Renting from a private property in Canberra?

It can be worthwhile but u need to be careful. Make sure the landlord is local as some overseas landlords will not carry out any maintenance and do not answer emails. Make very sure all issues with the property are documented before signing a lease.

I have rented properties directly to tenants for many years and I have always found that it worked out well for both parties. A good owner will get things fixed much sooner than an average agent. Make sure a proper tenancy agreement is used, the rent bond is paid and correctly lodged, and a precise inventory is prepared. Never pay rent in cash – always lodge the rent into a bank account. The only time I have used an agent is in the country where local knowledge goes a long way – eg when the tenants pet turns out to be a fully grown bush pig (truly).

Humans can be rubbish sometimes but I would rather deal with the right human than a disinterested property manager.

Just get to know the landlord when you are looking around. It needs to be a good relationship so make sure it’s someone you would like to know and trust. If they feel the same way you will find your dream home.

Myself and Mrs Spykler are private landlords with a couple of properties. We have had very few issues with our private tenants and have gone the extra mile to ensure problems with the properties/ tenants are handled in a professional and respectful manner . We have lent furniture, handled the occassional missed payment, installed air con upon request, replaced hot water systems, planted veg gardens, unclogged gutters, replaced carpets etc..
In our experience, if you show a bit of respect it is often returned ten-fold.
Every one of our tenants has sworn never to go through an agent again ..

beejay76 said :

I’ve rented through agencies and through owners directly.

I have had the distinct impression that the landlords I dealt with didn’t want to pay for an agent because they were tight-arses. This meant they never spent a cent on the property that wasn’t required by legislation, and when they did, they did the crappiest job possible.

That’s not to say those landlords don’t also exist when renting through agents, and you do have the added benefit of not having to deal with property managers.

Similar experience here with my last rental, which was private, and I was separated and desperate.

When I moved in the place was a pigsty. There must’ve been 5 litres of sump oil on the floor in the garage, windows were broken, there were cigarette butts on the floor of the kitchen etc. The place had not been cleaned in any way after being trashed by scum, and I tidied it up myself.

My young son bumped into a window, and it cracked. He came around, measured the frame and then left a piece of glass at the door for me to remove the broken old glass and fit new glass. I am not a glazier. Hot water service blew in mid-winter and it took a week for him to get around to checking it out and replacing it. Etc etc…

When we left there was a mark about the size of a 20c piece on the carpet in the boys bedroom, so he replaced the carpet in that room, another room and the corridor for over $800 and took it out of the bond. He replaced an old fence, and then charged me to have the old fencing material taken to the tip. Various other bogus “repairs” and “cleaning” etc meant that he tried to keep the bond and also bill me for another $500 on top.

Went to the Tribunal, but I knew I was gonna be reamed when the nice lady running the show started off with something like “I haven’t had the time to read the submissions of either party, so what’s the story here?” I eventually lost about $600 from the bond, and I reckon I shouldn’t have had to pay a cent.

The whole thing was a bloody nightmare, I got ripped off and I would never do it ever again.

I rented privately once and would not recommend it to anyone. It was a total nightmare. The landlord was nothing short of a bully. I didn’t know at the time, but his extended family lived next door, so he was around every weekend checking on the house, making sure I wasn’t ripping him off somehow. When it came to having guests around, his family would dob me in. He started stripping the house of furniture and basically made life very uncomfortable. It got very nasty in the end; police, the tenancy union .. you get the picture. Unbelievably, there was a contract involved and I did hand over bond, but none of it really mattered, even when he started removing utilities like the phone. The tenancy authority couldn’t do sh*t other than ‘note my complaints for the future’.

When I moved to Canberra I checked out a lot of rentals. I came across one where the girl who I met said ‘my parents own this place and I just rent it from them’ .. I couldn’t get out quick enough.

Renting with agents tends to be hit and miss, like everything. I found most have never bothered me other than the inspection twice a year ..

beejay76 said :

I’ve rented through agencies and through owners directly.

I have had the distinct impression that the landlords I dealt with didn’t want to pay for an agent because they were tight-arses. This meant they never spent a cent on the property that wasn’t required by legislation, and when they did, they did the crappiest job possible.

That’s not to say those landlords don’t also exist when renting through agents, and you do have the added benefit of not having to deal with property managers.

Yeah – we rented through private landlord for 3 years and it was the best experience.

The reason he didn’t go through real estate was that he was smart enough to know the system and do it himself. He was a great landlord, fixed up and attended to anything we had problems with. He also wasn’t very strict with the odd ding in the wall or stain in the carpet when it came ot inspections.
It was a lot less stressful and was a great experience.

Rusquel said :

Grrrr said :

Zombie said :

I rented from private renters since I came to Canberra in 2005 ..

The main down side for us was that we could not count our rent as genuine savings to get a home loan.

You do mean rent you paid to someone else? Why would a bank count one of your expenses as a saving?

Or are you trying to say that you’re now landlords and someone was paying you money regularly yet the bank wouldn’t accept it? If it was paid into an account, then the banks are idiots for ignoring the statements. If you’re getting cash in hand – well, duh!

We had the same issue – when applying for a mortgage most lenders don’t accept evidence of rent paid to a private landlord as evidence that we could reliably and on-time pay a certain amount each week/fortnight/month. Would have been acceptable if it was paid to a real estate agency. Its not trying to count an expense as a ‘saving’ but to prove that you can pay for the roof over your head reliably. This is, of course, in addition to the various other things you need to prove to them when you’re asking them to pony up some serious dosh.

I guess this is not a issue for me cuz I’ve lived in the university accommodation for 2 years

arescarti42 said :

As Beau Locks said, check out the Tenants Union website. The contract you sign should be a variation of or the same as the Standard Tenancy Agreement, have a read through it.

By the looks of your username, you’re either 21 or 22 and may not have a rental history or a lot of income. You may well find that private landlords are less likely to knock back your application on this basis.

Well spotted lol, I’m still an undergraduate student.

So what do I need to notice if via agent?

Grrrr said :

Zombie said :

I rented from private renters since I came to Canberra in 2005 ..

The main down side for us was that we could not count our rent as genuine savings to get a home loan.

You do mean rent you paid to someone else? Why would a bank count one of your expenses as a saving?

If you are buying a house to live in, the bank can count the rent you are currently paying as ‘savings’ because you wont be paying that rent anymore. The rent you WERE paying will be going towards your new mortgage.