Welcome to Renting with Higgins
We are constantly told that we are the most friendly and approachable Rental Agents in town, and this comes purely and simply because it’s important to us that we work equally with Tenants and Owners during and at the end of the tenancy to ensure each party has a happy outcome.
Is your rental home the subject of a Home Buyback?
See here for Fact Sheet for Tenants
Application Process
Applications will have an opening & closing date. Applicants will be approved for their affordability and suitability before viewing a property. Preferred applicants will be presented to the owners. This ensures a fast turnaround for all parties.
There are TWO ways to apply for rental properties through Higgins Real Estate and we’re happy whichever is easiest for you:
Apply on the realestate.com website via IGNITE
Sign in or Create Account via IGNITE
Download a PDF version of Application and email or deliver to us
Application for Tenancy- Download PDF
Rental Bonds Online
It is now much easier to pay your bond with Rental Bonds Online (RBO), Fair Trading’s easy and secure service to manage bonds online.
To use RBO, all you need is an email account, a mobile phone, internet connection, a Visa, Mastercard or the ability to pay by BPAY, and an Australian bank account. We will assist you with this once you’ve been approved as tenant.
Paying Rent
It is your legal responsibility to pay rent BEFORE the due date. Please always ensure that your rent is paid by the method stated on your Residential Tenancy Agreement and identified with your Tenancy Code.
What happens if things don’t go to plan?
Life shows us that things don’t always go to plan – changes in employment and relationships can hamper the ability to pay rent on time. Make sure you contact us quickly. It is far easier to assist you if we know what is happening. We are obligated under Fair Trading code of conduct to inform the Landlord of all breaches as they occur, so help us to help you.
How we manage Rent Arrears
We use a system that will text you if you are in arrears. 1-3 days arrears – friendly reminder that rent is overdue. More serious arrears 4-14 days -SMS, Reminder phone call and correspondence advising terms of legislation regarding arrears termination.
15 day in arrears – A Termination Notice for Non Payment of Rent – 14 days’ notice to vacate – is served
Help us to help you, communication is always the best solution. A payment Plan could be entered into with he agreement of all parties, but must be adhered to.
Many tenants do not know that it is a Breach of Agreement to not pay their water usage by the due date. The Landlord would have paid the account to Council and will be out of pocket for your expenses.
Continual non-payment of water usage may cause the Landlord to instruct us to terminate the agreement. Many of our tenants pay an extra $10 per week to prepay their water usage account and this has proved beneficial.
Moneys owing after Vacation
If monies are owed in excess of the bond, a payment plan may be entered into. All Tenants named on the Residential Tenancy Agreement may be listed with TICA a Tenancy Default Database.
It is ALWAYS best to communicate with our property management team to manage your arrears.
Pets / Animals
We appreciate that finding a rental when you have a pet is very difficult. Please do not stretch the friendship by housing an animal if you have not been permitted to do so by the owner. This is a clear breach and it will be reported on any future reference and may jeopardise your future suitability to another property.
Insurance
Please be aware that the owner’s property insurance does not cover your personal belongings. It is your responsibility to obtain a Contents Policy to guard against damage or theft of your belongings, whatever the situation.
Inspections and Maintenance
We conduct 4 inspections per year to identify all repairs and maintenance required – however small – so that the property remains in great shape. We’ll provide 7-14 days or more written notice of the inspection and text you a reminder on the day.
It is really helpful if tenants report all maintenance as soon as possible so that minor issues do not become major more costly problems and then take far longer to repair. Help us to help you!
It is important to note that minor or cosmetic items do not require the same urgency as emergency issues, however we do strive to attend to things as quickly as we possibly can.
We pride ourselves on the proactive maintenance service we have provided our Landlords for many years.
The far north coast is a humid place, particularly in the hot wet summers. Ventilation is key. Ask us for fact sheets and tips to help with cleaning in these conditions.
Emergencies & Troubleshooting
We do prefer that you ring Higgins Real Estate first if possible so that we can assess the best course of action. Our phones are answered 24 hrs a day and messages texted. If you cannot contact us, contact the tradesperson on the front page of your Residential Tenancy Agreement – particularly for out of hours.
No Power
- Check whether the safety switch has been tripped. Perhaps you have a faulty appliance. Turn appliances on one at a time to find the culprit. Not that?
- Check if the neighbourhood power is out – then perhaps call your energy supplier.
- If neither – its important that we know about this ASAP.
- No Hot Water?? Please ensure we know about this BEFORE the weekend (if at all possible). It is more difficult to help you over a weekend and no-one wants a cold shower!!
Water leaks
We need to know about this ASAP so we can call our tradesman. If a major problem -please turn water off at the meter and call us first or the tradesman noted on the Residential Tenancy Agreement.
It’s Important that you know … that if any maintenance conducted by tradesman proves to be due to tenants’ faulty appliances or proven misuse of facilities – the cost of such call out and account may well have to be borne by the tenant. Be aware these are costly if out of hours.
Disagreements
If ever you have a disagreement or need independent or further clarification of the clauses in your Residential Tenancy Agreement, ask us for fact sheets from Office of Fair Trading & Tenants Advocacy Service, which will confirm the information we provide and do cover a range of issues.