Congratulations on your decision to apply for a property to rent.

Preparing Your Application

Before searching for, visiting, or applying for a rental property, it is important to prefill your application form so that it’s ready to go should you find a property that you wish to apply for, this ensures that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to lease the property.

How to apply:

  1. Apply via the Kate Storey Realty website
  2. Create an ignite account online through realestate.com.au
  3. Obtain a paper-based application from our offices

You can start filling in your personal information to help you stand out and secure a rental property in Tasmania.

You will be asked to state information about the following:

  • who you are
  • how many dependents you have
  • whether you have pets
  • the number of vehicles that will be parked at the property
  • your previous years of living history, owned property, sold property
  • references from your previous landlord/property manager
  • your employment history and references if applicable
  • an emergency contact who will not be living with you

You will need to provide supporting documents with your application to prove your identity, your income and provide your personal information record so that property managers can assess that the rent payable is affordable for you; and that you have no outstanding debts or bankruptcy that will affect your rent affordability and photo ID so that you can be formally identified.

  • Photo Identification – Driver’s Licence, Passport, or other forms of photo ID
  • Proof of Income – payslips, Australian government income, other income
  • Personal Information Record – can be obtained online or in person via the Tasmanian Collection Service
  • Equifax or Veda Information Record – for interstate rental applicants only who do not reside in Tasmania

Anyone over the age of 18 living at the property will need to submit their own individual application.

The application form will ask for references, such as employment references and past rental property landlords/property managers. It is advised to contact your chosen references before you put them on your application form reference list. By asking your referee’s permission in advance, it can ensure they will be available to answer their phone or email promptly.

This makes the application process much smoother and quicker.

The types of references we ask for are as follows: an employer, current or previous landlord, property manager, and sales agent references – if you have sold a home in the past.  If you don’t have these types of references, that is okay. We still encourage you to apply as there are many criteria that we look at when processing applications.

Once you have completed the above, you can then submit your application for the desired rental property.

What happens next?

Once your application is submitted, the property manager will contact your referees and your employer (if applicable), review your income, formally identify you, complete the necessary reference checks, and assess your application results with the landlord.

The property manager will contact you to advise on the outcome of your application.

This process from application submission generally takes between 2 – 4 days.

Successful applicant next steps:

The successful applicant will receive correspondence from the property manager for the following:

Your property manager will email you a copy of your lease agreement for you to read through and sign electronically. Alternatively, you can attend the office by appointment to sign the lease agreement in person. You will receive a copy of the lease agreement at the time of signing.

The tenancy agreement details your rights and responsibilities as a tenant in Tasmania. This includes tenants’ cleaning obligations during and at the end of your tenancy, whether or not pets are allowed, and what will happen if you fall into arrears with your rent, routine inspections, and much more.

When you begin your tenancy, you are expected to maintain the same condition of your Tasmanian rental property, less wear and tear throughout the tenancy.

You will be asked to pay a bond for the property. Bonds will be held in trust with the Department of Justice.

The amount of bond payable in Tasmania is equivalent to 4 weeks rent.  Therefore, if the weekly rent is $400 per week, your bond will be $1600.

Your property manager will email you a link from the “online my bond portal” and via this link, you can register as a tenant in Tasmania and pay for your bond online.

The bond is held as security. Your bond will only be returned once it has been established that all rent and invoices have been paid as required, and the property has been returned in its original condition upon vacate as per the entry condition report (less fair wear and tear).

You will be required to make a minimum payment of 2 weeks’ rent upfront for the premises you have been approved to rent. The maximum upfront payment you can make is 1 month’s rent upfront.

Your property manager will reach out to you and coordinate a date and time suitable for you to collect house keys from the office.

Your Property Manager cannot legally release the keys to the property to you any earlier than the lease start date.

It is encouraged that all tenants named on the lease should attend the key collection appointment.

Your property manager will attend to the rental property prior to your tenancy start date and create a written entry condition report. They also will take hundreds of photos of the property interior and exterior. The property entry condition report is used as a record to determine the condition of the property at the commencement of the tenancy.  The report also ensures that you are not held responsible for pre-existing damage when vacating the property.

You will be provided with a paper-based copy and an online editable copy.

We ask that all tenants, when they collect the house keys, attend the property and read through the report to ensure that tenants are in agreement with the written condition noted of each room and the property exterior.

Tenants then must return the report to the agency with their additions or any disagreements clearly noted within 2 working days. It is good practice to take photos prior to moving in while reviewing the condition report. This report and photos are relied upon to decide damage if any and bond disputes.

If the condition report is not returned to the agency with any additions or changes, it is then assumed that the tenants agree with all the written notes the property manager has originally made, and this forms the legal condition of the property for the term of the tenancy.

Routine Inspections

What are Routine Inspections?  What do I do to prepare for them? And when are they carried out?

Routine inspections will be carried out by your Kate Storey Realty Property Manager to ensure the property is being maintained and well cared for throughout the tenancy. The property manager inspects the home and reports findings to the landlord.

Routine inspections are the perfect opportunity for tenants to point out any maintenance or repairs required around the home. (You can also report maintenance at any other time to your property manager).

Inspections will be carried out at your rental property every 4 months, including one in the first 6 – 8 weeks.

It is highly recommended that tenants attend to the following prior to each routine inspection:

  • Routine cleaning (e.g. dusting, making beds, sweeping/vacuuming, and cleaning kitchen and bathroom surfaces)
  • Removing any mold from surfaces
  • Lawn mowing, weeding and gardening
  • Tidying up outside areas (e.g. decks, patios)

There are three classifications of repairs: Emergency, Urgent, and General

Emergency Repairs

Emergency repairs arise when damage occurs to the property and the damage is likely to worsen or cause the property to deteriorate. The tenant must inform the landlord as soon as practicable.

Urgent Repairs

Urgent repairs arise when an essential service ceases to function. A tenant must inform the landlord of the need for urgent repair as soon as practicable, and in turn, the landlord must have the essential service restored as soon as practicable. Essential services include: water, sewerage, electricity, cooking stove and oven, hot water service, removal of grey water, and any working heating appliances supplied with the property. Tap washers and inaccessible light globes will be deemed to be urgent repair and therefore a landlord responsibility. Standard, accessible light globes are the responsibility of the tenant.

General Repairs

General repairs are repairs that are not deemed urgent or emergency. A tenant is required to inform the landlord of the need for any repairs within 7 days of that need arising. The landlord is then required to carry out the repairs within 28 days. The landlord is only required to repair problems that are not the fault of the tenant.

If a tenant wants to undertake repairs, they must get the permission of the landlord. If an item is unable to be repaired, the item is to be replaced with another that serves the same primary function and functions to a similar standard as the item before it was required to be repaired

Emergency repairs arise when damage occurs to the property and the damage is likely to worsen or cause the property to deteriorate. The tenant must inform the landlord as soon as practicable.

Urgent repairs arise when an essential service ceases to function. A tenant must inform the landlord of the need for urgent repair as soon as practicable, and in turn, the landlord must have the essential service restored as soon as practicable. Essential services include: water, sewerage, electricity, cooking stove and oven, hot water service, removal of grey water, and any working heating appliances supplied with the property. Tap washers and inaccessible light globes will be deemed to be urgent repair and therefore a landlord responsibility. Standard, accessible light globes are the responsibility of the tenant.

General repairs are repairs that are not deemed urgent or emergency. A tenant is required to inform the landlord of the need for any repairs within 7 days of that need arising. The landlord is then required to carry out the repairs within 28 days. The landlord is only required to repair problems that are not the fault of the tenant.

If a tenant wants to undertake repairs, they must get the permission of the landlord. If an item is unable to be repaired, the item is to be replaced with another that serves the same primary function and functions to a similar standard as the item before it was required to be repaired

Tenants must keep the property clean and must not allow or cause intentional damage to occur to the property. If damage occurs, whether accidental or intentional and if repairs are required, the tenant must notify the agency within 7 days of the damage occurring and put in place steps to rectify the damage at the tenant’s cost.

Rent Arrears

Rent arrears occur when rent has not been paid for the period a tenant is in the property. If rent is regularly paid late, there is a breach of the ‘rent in advance’ clause in the Act. It is a condition of all lease agreements that rent must be paid when it falls due.

Should a tenant get behind in rent, the agency may give a Notice to Vacate (eviction notice) to the tenant for rent arrears. This notice must specify the amount of arrears owing at the time the notice is provided. A Notice to Vacate for rent arrears must give at least 14 clear days’ notice to solve the problem: – to pay the arrears owing, remedying the problem (and therefore no further action can be taken) OR– to vacate the property (note that any rent arrears may be taken from your bond).

If the rent arrears is not paid within 14 days of receiving the Notice to Vacate, or a tenant receives three Notices to Vacate for rent arrears during a 12 month period, the landlord is entitled to apply to the Magistrates Court to evict.

Rent Reviews

Periodically, we review the rent for the property to ensure that the asking rent is within the correct market range.  Rent prices fluctuate due to market conditions and changes.

A landlord can increase the rent for a non-fixed term lease or a fixed term lease that explicitly allows for rent increases to occur.

The increase notice must be in writing, stating the new rent and the day on which the increase takes effect. The tenant must be given at least 60 clear days’ notice and there must be at least 12 months between increases.

Ending a Tenancy Agreement

If you decide to end your tenancy agreement, it is very important that you contact your Kate Storey Realty property manager to discuss your legal requirements regarding ending your tenancy, as written notice periods in Tasmania are required.

Once the property manager has received formal written notification that you will be leaving, they will contact you and advise you of the legal requirements for handing over vacant possession of the property.

Your bond will only be returned once it has been established that all rent and invoices have been paid as required, and the property has been returned in its original condition as per the entry condition report (less fair wear and tear).

If keys are not returned within the appropriate time frame, additional days of rent may be payable, and locks may need to be changed if the keys are not returned at all, leaving the tenants liable for the cost.

Your tenancy agreement is a legally binding contract. There is no obligation of the landlord to release a tenant early from a fixed-term agreement. If your situation changes and you’re considering breaking the lease, please contact your property manager to discuss the options that may be available.

A tenant breaking the lease is responsible to continue paying rent until a new lease starts or until the end date of their lease, whichever happens first.

The tenant will be liable to pay re-advertising costs in a break lease situation.

When the keys have been returned to the agency by the tenant, the property manager will attend to perform the exit inspection/report.

The Entry condition report is used again as a comparative tool to determine that the tenants have left the property in the same condition at the commencement of the tenancy, less wear and tear. Your property manager will then perform the exit report and report back to the tenants with their findings.

Should there be any areas of the property that differ from the signed entry condition report, your property manager will contact you.

For example, in the Entry Condition report, if the shower was clean at the commencement of the tenancy and the shower was found to be unclean at the exit inspection, the property manager will contact the tenant and ask the tenant to return to the premises to clean the shower.The property manager will provide the evidence to the tenant (photos taken at the commencement of the tenancy (Entry Report) and photos of the Exit Inspection to show the tenant the significant difference in cleanliness.

If the tenant is unable to return to the property to rectify the issue or disputes the matter, the property manager can engage a cleaning business to attend and clean the shower. The property manager will then submit a bond claim to recoup the costs of the cleaning via the tenant’s bond. They will provide all the written and photographic evidence to the Rental Deposit Authority, and the Residential Tenancy Commission Office will make a determination on how to allocate the bond in accordance to the Tasmanian Tenancy Act 1997.