What to do when your lease is up

Most of us, at some point in our lives, find ourselves in a rental. For some, this is a preferred choice to maintain flexibility and mobility, but for others it could be a temporary situation whilst saving for a down payment.

Whatever the reason, there is nearly three in ten Australian households (29.6%) renting their dwelling according to the most recent census records.

These records also highlight that Northern Territory has the lowest home-ownership rates within Australia, sitting at around 46 per cent.

So given the fact that renting is fairly prevalent and a lot of focus is generally put on the topic of applying for a rental lease, here’s our advice on ‘what to do when your lease is up’.

When re-signing a lease

Once your initial fixed-term tenancy agreement has expired, there is the possibility that your landlord will be happy to have you continue on in the rental. This will be on a periodic agreement or a month-by-month agreement.

This means that the real estate agent or land lord has agreed to your tenancy outside of a fixed term. Your rights as a renter are still the same here.

If on the other hand you decide to renew the fixed-term tenancy agreement, always remember to read the fine print or ask your real estate agent for confirmation the lease terms haven’t changed.

When the decision is made to leave the property

If your lease is almost up and you have decided for whatever reason to move on from the property, you are required to let your real estate agent know within a certain notice period – this is usually 14 days prior to the lease ending in Northern Territory.

The situation is different if you decide to leave the property before the tenancy period is over, in this case you would need to speak with your property manager.

What to do before handing back the keys

So your lease is almost up and you have decided to move out instead of renewing the lease – keep in mind that there are rules and regulations (which differ from state to state) in place to assist renters in keeping a clean history.

These rules and regulations are also set in place so that the landlord/real estate can successfully place the property on the rental market again in a liveable condition.

We understand that moving house is stressful, so we suggest you start by ensuring the property is left in the same condition you found it. Make sure you look over your tenancy agreement to see if there are any special conditions, such as having the carpets and curtains professionally cleaned.

For Call2View rental properties the following items are required to be cleaned or attended to before vacating the property: windows, garden/lawns, floors, pool/spa (if applicable), as well as the removal of all property/rubbish, and general cleaning of walls/fixtures.

Once the property is cleaned a final inspection will take place where by the real estate agent will go through the ‘original condition report’ – the repayment of the bond will be based on the final condition of the property. Repeat inspections will be made for properties that have not appropriately attended to the vacating guidelines.

You should immediately advise the Power & Water Authority for disconnection once your final inspection has been conducted and approved.

The bond will be held until the end of your tenancy, given there is no issues with the final inspection. The bond repayment will be made directly to your bank account, providing you have supplied your bank details.

We appreciate and understand that moving is a time consuming process for our valued tenants. Therefore, to help avoid extra cleaning, gardening charges and rent, please request and use our Vacating Form for a full checklist of requirements.

Need to talk to us further about a current rental property or interested in renting a property Call2View has listed? Give us a call on (08) 8932 8858.