Inspecting your rental property

As a landlord, if you wish to inspect your property it is important to contact our office so that we can arrange the inspection date and time with the tenant. In accordance with legislation requirements we must give the tenant written notice of any inspections.

What does clean & fair wear & tear mean at the final inspection?

Carrying out a final inspection when a tenant vacates the property involves comparing the condition report completed at the commencement of the tenancy with the final condition that the tenant leaves the property at the end of tenancy.
Legislation states that the tenant must leave the property in the same condition as it was at the commencement of the tenancy, taking into consideration fair wear and tear.
It is a common expectation by landlords that the property is to be left in a perfect condition as it was at the commencement of the tenancy, without taking into consideration fair wear and tear.
The dictionary definition of clean is: not dirty, free from dirt or impurities, however you must take into consideration fair wear and tear, when determining if the property has been left clean.
The term fair wear and tear is not specifically defined in the Act or the Tenancy Agreement and therefore is open to interpretation.

A generalised definition of fair wear and tear is: something that happens during normal use or changes that happen with aging.
So where do we draw the line? This has been one of the ongoing challenges for many years.
It is a challenge that we as property managers have to deal with every time a tenant vacates your property.

Our office has very high expectations and standards when it comes to carrying out the final inspection. Albeit, we are starting to discover that our expectations and standards are sometimes considered above the industry standard and what the legal system (Small Claims Tribunal Courts) considers acceptable, allowing for fair wear and tear.

When determining fair wear and tear the following should be taken into consideration:

• The number of tenants that resided in the property

• The term of the tenancy

• The age of the fixtures & fittings
  
  

For example:
There is going to be a greater allowance for “fair wear and tear” if you have a property with a family of four children, who resided in the property for five years and no improvements/replacements were carried out with carpets, curtains & painting of walls etc - compared to a single couple who resided in the property for 6 months where the carpet, curtains and walls were painted in the last 12 months.

Our property management department has a reputation for offering people clean well maintained properties to live in.
We will continue to adopt the policy of “if it’s clean when a tenant moves in, then it will need to be the same when they move out”.
While adopting this policy, it is important for landlords to be aware that in some circumstances you maybe required to attend to a “post-tenant” clean if it is considered fair wear and tear.
A well-documented entry condition report will also strengthen our case if a dispute arises at the end of the tenancy.

Century 21 are expert property managers in Perth Western Australia. Property Management is our specialty.

Property Management in Perth requires a professional team ant that is what Century 21 offers you. We can take the worry out of property management for you. Call us to discuss how we can manage your house, home, apartment, condominium, flat, villa, duplex or even mansion!