Rent
It ’ s your legal responsibility to pay your rent on time as it is set out in your tenancy agreement .
We recommend when setting up any rent payment you ensure this is set to come out of your bank prior to its due date to allow for bank processing times .
Consider your rent due date each week / month and how this aligns with your own regular pay date from your employer / income source . If you can see these dates may not align , talk to your property manager about a one-off payment at the start of your tenancy . This can move your due date each week / month so these dates match up with your ‘ pay day ’ and ensure you do not show in arrears .
If you predict for any reason that there may be an issue paying your rent , we recommend you let your property manager know right away . There may be an option to work out a payment plan together in this situation , however , this is not possible if you do not openly communicate the issue .
Rent reviews & increases
Rent increases can only occur once every 12 months and any rent increase cannot occur within 12 months of the tenancy start date or within 12 months of the last increase . All rent increases , not matter the circumstances , must come with at least 60 days ' written notice .
The law doesn ' t limit how much landlords can increase rent by , however , any rent increase must be at a level that can be deemed as ' market rent .' Tenants can challenge any increase they feel may not meet this criteria , and a property manager should easily be able to provide evidence showing that the new amount is at a ' market rent ' level in order for the increase to be justified . When a landlord increases the rent , they can ask the tenant to pay extra bond money . This must be based on the number of weeks ' bond charged in the tenancy agreement .
How to pay your rent
Your property manager may request the authority to collect your rent by direct debit or alternatively may require you to set up an automatic payment .
It ’ s best to sort this out properly before starting your tenancy and in a manner that works for you to ensure rent payments are received by your property manager before they are due .
What happens if you don ' t pay your rent
Your property manager should provide you with a copy of their arrears policy at the commencement of your tenancy and this will explain their procedure for handling this situation .
Typically , you will receive an initial 14 day notice to remedy any rent arrears as well as ensuring your ongoing rent commitments are also paid . Failure to remove any arrears after the 14 day notice period will likely lead to Tenancy Tribunal
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