There is a growing trend for tenants to put pressure on landlords to raise the standards of lower end rental properties as they the tenants have had a few win falls with the rental board of late whereby landlords have been forced to perform maintenance to what is essentially a ‘future knock down’ property in many cases.

Now let’s not get confused between repairs and improvements. If something breaks then that’s fair enough, it should be repaired, but to replace floor coverings or broken screens after the renter has agreed to rent the property, that’s not fair!

Spend $5,000 on a property that is ear marked as a knock down within two years and the rent must go up by $50 per week just to recoup the capital alone.

Smoke alarms are a classic example. As a landlord, not only am I responsible for the installation of smoke alarms but I also have to make sure they are in working order at the commencement of each new rental agreement.

Now this may seem fine on the outside, but if you own properties in another region then you have to pay someone to perform these checks and this is yet another cost that must be passed on.

At a mere $9.95 each, surely tenants can have their own smoke alarms that they take from place to place and are responsible for themselves. After all, we are their landlords, not their carers!

Now I am the first to agree that everyone is entitled to a comfortable dwelling to reside in, however, one must understand that if this trend continues then rents will increase as further policing of the minimum standard for a rental property would mean that bottom end rents will either increase, or many of these lower level properties will be withdrawn from the rental market. Something the already stretched rental market can ill afford in my view.

So think very carefully before you go and lodge that complaint about the property you rent, as you may not like the outcome.

There's a growing trend for land lords to continually complain about the costs that inevitably comes with owing a property and blaming tenants. It is not only an issue of repair, but also maintenance.

Before going into the property market make sure you can afford it. Be grateful to your tenants that because they cannot buy their own property they are helping you to greater wealth.

Because that's why you bought a rental property in the first place, not because of some altruistic reason to provide housing. To make money for yourself.

If maintenance of property is not somenthing you're into, or cannot afford because you've financially so overcommitted yourself that a $9.95 smoke alarm becomes too much, then invest your money in a share portfolio.

Butcher, you sound like you could happily be a slum lord. Those days are long over.

Oh, come on rehctub. My heart bleeds for you.

Yeah, I'm with the rest of them. Don't like it?, sell the property Butcher.

I'm kinda shocked you'd even try and rent the place out that NEEDS screens and flooring replaced. Maybe ya shoulda done when the last tenants asked ya too.

I can't afford my own and you're whining about having more then one?.

(expletives deleted to appeased the sensitivities of the locals)

RECCY.. ur spot on mate.. fair is fair.. and if people rent a property as 'thus and so' and then want it refurbished because:

a) They have abused it.
b) They just don't like it now.

Then.. they can go take a running jump.

There is an absolute difference between 'repairs' and 'improvement'.

The fact that bishop Morgan does not appear to see this, is in perfect harmony with his inability to see many other 'reasonable' things :)
and explains why his reaction to many common sense issues is.. 'most strange' to say the least.

But.. the principle which should apply between tenants and landlords is the 'ol faithful'.. "do for other as you would have them do for you".

Would you reasonably take a property in a specified known condition and then want it improved? Hardly..because you wouldn't (unless you had a thought process problem) want such a thing done to YOU if you were a landlord for what, to all but the most recalcitrant head in sand brigade, are obvious reasons.

I'd consider the smoke detectors a pretty small issue.. and can't see that the cost of getting some service person to do it at a cost which is factored into the rent is an insurmountable problem. I agree though it might be a hassle.

What an odd Christian you are, Porky. Not content with extolling the virtues of kicking dogs, beating children and discriminating against gays, you're now leaping to the defence of a slum landlord who's whingeing about the costs of installing mandatory smoke detectors.

What would Jesus do in this situation, Porky?