With just under 5 weeks to go, it is countdown to Christmas and the summer holiday break. So now is a good time to discuss rental issues and considerations during this period.

Property management over the holiday period

As property managers, things don’t change a great deal for us over the summer break. Nightingale Properties will be operating on all days except statutory holidays. We will be available to be contacted throughout this time and we are always available to be contacted in the event of an emergency.

Collecting rent and disbursements

Most rents are paid by automatic payment into the Nightingale Properties trust account on a weekly or fortnightly basis. These will be reconciled every day as usual except for the statutory holidays.

We will make one minor change for owners. As we have done in previous years, we will do the end-of-month disbursement at the end of the year rather than on the first working day of the new year. We do this so that owners will to receive their money in good time rather than have it delayed.

Vacancies

Where a tenancy becomes vacant during December, the property may be difficult to re-let immediately as people generally stop looking for accommodation prior to Christmas. However the new year typically sees an influx of students and new residents into the city. As rental properties are still in relatively short supply and therefore high demand, there will be ample opportunity for re-letting in the new year.

Security of your rental

A consideration for tenants is to think about security issues when going on holiday. In order to keep your home as secure as possible, before going away you should:

• put the newspaper delivery on hold
• arrange for mail to be cleared from your letterbox if you are going away for a length of time
• leave the section tidy and clear to maintain an impression that the property is occupied
• have some lights to operate on a timer so they come on in the evening for a few hours if possible
• avoid advertising your holiday plans on social media.
  
  

By following these suggestions, you should come back from holiday to find your home as you left it.

Summary

In short, the summer break has very little effect on rental properties. Under the Nightingale Properties management, owners and tenants alike can be assured that their rental properties will be looked after and any issues that may arise will be dealt with as soon as possible