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BY NINA CLARKE
Stories from our Ray White property management superheroes
ACTING QUICKLY IN NATURAL DISASTERS
ANNA SUTHERLAND , RAY WHITE STRATHALBYN , SA
" A memory that has stayed with me was during the Cudlee Creek bushfires in the Adelaide Hills which resulted in the loss of many homes , and many families found themselves homeless over the Christmas period .
I was on leave for the holidays and I found myself in a mad panic to try and source accommodation for those who had lost everything . The phone calls kept coming through from people in need and I had to think outside the box .
I started calling prospective clients and past landlords who I thought may be able to offer either short or long term accommodation .
I managed to place five affected families in rental properties through doing this . The one that really hit home was a gentleman who got caught fighting the fire on his farm and received burns to 60 per cent of his body . He and his wife lost everything , even the clothes on his back .
I managed to get a previous landlord to agree to rent their beautiful fully furnished home again in the local town , leaving to live in their caravan for an eight month period so the wife had somewhere to live while her husband was undergoing skin graphs , surgery and rehabilitation ."
HELPING A TENANT IN NEED
JESSICA DAVIDSON , RAY WHITE FRANKSTON , VIC
" A story that stands out for me was when I had a renter who had sadly suffered a significant workplace accident . He lost both his legs and was confined to a wheelchair . The renter was estranged from his family and didn ' t have anyone to help him through what was a significant life change . I conducted a routine inspection , it was 35 + degrees outside and when I arrived at the property , I could quite clearly see the renter was struggling .
" He had lapsed into a deep depression , was living in a mess , and was essentially drinking himself to death . His situation was quite dire . The renter didn ' t even get out of bed and would hardly make eye contact .
" He was also living on nothing but bread and butter and fried eggs . I understood this was not going to end well for him if he didn ' t receive the help he needed . He was a far cry from the man he was before his accident . With the renter ' s permission , I sought help for him . I was able to arrange for a social worker through the local council who would become his advocate to get him fast-tracked into a more suitable , wheelchair-friendly home , with regular cleaners and carers who would help him do his shopping , take him for a haircut and generally help out with his day to day .
" When the renter came in with his carer to hand back the keys and move into his new home , he cried and said he would have been left for dead if I hadn ' t offered to help him make those first steps in the right direction that day at the routine inspection . He could now see the light at the end of the tunnel , and he would not forget the small kindness he had received when he was at his lowest point . It costs nothing to be kind ."