Thank you for your enquiry about our expert Property Management services. Our agency commenced in May 2010 with the desire to provide Total Peace of Mind in all Real Estate Transactions.

Within the first 4 years First National Surat Basin Chinchilla have become the market leaders in property management in Chinchilla - and its easy to see why.

In our office you will find a professional and highly experienced team dedicated to ensuring your investment property is working for you.

Warren Daniells,
Principal Licensee

First National Surat Basin Real Estate, Chinchilla.

Welcome to First National Surat Basin Real Estate Chinchilla, a fast-growing independent agency situated on the Warrego Highway in Chinchilla. With a population of approximately 8000, Chinchilla is at the heart of what is known as the “Surat Basin”, a flourishing energy province rich in coal deposits and coal-seam gas. Solar and Wind energy facilities, currently under construction are expected to bring a new dimension to the Surat Basin.

Our agency specialises in buying, selling and property management in Chinchilla, Miles and surrounding region. First National Surat Basin Chinchilla opened in Chinchilla in May 2010 and has grown considerably under the dynamic leadership of Warren Daniells & his team.

From selling rural properties to residential homes, units, commercial and industrial real estate, plus providing premium property management service, we are here to provide total peace of mind in all real estate transactions & take the stress out of your investment.

Make First National Surat Basin Real Estate Chinchilla your first choice in all real estate matters, because we put you first!  

Ultimately, it is not the Agency who determines the rent on your property - it is the rental market. 

Our Investor Relations/ Leasing Manager will guide you with the local knowledge & market guidance to establish the rent, to successfully do this we need to assess the following 3 factors:

• The price you want to achieve - is it realistic or could you achieve more?
• Recent comparable rental market analysis 
• Property features and presentation

It is critical that the rental figure is in keeping with current market conditions. Properties that are priced correctly rent quickly. Properties that are over-priced can take longer to rent and may ultimately require a price reduction. The result of over-pricing could ultimately mean a loss of income to you.

Here at First National Surat Basin Real Estate we believe one of the most important aspects of successful property management is securing the best tenant for your property in the shortest amount of time – and for the best current rent. At First National Real Estate Surat Basin Chinchilla, we have implemented strategies to ensure this is achieved.

Marketing your property

To ensure your property is receiving maximum exposure and to keep vacancy periods to a minimum, we employ the following marketing and advertising strategies:
Listing placed on 7 major websites including:

Tenant Selection Process

Once a prospective tenant has been found through our marketing and inspection process, strict application protocols are in place. As well as undergoing a reference check through "TICA" The Tenancy Information Centre of Australia default database & Barclay MIS default database, every tenant must prove their eligibility by providing the following information:

✓ Supporting proof of income for payment of rent
✓ Two rental references from previous landlords or agents, along with a full rental history ledger or rental payment receipts

✓Two personal references 
✓ Proof of current address – phone, electricity, bank or credit card account
✓ Photo identification – passport, driver’s licence or 18+ card
 

On approval of a tenant’s application all monies must be paid in full by direct deposit, bank cheque or money order.

We have a zero-tolerance policy for tenants who fall behind in rent payment and procedures in place to minimize any loss of income to the property owner. In accordance with the law, our office makes phone calls, sends SMS notifications, emails and issues the appropriate Residential Tenancies Authority notices.

Our office maintains strict arrears procedures, including daily arrears management to ensure tenants are made aware of their responsibility to pay rent on time and the consequences of non-payment. Should a tenant fall behind in their rent, the following steps are taken as per the legislation.

• A phone call is made once the tenant falls more than three days behind in rent. If the tenant is not contactable an SMS will be sent
• A Form 11 – Notice to Remedy Breach is hand delivered to the property letter box once the tenant is eight days in arrears. The law allows the tenant seven days to remedy the breach
• A Form 12 – Notice to Leave is issued if the breach is not remedied (providing we have your written instructions to do so)
• If the tenant fails to vacate as per the expiry date of the notice, we apply for a hearing through the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal to terminate the tenancy, with your approval
• Should this situation occur, we will keep you informed of the progression from the notice to remedy through to termination of the tenancy agreement

Note: Our tenancy arrears are minimized by our strict tenant selection processes.

Routine inspections

Regular routine inspections are essential to effectively manage your investment property.

• An entry condition report plus a photographic report is prepared at the beginning of the tenancy
• Regular inspections are performed throughout the year and a written and photographic report is created
• This inspection report is sent to you highlighting any areas of concern, recommendations for maintenance and suggestions for improvements
• Exit condition reports are then checked against the original entry condition report
• We also carry out drive-by inspections on a regular basis to monitor the external surroundings

Repairs and maintenance

Your instructions are our guide to managing the repairs and maintenance of your property. If repairs are required, we will contact you to seek your instructions prior to arranging the repairs. For more significant work, we may obtain quotes and keep you abreast of any work to be carried out. It is our recommendation that you have a building and pest report carried out on your property every two years.           

Emergency repairs and maintenance

Please note we have a duty of care to rectify an emergency maintenance matter as soon as possible after it has been reported. Emergency repairs are dealt with as just that – an emergency. In this situation we will immediately arrange for a tradesperson to attend to the repair. Emergency Repairs are specifically defined in the RTRA Act. Some examples are no hot water, a serious roof leak, a burst water pipe, a blocked toilet, a gas leak, a dangerous electrical fault. If the repair has been caused by the tenant, there is provision in the legislation for the tenant to pay for the repairs.

Payment of repairs

All repairs will need to be paid for upon completion. Therefore, if the rental income is insufficient to cover the works carried out, we may require you to deposit funds into our trust account. You may also prefer to pay the invoice directly. All invoices are created in the name of the owner and remain the responsibility of the owner at all times.

Tradespeople

We only engage tradespeople who are qualified, licensed and carry public liability insurance. In the event of emergency repairs required on the weekend, an after-hours rate may apply.

Water charges

Queensland legislation allows property owners to pass on the full water consumption costs to tenants provided minimum criteria have been met. We recommend you ensure your property is water efficient by engaging a licensed plumber to inspect the property and provide a compliance certificate. Once you have paid your water notice to the council, forward a copy of the notice to our office and we will seek reimbursement from the tenant in accordance with the terms of the tenancy agreement.

Rental Income disbursement

Electronic payments of rental income are made on the first working day of the new month and on 15th day of the month. We find most property owners greatly appreciate receiving twice monthly payments, as these considerably reduce interest payments on their mortgage.

Statements

Your monthly statement will be emailed to you on the first working day of the new month, together with a copy of any invoices paid during that month. Financial year statements are provided separately on 1 July each year.

Communication

We like to communicate with you via email – this is the most efficient form of communication and is also environmentally friendly. Of course, you are welcome to phone our staff at any time. We will often require written instructions from you, so please also ensure we have your contact details for your preferred method of written communication, such as your email address or postal address.

Insurance

We require a copy of your Insurance Certificate of Currency, demonstrating a minimum of $10 million public/legal liability cover. Your insurance company can easily provide this for you.
Many unit owners in a strata-managed complex often question why they need to insure for public/legal liability for the unit, when the body corporate has this cover. The answer is in the question “The Body Corporate has the cover”, not the owner of the individual unit. Therefore, it is imperative you have adequate protection. We strongly recommend you discuss this matter with your insurance broker.

Online access to our Trust Account program.

Our owners are provided with a dedicated owner portal. This allows 24/7 access to documents such as tenancy agreements, routine inspection reports, entry and exit reports including photos, activity summaries for work orders, historical statements and invoices, current financial status of their properties.

As a property investor, there are other legal and financial obligations you need to be aware of. To ensure you are complying with the relevant legislation we strongly recommend you visit these websites and speak to First National Real Estate Surat Basin Chinchilla if you have any further queries.

INSURANCE

• Terri Scheer Landlord Preferred Policy www.terrischeer.com.au
• AON Rental Protection Plus landlord insurance www.aon.com.au/australia

SAFETY LEGISLATION

• Smoke Alarms, safety switches and pool fencing laws
  • www.rta.qld.gov.au/Resources/Fact-Sheets
  • dlgp.qld.gov.au/plumbing-building-resources/pool-safety.html
• Corded Blinds Safety Policy
  • www.qld.gov.au/law/your-rights/consumer-rights-complaints-and-scams/product-safety-for-consumers

WATER USAGE CHARGES

• www.rta.qld.gov.au/Resources/Fact-Sheets

TAX DEPRECIATION

• https://www.bmtqs.com.au/pay-less-tax

Why have landlord insurance?

Your investment is extremely valuable and there is protection available to ensure you are not left out of pocket in the event an unexpected or unfortunate situation occurs. Whilst all care is taken when choosing your tenant and managing your property, unforeseen situations can arise.

Specialised landlord insurance policies are available and can provide peace of mind that your rental income and investment property are protected against ricks such as:

• Loss of rent
• Accidental loss or damage
• Malicious damage
• Legal liability
• Tax audit

We recommend Terri Scheer Insurance or AON Insurance for competitively priced annual premiums that are fully tax deductible.

The Product Disclosure Statement and Financial Services Guide are available from Terri Scheer Insurance Brokers on (07) 3216 9555 or at www.terrischeer.com.au, or from AON on 1800 105 900 or www.aon.com.au

BARCLAY MIS DEBT COLLECTION

All new managements with First National Real Estate Surat Basin Chinchilla receive a complimentary Barclay MIS Protect and Collect subscription, at no cost to you up until 31st October. This service is an ongoing service at $66 per year.

Through Protect and Collect you are provided with a support service designed to increase your leverage if a tenant becomes problematic. Barclay’s will help with rent arrears, and claiming costs back from vacated tenants. We recommend having this service as we have found success in them helping tenants get back on track with rent arrears or recovering costs from vacated tenants.

If you don't want to be part of this service, please advise that way once your free period has expired, we will not charge you for the annual $66 fee. If you have already been with Barclays or declined their services in the past you will be issued with an invoice for $66.00 for the annual fee. If an unfortunate circumstance arises, the Barclay Protect & Collect Plan guarantees that the appropriate recovery processes will be carried out.

In consideration of the trust, you have shown our agency, we guarantee to provide you with the best possible service in the management of your investment property.

• Your property will be listed on our rental property guide as soon as a notice to vacate has been received from an existing tenant and with your approval
• We will access our existing prospective tenant database and arrange inspections with suitable tenants
• We will maintain regular contact with you throughout the pre-lease period to provide an activity update, including comments received by prospective tenants about your property
• We will advise you of all applications from prospective tenants
• We will conduct thorough checks on tenants applying for your property (as permitted by law) to ensure that, to the best of our knowledge, the information given to us is accurate and the tenant is able to fulfil all obligations as per the tenancy agreement
• We will conduct thorough internal and external inspections of your property every three to four months and will provide you with a comprehensive written and photographic report following each inspection
• We will attend to all maintenance repairs as quickly as possible as per the management agreement. We will also advise or suggest any ongoing maintenance requirements which will keep your property in optimum condition to retain the best possible market value
• We will carry out rent arrears checks daily and immediately follow up on any outstanding monies owing, taking prompt action in accordance with the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act.

Should we fail to perform in any of the above arrears, we invite you to register your complaint in writing. If the complaint is not acted upon and rectified within seven days of the receipt of your letter, you have the option to cancel our agency’s appointment as outlined in the POA Form 6. If this occurs within the first three months of management, we will refund the management fee charged.

It’s simple!

We take care of the necessary paperwork for you.

Simply call us on (07) 4669 1790 then complete and sign the drafted letter via the button below. Then email the completed letter to our office leasing@sbfn.com.au
I hope this summary of our services has assured you that you have made the right decision by talking to us here at First National Real Estate Surat Basin Chinchilla.