Tenants

We have a number of tools to help find your new home quickly and efficiently with our friendly, personal Bees Nees touch! We are an agency interested in you as a tenant and we’ll firstly qualify your needs and wants to find you a home that matches these as closely as possible.

• Our online booking system allows you to register for the next inspection, or if one isn’t yet organised, we will notify you automatically as soon as it’s booked. Simply click on the Virtual Tour link on any rental home ad. All inspections are accompanied.
• New to Brisbane? If you’re trying to get a feel for rents in each area, send us a message with the suburb and we’ll send the most recent recorded average rents to you.

• Our Bees Nees Tenancy Application Form asks for references from past agents and landlords. Current employment will be confirmed and personal references may be contacted to help us confirm your suitability to rent the property, along with your capacity to cover your expenses. If you’re not currently employed a recent bank statement will be required.
• The application will need to be accompanied by a 100 point I.D. verification. Acceptable points of identification:

• We’ll also check your details against T.I.C.A. or other national data bases of defaulting tenant listings.
• Providing we can make ready contact with your references and the owner of the property our usual turnaround time for applications is 24 hours.
• Once we notify you of the approval we need you to return to the office to pay the first 2 weeks rent and bond (4 weeks). Only once you have made this rental payment can we secure the home for you and withdraw it from the market.

• Before we ask you to sign the Tenancy Agreement we’ll give you a full copy to read, along with the property’s Condition Report and a Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) Form 17A, a detailed booklet outlining your rights and obligations when renting in Queensland. It’s important you ask us prior to signing if you don’t understand anything in these documents.
• The Bond lodgement Form 2 must be completed to show any apportionment of the bond between multiple tenants.
• All tenants must sign the lease prior to us releasing keys to you.
• Condition Report: It is your responsibility to check through the condition report and add your comments – if necessary. Sign and date the Condition Report and and return to us to the office or post, fax or email within three days of your lease commencement as per the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act. If the report is not received in three days it will be taken that you have agreed with the report.

We can offer assistance with and information on:

• Our easy and efficient rent payment program
• Utilities connections
• Removalists
• Furniture and appliance rentals
• Insurances – contents and public liability

• We’ll advise you ahead of time when we’re carrying out the regular routine inspections with the first of these around 3 months after you move in. The primary role of these inspections is to advise the owner on the condition of their property and what, if any, maintenance is required. It’s not necessary that you are present for these as we generally have a management set of keys to gain access. This is also an opportunity for you to point out any maintenance issues needing attention.
• The property must be maintained as per the Residency Tenancies Agreement terms and conditions. Part of our agreement with the owner is to maintain a history of the property with potential repairs and refurbishments in mind and this will include the taking of photos.

• Bees Nees City Realty is your first point of contact for any maintenance. Please use our online Maintenance Form or if you call please make sure you advise your full contact details and give us a detailed description of what the problem is and whether you prefer to be there when the trades person calls with our management keys.
• See our maintenance checklist for quick suggestions on how to solve simple hiccups around the home.
• After Hours Emergencies: Listed on your lease document will be the contact details for our preferred contractors that handle our emergency after hours repairs.  Please check this list for contact numbers.  These may change from time to time and all tenants will receive an email advising of the change.  For all after hours emergency repairs you will still need to provide the details to the Property Manager as soon as possible.  If you call your own trades person be aware that if the problem is not deemed to be an emergency and is not the responsibility of the owner you may be required to pay the account.
• What is an “emergency repair”? The RTA list various items including a burst water service, blocked or broken toilet, serious roof leak, gas leak or a fault or damage that is likely to cause injury, undue inconvenience, or which makes the premises unsafe or insecure (like broken stairs, broken locks or a serious electrical fault).

• If you decide to move out please complete an RTA Form 13 “Notice of Intention to Leave” and contact us as soon as possible to discuss your move.
• Make sure you read our bond refund checklist for tips on making sure you get a full refund.

Sorry – we don’t provide a delivery service for spare keys but during business hours you can come to our office with your photo ID to borrow these. Outside of business hours you’ll need to contact a locksmith.

Use our online Maintenance Form where possible and please be precise as to the problem and provide details. You may be liable for the cost if the contractor advises that the problem was a result of your actions.

The law is fairly clear on this. The databases list a tenant who was named on a lease and owes a landlord money that exceeds their bondand where

a. they owe money under a Tribunal or RTA conciliation agreement or
b. they’ve been served with a notice to remedy a rent arrears breach and haven’t paid up or
c. they have abandoned the premises (and aren’t disputing this)

A tenant can also be listed on a default database where the Tribunal has terminated the tenancy for “objectionable behaviour” or for repeated breaches.

Tenants may need to organise and pay for a treatment if problems result from an unclean home with rubbish not stored properly for example. A condition of approving pets is that you will carry out regular flea treatments.

Due to safety concerns we regret we cannot accept cash. You have the choice of a money order, bank cheques or BPAY based system including payment by phone and internet from your account. Only one account per tenancy can be used for this purpose so you’ll need to organise any sharing arrangements yourself. We’ll give you details on the payment system when you sign your lease.

Please talk to your property manager as soon as possible as our daily arrears system will note your non-payment and you’ll be issued with warning letters and legal notices. With the owner’s consent we may be able to work out an arrears repayment schedule.

We do need you to contact us prior to making any holes in walls or securing any hook that will leave a permanent mark. Usually landlords will agree to a reasonable number of hooks on a wall provided they’re installed in a “tradesman-like manner”.

If you share a property with friends or family and either yourself or a flatmate needs to vacate they must provide this in writing via RTA Form 13 – Notice of Intention to Leave.  If another person will be moving in to the property after the lease is signed each new person must fill out our application form prior to moving in.  These applications need to be approved by the owner just as if it was a new tenancy for the property.  Please be advised that a fee maybe charged to you for application processing.  Check with your property manager.

Some owners will require the fixed term expiry date to be in the busier times of the year, i.e. January/February or June/July. This may mean your lease term differs to the usual 6 or 12 months.

See our checklist for making sure you get your full bond back. Using a cleaning checklist like this helps avoid potential call-backs. If you’re unsure what’s needed use a professional cleaner. If you do the basics first the cost may not be as high as you’d expect. Any damages should be remedied prior to vacating, and again, if in any doubt please use a professional tradesperson. For example using the wrong colour paint to cover a dent in a wall you’ve patched may finish up costing a lot more than fixing it properly the first time.

The police should be contacted in all instances and please also contact us, preferably in writing, giving us the full details. We’ll need a crime number from police to validate repairs to windows and doors etc. or you could be held liable for the damage. Please remember the landlord’s insurances will not cover your own contents and possessions and it’s wise to take out cover for this.