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Lessors

Freeman Fox Property Management

Our Vision: To provide an ethical and professional, total Property Management service
focused on excellent communication and the highest standard of care for our Landlords, Tenants and
Properties.

Our Mission: To remain diligent in maintaining a competitive advantage and developing a
respected brand. We commit to this by;

  • Being consistently present in the market with innovative marketing strategies;
  • Empowering each team member with continual training and knowledge;
  • Keeping promises;
  • Engaging only the best business practices;
  • Employing only customer focused people;
  • Continually reviewing our procedures and goals;
  • Believing that we are each valued in our team and are important to our success;
  • Staying dedicated to the successful Freeman Fox values of integrity, excellence, education,
    service and teamwork.

"When we succeed in making a difference in your life, we succeed in making a difference in ours"

Points of Difference - Our Personal Touches

Freeman Fox Property Management don’t have one POINT of Difference, rather many POINTS of
difference… Often it’s the little things that really set apart successful businesses.

  • 5 Free Photographs Per Year - With one of our yearly routine inspection reports, you will receive 5 free photographs highlighting the condition of your property. This will allow you to see any areas that may require attention.
  • Discount to Wealth Club Members - We value those who are loyal to us and therefore are offering you our services at a discounted rate. It is unlikely you will find less expensive, quality Property Management anywhere within Queensland. Refer to our schedule of fees for the discount that applies to you.
  • Professionally Registered & Fully Trained Property Manager’s Caring For Your Property - All of our staff holds appropriate licences and qualifications to care for your property.
  • Corporate Services Accounts - Your account is professionally handled by our Corporate Services Accounts section, rather than Property Managers. This frees your Property Manager to be properly attending to your property as well as ensures prompt and correct payments.
  • Fortnightly Disbursements - Have access to your money every fortnight rather than every month and pay off your mortgage quicker.
  • Marketing Department - Our marketing division handles all of the advertising of your property. This ensures we advertise your property creatively and correctly.
  • Guaranteed Service - In the unlikely event you are dissatisfied with our service, please follow the instructions for lodging a complaint with our company. Once substantiated, you will be refunded one full month’s management fee.

~ Not only for you, but also for your tenants ~

Your tenants also deserve the highest standard of care and therefore, we also offer to them the following;

  • Upon signing a lease with us, your tenants will be given a comprehensive Leasing Pack. This pack includes useful information such as Bin & Sprinkler days, suburb facilities, helpful cleaning hints which include quick-fix methods and contacts in case emergency repairs are required.
  • A small Thank You gift is also waiting for your tenants in their new home. It’s just another way of welcoming them to your property and our family.
  • A Guarantee Certificate is also issued to your tenants regarding our efficiency towards rectifying any maintenance issues. This is often a tenant’s major cause for complaint against agents. We guarantee that we will have any maintenance items quickly and efficiently dealt with, with minimum fuss to your tenants.
  • Your tenants will be made to feel special with E Cards sent for their birthdays and on the anniversary of moving into your property.
  • When the property is routinely inspected, a small Thank You gift is also given to the tenants.

Communication is the Key

Freeman Fox Property recognises the importance of Communication. Our mission statement is built around communication and we take seriously our Fiduciary Duty to you to care for your property and communicate to you all happenings.

We also understand that in so far as each property varies, so can the requirements of each Landlord. Some Landlords do not wish to be notified of minor management issues, while other landlords wish to be notified of all happenings. At Freeman Fox, we welcome your specific requests regarding required levels of communication and will abide by them throughout our association with your property.

Each week, you will be emailed updates on the success of our Internet advertising with reports detailing how many hits we are achieving as well as where these are coming from. As “Wealth Club” members, you will continue to receive ‘Market Fox’, the weekly market update, as well as ‘Freedom’ the quarterly magazine.

You can also expect the highest standard of communication when your tenant’s lease is due for renewal, when notification is received that your tenant is vacating, whilst your property is being re-let and on any maintenance issues. Again though, this will all be dependent on the level of communication you require. You can be assured though, when you need us, we will be there.

Securing the Best Resident for Your Property

Securing the best tenant for your property is of paramount importance, as it ensures your property will be properly cared for and makes our job just a little easier. Therefore prospective tenants are qualified and carefully selected through our extensive application process. Previous rental history for at least 12 months, employment confirmation and personal references are required along with 100 points of identification. Our process ensures that your tenant has a proven leasing track record and the financial means to meet rental commitments. We also subscribe to TICA (Tenancy Information Centre of Australia). TICA is a database for defaulting tenants spanning Australia & New Zealand and provides considerable additional resources for tenant screening.

Advertising/Marketing for Maximum Occupancy

We achieve vacancy rates consistently below the industry average through proactive marketing to achieve optimum exposure for your property.

~ Benefit from a High Profile ~

Freeman Fox is not only a Real Estate Agency. Employing our services means you also employ Financial Controllers, Customer Service Officers, Sales Persons, Marketing Specialists, Corporate Services Division, Stockbrokers, Loan Officers, HR Personnel, and a 77,000 strong database of investors! Our considerable advertising power through word-of-mouth, our website and marketing newsletters ensures that our name is consistently on the tip of people’s tongues when they are considering anything to do with investment.

We use this considerable power to fuel our Leasing Division. We use only the best advertising mediums to ensure that your property receives maximum exposure.

~ Your 24 hour/7 days per week Window to the World ~

We take your property to the market through high impact advertising in various media:

  • Internet - realestate.com.au and domain.com.au are the top two rental websites in the Australia. Many rental agencies may use one of the websites, but little, if any, use both. www.realestate.com.au is especially prominent in Queensland while www.domain.com.au is more renowned in New South Wales. Both websites accommodate colour photographs, floor plans and detailed descriptions of your property. realestate.com.au also offers E Brochure which allows us to email a brochure of your property directly to people that have specifically requested for properties that match the description of yours. Your property will also be listed on our comprehensive Freeman Fox Website - www.freemanfox.com.au. Through these industry leading sites, prospective tenants will be taken through a pictorial slide show of your property, giving your property 24 hour worldwide exposure.
  • Newspaper Advertising - We receive discounted corporate rates with The Courier Mail which will be directly passed onto you. The Courier Mail is Brisbane’s premier newspaper, reaching over 611,298 people Queensland-wide each week. There is a special section devoted to Real Estate

~ Free of Charge ~

There are many ways in which we promote your property - free of charge!

  • Distinctive onsite “For Rental” signage - We find that something as simple as the rental sign is an extremely effective & inexpensive marketing tool. We will place a rental sign on your property site within 48 hours of receipt of your tenant’s notice of intention to leave.
  • Properties of the Week - Properties will be selected and attached to the bottom of all emails sent from our Property Managers’ computers.
  • Relocation Agents - A list of available properties will be distributed to Relocations Agents and businesses in the area.
  • Local Universities - If suitable and on your approval, your property will also be listed on various local University sites.
  • Referral system - We have a referral system in place with selected agencies and rental complexes within Brisbane.

Compliance Simplified

We ensure full compliance with complex tenancy regulations, saving you valuable time and assuring you peace of mind. The Residential Tenancy Act (1994), designed to protect the rights of tenants, does impose many obligations and restrictions on property owners. Our staff is familiar with the Tenancy Act as well as with relevant REIQ and Fair Trading Legislation.

We also ensure that our staff are regularly trained and updated on the ever-changing legal issues with regards to Property Management and Legal & Public Liability.

Maximising Rental Returns, Minimising Vacancy Periods, Lease Renewals

We recognise that this is possibly your principal reason for having a Property Management Team manage your property and your major cause for concern. We have devised a lease renewal system that provides us at least one month’s written notice from your tenants rather than the permissible 14 days notice under the Residential Tenancies Act.

This system allows us extra time to advertise your property and also because there is less pressure on the time in which to rent your property, we are able to advertise your property at a premium rental rate.

All lease negotiations will be handled by our specialised leasing team. Jodie and Kate are both leasing specialists and recognise that your best interests need to be represented at all times. We work to have your lease due for renewal in the optimum periods of the year, thereby increasing your chance of a rental increase. Some months are better than others, so don’t be alarmed if we suggest a 13 month or 4 month lease. It just means that when the lease is due for renewal, you are more likely to achieve a rental increase or should your tenants wish to vacate at the expiration of their lease, your property will be available in the best times of the year when competition for rentals is at its highest.

Income Security - Rental Arrears & Arrears Control

Your tenants are educated upon sign-up that rental arrears will not be tolerated and that they must pay their rent at least two weeks in advance. Your tenants are offered Rental Rewards, a unique system to Property Management whereby your tenants can pay their rent either via credit card (earning valuable rewards points) or via their statement account. They are also able to pay via internet, phone or direct debit, making paying rent as easy as possible. Therefore, there really are no excuses for late payments. Payment status is monitored daily, with any late payments followed up with friendly reminders and if necessary with a formal remedy breach notice.

This usually encourages prompt payments in the future, as tenants are made aware that regular arrears and breaches of their General Tenancy Agreement will not only affect any future rental reference, but may in some circumstances cause us to issue a “Notice to Leave” the property. Of course, any such action would only be taken on your authority.

A rental bond, equivalent to at least four weeks rent, is required before your tenants enter your property. This is held in trust by the Residential Tenancy Authority until such time as your tenants vacate. The primary reason to take a bond is to ensure that your property will be properly cared for. We are permitted to take a larger bond than the four weeks rent if your property is more than $500 per week, however we usually find that four weeks rent is sufficient.

Regular Routine Inspections

Routine inspections form a major part in our care for your property. Prior to each new tenancy, a thorough Entry Condition report is prepared. This is used particularly at the end of the tenancy to compare the condition of the property from the start of the tenancy term to the end. Please be aware that whilst fair wear and tear is inevitable, we do insist that tenants leave the property in an appropriate and acceptable condition at the termination of the lease.

Routine Inspections will be carried out twice per year to ensure that your property is being well
maintained. You will be provided with a report after each inspection detailing any recommended, future and preventative maintenance. As mentioned in our ‘Points of Difference’ section, once per year, we will also take 5 photographs to give you an overall appreciation of how your property is being kept.

If you would like to accompany our staff on any Routine Inspections, or are interstate and planning a trip to visit your property, please contact us to make the appropriate arrangements. There are certain restrictions in the Residential Tenancies Act, two of which state that we are not allowed to enter the property for a Routine Inspection more than once within a three moth period and that a minimum of seven days written notice to the tenants is required.

Prompt Maintenance, Trustworthy Tradespeople

Unless you have a specific request, we have nominated a standard maintenance limit of $200 to cover minor maintenance and repairs. Our prompt attention to maintenance will ensure that problems are resolved quickly by qualified tradespeople at a reasonable rate. Contractors are recommended for quality performance and competitive prices, proven over many years of service. You may nominate your own preferred tradesperson, but we do ask that those carrying out repairs can be easily contacted and are appropriately certified. Please note that any discount we may receive will be directly passed onto you.

We will notify you immediately of any serious repairs or maintenance and will oversee the repair through to completion. Accounting Immediately your tenants pay rent, it is deposited into our rental trust account and credited to your property. Rent is then disbursed to you at mid and end of month. Our new ‘State-of-the-Art’ Property Management software now enables statements to be emailed to you. As well as paying accounts for repairs, we can also handle general payments such as BCC Rates, Insurance, Body Corporate Levies etc.

As mentioned previously, our Corporate Services Accounts Department actually handles all of the accounts, so you can be sure of correct and prompt payments.

Fully Computerised

Our office boasts the latest Property Management Software, the latest marketing software to create our edge and the latest and best Property Management accounting system. There are no dinosaurs in our division!

Landlord Protection Insurance is Available

Enclosed within this pack is a brochure on Landlord Protection Insurance. There are many types of insurance available and we invite you to research and compare. Please keep in mind though, that Lessors are required to provide adequate insurance on their property with particular attention to Public Liability Insurance. We will not manage any property that does not carry at least $20 Million Public Liability Insurance. The Lessor Protection Insurance brochure that we have provided for you covers you for the correct amount of insurance. Should you wish to take out the featured insurance policy, please fill in the application form and send it directly to the company. Unfortunately, according to the new laws introduced by ASIC, we are no longer permitted to arrange or offer advice on this insurance, however, we are permitted to pay for the premium. If you would like us to pay for the premium, please indicate so on the application form. We will then be able to lodge any claim on your behalf and organise and pay for your renewal in the future.

PLEASE NOTE THAT LANDLORD PROTECTION INSURANCE IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE

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