible for the eradication of insect and vermin infestations caused by your activities or lack of cleanliness.
CHATTELS – You agree to keep all floors, floor coverings, skirting boards, walls, ceilings, windows, window treatments, doors (including glass if any), light fittings, fixtures and fittings (including reticulation fittings/sprinkler heads), and Inventory in the same condition as they were in at the commencement of this Lease and in accordance with the Property Condition Report (fair wear and tear excepted).
SMOKE ALARMS AND RCD’s – You agree to regularly check smoke alarms and RCDs and let us know if they aren’t working.
LIGHT GLOBES – It is your responsibility to change light globes and make sure they are all working when you vacate.
GARDENS – You must water, fertilize, weed and tidy the lawns and gardens regularly. Please do not remove any existing plants.
SWIMMING POOL/SPA – If the Premises includes a swimming pool or spa, You agree to:
Maintain the pool or spa and any associated equipment in a properly treated and clean condition. Please note that even if pool servicing is included in the rent, it is the Tenant’s responsibility to maintain the pool.
Observe all legal requirements during the period of this Lease(for example, gates must be kept closed).
Not to drain the pool without the Owner’s consent.
That all chemicals required to maintain the pool and/or spa water condition are to be purchased at your expense.
At the end of this Lease you agree to return the swimming pool, spa and equipment to a condition comparable with that at the commencement of the Lease.
If the Owner at the commencement of the Lease provides pool chemicals, then a comparable quantity of the same chemicals are to be provided by the Tenant at the end of the Lease.
You agree that at the end of the tenancy that you will secure all portable pool cleaning equipment in a locked area on the Premises.
You agree to provide to the Owner a certificate from a professional pool operator stating that the pool and all its apparatus, including the filter, are in good working order and in a hygienic safe condition at the end of this lease.
DAMAGE AND DISREPAIR – You are responsible for any damage or repairs that arise from or are attributable to an act or omission by you or your visitors. You agree to report all damage and any state of disrepair to the Premises within 3 days. Failure to do so will render the Tenant liable for all costs incurred by the Lessor as a result of such failure to report.
INSURANCE – You must no do anything to invalidate the Lessor’s insurance policy.
EXCESS ON INSURANCE – If the Lessor elects to use their insurance to cover any loss or damage caused by the tenant(s), then you are liable to pay the excess on the claim.
ALTERATIONS TO THE PREMISES – You cannot put up signs on, paint, use blue tack, adhesives, or drive nails/screws into or deface any part of the premises.
OBJECTIONABLE BEHAVIOUR – You must not interfere with the peace and privacy of neighbours.
WATER BEDS, AQUARIUM, SWIMMING POOL, SPA – You must get written consent to have any of these. Any damages to the premises will be at your cost even if you have received written consent.
LAUNDRY – You must not hang any articles on balconies or verandas (this mostly applies to apartment buildings).
INDEMNIFY THE LESSOR – You must compensate the Lessor for any loss as a result of:
- Any damage to the premises/chattels/furniture
- Any claim made against the lessor (damage or personal injury)
- Any matter arising from a breach of the permitted uses of the premises
INSPECTIONS – Provided we have given the required notice (7-14 days in writing), we or the Lessor may enter the premises. Photos will be taken at inspections.
KEYS AND ELECTRONIC KEYS – You must be provided with at least one set of keys. Any keys you get copied must be provided to our office at the end of the lease.
3. DEFAULT
If you are terminated because you have breached your lease agreement you will be responsible for damages and losses to the Lessor.
If you must break your lease/vacate prior to the expiry of your lease, you will be responsible for “Break of Lease fees”. (This will be covered in Additional Terms.)
4. END OF TENANCY
SWIMMING POOL AND SPA EQUIPMENT AT END OF TENANCY – If there is a pool/spa you must replace all the chemicals when you vacate and make sure all equipment is in a locked area on the premises.
MOVEMENT OF CHATTELS – You must return all items to their original position on the premises as noted on the property condition report.
CLEANING OF CARPETS – You must have the carpets professionally cleaned at the end of your lease and provide a copy of the receipt when you return keys.
5. DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS
If any clause contradicts are illegal, this clause will be void but all other clauses are effective.
Keys = All keys
Inventory = Furniture
Lessor = Owners of property but includes their Property Manager
If Tenant or Lessor comprises more than one person but written as singular it still binds all tenants or lessors.
6. PRIVACY ACT 1988 – COLLECTION NOTICE
We may provide information collected through the management of the tenancy to the Lessor, subsequent lessors, courts of law, other real estate agents and operators of tenancy reference databases.
7. ANNEXURES
Any attached annexures form part of this Lease.
Please take a few moments to read through each of the Additional Terms on pages 14 and 15 of your Lease Agreement.
We look forward to having you as tenants!
Benchmark Specialist Property Managers
Annexure
a) Rent and outgoings until the property is re-let
b) General upkeep of the property (lawn mowing, gardening, etc) at cost until the property is re-let
c) Reimbursing the Lessor for i) the unexpired portion of the leasing fee (this is calculated amount stipulated in the Management Authority divided by 365 days, multiplied by the remaining days left to the lease expiry), ii) advertising costs, iii) tenant enquiry fees, iv) tenant information pack fee, v) final bond inspection fee, vi) property condition report update fee, vii) the difference in rent up to the lease expiry should the rent be reduce to re-let.
- If the pet can carry parasites, the Tenant agrees to pay a $260 pet bond.
- If the premises are part of a strata scheme and the Strata owners resolve that pets cannot be kept on the premises, then the Tenant must have the pet immediately removed from the premises.
- The Tenant agrees to abide by any laws or by-laws of the local, city or state laws, licensing and health requirements regarding pets, including vaccinations
- The Tenant must keep the premises and pet clean, odour free, and free from parasites at all times.
- The Tenant agrees to keep the pet outside unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Lessor.
- The Lessor may at any time request a photograph of the pet and the Tenant must provide.
- The Tenant is liable or any damage to the Premises or injury caused by the pet and will pay the Lessor for any costs incurred as a result of such, including damage to garden, lawn, reticulation, fence, full area of carpet, skirting boards, etc.
- The Tenant warrants to have inspected the Premises and deems the Premises adequately enclosed, otherwise the Tenant agrees to make their own alternative arrangements to accommodate the pet without damaging the Premises.
- Should the fence at the Premises be damaged by causes other than Tenant or the pet, the Tenant must promptly notify the Lessor/Lessors Agent as well as make alternative arrangements to accommodate the pet until the fence is repaired.
- The Tenant is responsible for the cost of professional flea fumigation of the premises at the end of the tenancy.
- The approval for pets on the premises pertains only to those noted above and any additional or replacement pets must be approved by the Lessor in writing and subject to the above conditions.
- The pet shall not cause any sort of nuisance or disturbance to neighbours, their visitors or their pets, and must be kept controlled at all times.
- If the Tenant breaches the above conditions and fails to remedy any breach within 14 days after written notice of breach has been given, then the Tenant must immediately remove the pet from the Premises.