Tenant Responsibilities When Renting Properties
Responsibilities Tenants Have When Renting A Property In Adelaide.
When renting a property, as a tenant, you have 3 fundamental tenant responsibilities to the landlord. They are very reasonable, quite obvious really and expected of you while you’re in occupation, so you should be aware of them before agreeing to move in by signing a lease:
- Pay rent in full when it is due
- Keep the property reasonably clean and free from health and fire hazards
- Not cause or allow damage, either intentionally or through negligence, to the property
Further Tenant Responsibilities Have include:
- Notify the landlord, via your Adelaide property managers of any repairs or maintenance needed as soon as possible
- Not allow the property to be used for illegal purposes
- Allow other neighbours and residents to live in comfort, peace and privacy
- Pay charges for water usage and supply, if the water supply is separately metered. If there are multiple properties on one meter, a special clause must be included in the lease agreement outlining how water charges are to be determined. Sewerage charges and any levies are always the responsibility of the landlord
- Tenants are responsible for connecting services including gas, electricity, phone, internet and pay TV. This needs to be done prior to moving in to avoid discomfort (who wants a cold shower during Winter).
Other Tenant Responsibilities
Tenants are responsible for cleaning air conditioner filters, while replacing consumables such as light globes and Pura Tap filters, if the property has them are landlord responsibilities
The tenant arranges contents insurance for their personal belongings and should cover fire and theft. Tenants should check exactly what their insurance covers them for. If a tenant causes damage to the property the landlord does not have to make an insurance claim for the repair.
More Than 1 Tenant Listed On Lease Agreement
Co-tenancies are when 2 or more people are listed on a lease agreement. Co-tenants have equal responsibility in a tenancy. This means a landlord can claim costs from any or all of the co-tenants named on the lease for things like overdue rent, cleaning or damage.
The bond is usually divided between co-tenants and lodged with Consumer and Business Services (CBS) as one bond.
If the landlord doesn’t receive all the rent due because a co-tenant doesn’t pay their share, all co-tenants would be breaching the agreement.
If one of the co-tenants moves out, they continue to be responsible for the lease unless the landlord agrees to release them from the lease. The agreement doesn’t have to be changed, or the bond refunded, because the bond is held until the end of the lease agreement.
The remaining co-tenants may agree to pay the outgoing tenant their share of the bond. Submitting a Change of tenants form removes the outgoing tenant’s rights to the bond. This option is not available for Housing SA bond guarantees.
In summary, tenant responsibilities are about paying the rent due on-time, keeping the property clean and not causing damage.
