REAL MGMT

BRISBANE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

REAL MGMT - “Real Management”, created of the words Real Estate & Management, is a polymath business that deals in four key areas – Property Management, Facilities Management, Property Sales, and Property Maintenance. Founded in 2016 by Sole Director and Principal Licensee, Michael Mitchell, is a business which draws on knowledge and experience of 3 generations of Real Estate Management.

Being a small business allows agility, flexibility, and adaptability to suit client & customer needs and provide a wider range of services in-house not typically afforded by a regular real estate business, which results in faster turnaround times, better service, better advice, better knowledge, and generally better rates. Not being part of a corporate entity (such as most franchised agencies) gives the freedom do things the way we want to achieve the results you want. We are results-focused, and how the results are achieved is less important so long as the result is achieved, provided it is done in a moral, ethical and legal manner. A Landlord should never lose money because their property has not been managed right. That is the number one take home for our Owners. When your asset manager does their job right you do not lose money.

In Michael’s formative years, sports cars were his passion. A strong work ethic saw Michael usually working at least 2 jobs at a time to fund his hobby, which was rewarding yet unfulfilling, and by mid-20’s Michael knew a change was needed to progress with the next stage of his life. Michael sold up his interests in sports cars and started learning about investing in property. In the space of 3 years, Michael had accumulated 3 properties and negotiated the purchase of his Management & Letting Rights business (a 78-unit complex on 1.3ha parcel of land 10km from Brisbane CBD, also the purchase of a Unit which required the sub-division of a large 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 4 car space unit & the remedial works to turn it into two x 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 car space units). Along the way Michael improved, renovated and flipped most of his investment properties to divest and focus solely on his MLR business and build his rent roll. In the first year of business Michael secured 26 properties under management, in the second year of business that number nearly doubled to just under 50. In the third year of business that number is on track to reach 80 properties under management.

Michael has a Certificate IV in Property Services (Real Estate), is a fully licenced Real Estate Agent, is a practicing member of the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) and his business is an REIQ-Accredited Agency. Michael is also an ABMA Accredited Building Manager & Trainer, and a member of the ABMA Independent Review Panel, which is a cross-sectorial collaboration of industry experts that meet bi-annually to discuss and address issues of sustainable performance, compliance, functionality & amenity in the maintenance of structures, including their ancillary infrastructure, via the ABMA Building Management Code. Michael is also a practicing member of Australian Resident Accommodation Managers Association (ARAMA), as well as serving as the Secretary for the ARAMA Brisbane Committee for a short time and now maintains an ongoing committee member position. A large portion of Michael’s business and property interests are Strata-based which is governed by the Body Corporate and Community Management Act (BCCMA), as such Michael is also a member of the SCA (Strata Communities Australia); all of these are the leading industry bodies and by having an active ongoing involvement enables Michael to stay up to date with legislative changes and continued professional development.

Prior to Real Estate Management, Michael worked in ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) for just under 10 years in a range of roles spanning across Levels 1-2 Technical Support, Desktop Support, SOE, Procurement, Purchasing, Asset Management, Billing Analysis, Technical Writing and Mobile Support. Michael has various Certifications and Qualifications to accompany his experience gained in ICT, including ITIL, which enables him to run and operate his businesses in a tech-savvy way utilising and leveraging technology. Notable companies Michael has previously worked for include Melbourne IT, Life Line, Uniting Care Queensland and Queensland Health. Michael also started and continued to operate his favourite hobby business, CutMyGrass.com.au - a lawn mowing and gardening services business, which Michael has a Certificate III in Landscape Construction, and has done over 1,500 jobs since 2009 on the side of 'normal' work as a way to keep fit, stay active and meet new people. This business was successfully sold in 2022.

Michael with his son Corbin on one of their mountain hikes:

WE LOVE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

It’s exciting! Buying an asset to create passive income is a great feeling. I have been through this journey many times myself, and now manage many tens of millions of dollars’ worth of others’ properties. Suffice to say, we know what we are doing, and we know what you as Owners expect and the stresses and pressures you face. We work with you and welcome questions and feedback. By teaching we improve our own learning and understanding.

When you work back from the worst-case scenarios such as heading to QCAT to enforce rights under a contract (such as a tenancy lease) or dealing with loss adjusters and insurers for claims against tenants, it is absolute paramount that your property manager has done their job right. The most critical factors are documents and record keeping – it must be perfect otherwise you risk losing money.

Parallel to the importance of administration processes and procedures, is the handling of Trust monies (your money), collected on your behalf by your Agent. Real Estate is a regulated industry by the Queensland Government Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Failing to comply with these legislations can lead to fines, penalties, loss of licence, litigation and even gaol time. It’s serious stuff. The five main pieces of legislation that govern the industry are the:

  • Property Occupants Act 2014
  • Agents Financial Administration Act 2014
  • Agents Financial Administration Regulation 2014
  • Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008
  • Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (and the Building Units and Group Titles Act 1980)

Compliance is another serious issue, for the purpose of Property Management and the Landlords responsibilities, it’s quite limited to mainly smoke alarms, safety switch, pool fencing, and water efficiency if it is planned to charge the tenant for their water consumption. In older properties, not often but we do come across it occasionally, there are certain situations which require proof of gas compliance and asbestos compliance. For Facilities Management, mainly class 2 buildings (strata aspect), a very different story and checklists start at the 30+ mark going upwards depending on the infrastructure systems installed on the building.

Our office is fully accredited, fully insured, fully licenced and fully trained to provide the services we offer. We run Console Gateway Live to manage our Trust Account, and ADL Form’s for our document creation (which integrates with Console and has automatic updates to ensure the most current version of the form is being used). There are cheaper solutions, but as the business owner, I won’t take the risk. I have created a propriety filing system to manage & store yours and our documents, with complete redundancy and efficiency.

Our accounts are audited both internally and externally in line with legislation, and audit reports are sent to the OFT in line with licencing requirements & legislation. Owner statements are generated with every disbursement, either once a month on the 1st, or twice a month on 15th, as well as upon request. A financial year report is generated and sent to all Owners annually as well for them to give straight to their accountant. We are happy to deal direct and answer any questions from your accountant about any statements/etc. relating to your property.

During a tenancy we conduct routine inspections every 3 months and provide photographic reports which are emailed to you so you can see for yourself the condition your property is being maintained in. During these inspections we also take water meter readings (if applicable) and generate invoices to charge the tenants for their water usage inline with their lease terms and the Act. Competent inspections are vital to managing risk with your investment property because if damage/maintenance issues are not addressed in a timely and attentive manner they can have negative implications for the Owner by way of denied insurance claims or failure to secure compensation from the tenants.

Managing expectations of both tenants and landlords is a huge part of the investment property equation. From our experience, the majority of people involved in these property dynamics are good people, and consequently there are no issues. Like with any relationship – commercial all otherwise - there can be a small number of problems arising from time-to-time. When problems do arise, we rely on a process of Principled Negotiation, which focuses on the best interests of both parties and emphasizes conflict management through dispute resolution. All this must be based on objective criteria - not emotions. More often than not, issues are resolved promptly without undue angst. Ensuring parties remain respectful and open to resolution throughout this process is key to success, however, in a very small number of cases no agreement is reached, and matters may thereafter be escalated to QCAT (Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal). Alternatively, difficulties may also be pre-empted with a Dispute Resolution session run by the RTA. Generally, we don’t charge our Owners for this. If we believe it is a winnable case, often a representation cost, (which is listed on your Form 6), can be claimed from the tenant so you suffer no out of pocket expense. Failing that, any associated cost is usually claimable under your landlords insurance policy. If we do not succeed we simply waive the fee.

Below is a list of our Schedule of Fees for the management of your property. To engage us to manage your property simply complete and return a Form 6 and we will take care of the rest, including notifying your current property manager that we are taking on the management and facilitating the handover of your property files and keys, and of course letting the tenants know and advising the RTA there has been a change of property manager.

QUICK LINKS

Instructions for completing the Form 6:
  • Complete your current contact details on Page 1
  • Sign on Page 6 Part 9
  • On Page 7 Part C, specify your account details for where disbursements are to be paid to
  • Sign on Page 11 Part X
  • Initial the bottom of every page
  • Scan and email back to me
  • I will complete the rest and return a fully signed copy to you for final check over & acknowledgement

QUICK LINKS


CHECKLIST

Documents & materials for properties we manage. Some you will need to provide, some we can harvest from various sources and/or obtain for you, some costs may be involved, if cost is an issue we can work around some things, anything missing we can organise for you:

  • Title Search, for proof of ownership (rates notice/database search by us is usually sufficient)
  • Appointment to Act (POA Form 6)
  • Advertising Material (such as photos, any special things we should know about the property)
  • Insurance Certificate of Currencies and Policy documents
  • Rates Notices, if you want us to pay on your behalf. You can let council know to send direct to us
  • Water Bills, if you want us to pay on your behalf. You can let provider know to send direct to us
  • Electricity Bills, if applicable on some types of accommodation setup where the Owner pays for this utility
  • Body Corporate Levies, if you want us to pay on your behalf
  • Smoke Alarm Compliance Certificate, we will organise for you going forward, annually and start of new tenancy
  • Water Compliance Certificate, required if you want to charge the Tenant for their water consumption
  • Depreciation Schedule, you should ask your financial advisor if you would benefit from one
  • By Laws, if applicable, a copy must be given to Tenants
  • Keys: 1 full set for our office, 1 minimal set for contractors, 1 full set for each listed tenant on a lease
  • Gas Compliance Certificate, if applicable, some gas providers require this for a tenant to open a gas account
  • Asbestos Clearance Certificate, some properties require it, some tenants request to see it
  • Pool Safety Certificate, properties with pool(s) require it
A general rule of thumb, and common sense, if you can present your property in the best possible light to the rental market, and with no outstanding maintenance issues, you position yourself to achieve the best rental result – both in terms of weekly rental amount and quality of tenant. Small things like adding ceiling fans, security screens, fly mesh, go a long way to making your property more appealing.

QUICK LINKS


APPLICATION PROCESS

If you see a property advertised you may be interested in renting, please attend one of the open for inspections or book a viewing time. If you would like to proceed an application form along with the RTA’s Pocket Guide for Tenants Renting in Queensland (Form 17) will be emailed to you. Please complete and fill out and email back along with copies of your supporting documentation (Eg. pay slips, 100pts of ID, etc). Under the Act there are only 2 criteria a rental application can be judged on; your ability to pay the rent and your ability to maintain the property. If your application is not approved, please do not ask why as the Landlord does not tell us. If your application is approved, you will need to pay your first 2 weeks rent to secure the property (take it off the market) and your full bond before your lease commencement date. Please take due care when inspecting properties prior to applying as we are starting to see a rise in “renters’ remorse”, a phenomenon where tenants move in and then decide they’re not happy with the place or simply don’t like it and think they can make unreasonable requests of the Landlord to improve the property or let them out of their lease without compensation or reduce the rent, as if the contract they entered into meant nothing. Doesn’t work like that.


DURING YOUR TENANCY

There are a number of terms and conditions all parties to the lease must abide by. The main ones, for Landlords, are to maintain the premise and ensure essential services are provided to the property. For tenants, it is to pay the rent, maintain the property in the condition they received it, and report any damage or maintenance issues in a timely manner. Routine inspections are conducted every 3 months. A Lessor/Agent cannot tell a Tenant how to live, for example untidy or messy clothes/belongings, choice of furniture, etc. However, when it comes to cleaning, if regular cleaning is not carried out then damage can start to occur, and this is why it is important to regularly clean your property as dirt/dust/grime build up can lead to corrosion and staining of fixtures, fittings and surfaces. As a rule of thumb and simply good practice, it is recommended that Tenants do make an effort to clean up and have things presented neat and tidy so the report presents well for the Landlord and also to allow the Agent to do their job of inspecting the physical premise in a timely and efficient manner.


AT THE END OF YOUR TENANCY

90% of the properties we lease have been cleaned to a professional standard prior to letting. The standard a property is handed over at the start of a tenancy is recorded in the Entry Condition Report which is accompanied by date and time stamped photos. After living in the property it is expected there will be some wear and tear and that is normal. The Act states the Tenants must return the property in the same condition they received it less fair wear and tear. So in most cases, this means it will need to be cleaned to a professional standard. The Act does not require a tenant to use a ‘professional’ anything. They can clean themselves, they clean the carpets themselves, they can carry out pest control themselves, etc. However, in the majority of cases where the Tenants have elected to clean themselves, it is seldom up to spec and often they have had to go back numerous times and/or even get a professional in anyway. There is a reason professional cleaning is a huge industry, because it is a lot of hard work. We have a number of contractors we have personally used and can recommend if you do require help returning the property in a suitable state to hand back at the end of your tenancy.


WATER BILLING

Provided the property is individually metered and has a water compliance certificate, and the lease states the Tenant must pay for water usage, this is the process for how water billing is done:

  • Start reading is taken from water meter at beginning of tenancy, recorded on entry condition report
  • During periodic inspections conducted every 3 months, interim readings are taken from the water meter
  • Water usage is calculated from the two meter readings and invoiced accordingly at the applicable rate
  • The applicable rate is published on the water supplier’s website – Eg. Google Urban Utilities Prices & Charges
  • Charges payable by the Tenant are the i) State Gov. Bulk Water charge & ii) Tiered Consumption
  • End of tenancy a final water meter reading is taken and invoiced accordingly and/or deducted from bond

RENT ARREARS

We have a zero-tolerance policy for rent arrears. It doesn’t matter why it has occurred, all that matters is it is rectified as this is a serious breach of the tenancy agreement. A largely mechanical process is in place to deal with rent arrears and it goes as follows:

  • Days’ 1 to 7 of Arrears: Reminders are sent to the named parties on the lease by email, txt, hand delivery, call.
  • Day 8 of Arrears: Form 11 Notice to Remedy Breach is issued, Tenants are given 7 days to remedy.
  • Day after the Form 11 has expired: Form 12 Notice to Leave is issued, Tenants are given 7 days to vacate.
  • Day after the Form 12 has expired: An Urgent QCAT application is made for a Termination Order & Warrant of Possession, and a TICA warning letter is issued giving 2 weeks’ notice advising the Tenant they have to repay money owing otherwise they will be black listed on a tenancy database.
  • QCAT hearing happens, if the lease is terminated a warrant is issued, Police then contact the Tenants to give notice of an eviction and when they will attend to exercise the warrant.
  • Post-eviction, an exit condition report is completed with date and time stamped photos taken as evidence, bond refund process run, damage report compiled/etc if applicable. Any insurance claims are lodged, loss assessors attend to evaluate damage, loss of rent, etc. If a claim is paid out, the insurer then hands the debt off to their collections Agent who follow up with the Tenants. By this stage a Tenants’ credit ratings is usually negatively impacted making it harder for them to obtain finance, likewise with the tenancy database black listing and renting property.
If your circumstances do change and you are suffering financial hardship and no longer able to pay your rent, please let our office know so we can at least let the Landlord know what the situation is. If this is the case, it is usually best to try and vacate the premise and give the Landlord the earliest opportunity to re-let the property and reduce their financial loss caused by your breach of contract. Please note, it is not nor ever our place to judge and these would be extremely difficult and stressful times for anyone in that situation, we will always endeavour to treat you with respect and be mindful of your situation, but please understand we do work for the Landlord and processes must be followed which can seem cold and heartless.


EMERGENCY REPAIRS PROCEDURE

If you have an Emergency Repair as outlined below, please contact the office IMMEDIATELY and after contacting our office please follow your report with an email to md@realmgmt.com.au.

If the problem occurs outside of business hours please phone 0413 504 084 and if unanswered leave a detailed message with your name, address, nature of problem and return phone number. Please note, you must leave a message for your call to be returned. Also, please send a text message as well.

Follow any reported repairs with an email to md@realmgmt.com.au.

Please then allow a reasonable time for your call to be returned before contacting any Emergency Repair contractors

Section 30(1) of the Form 18a Standard Terms states that Emergency Repairs are:

  • a burst water service or a serious water service leak
  • a blocked or broken lavatory system
  • a serious roof leak
  • a gas leak
  • a dangerous electrical fault
  • flooding or serious flood damage
  • serious storm, fire or impact damage
  • a failure or breakdown of the gas, electricity or water supply to the premises
  • a failure or breakdown of any essential service or appliance on premises for hot water, cooking or heating
  • a fault or damage that makes the premises unsafe or insecure
  • a fault or damage likely to injure a person, damage property or unduly inconvenience a tenant of premises, and
  • a serious fault in a staircase, lift or other common area of premises that unduly inconveniences a tenant in gaining access to, or using, the premises.
If you require an Emergency Repair outside of business office hours and you are unable to reach a REAL MGMT PTY LTD representative the below contractors have been arranged to be available for Emergency Repairs only and will action repairs accordingly.

Nb. Please allow them reasonable time to respond and return your call, voice-mail or SMS.

*** Call ONLY in an EMERGENCY & If you are UNABLE to reach a REAL MGMT representative***

REAL MGMT – Michael Mitchell, Ph: 0413 504 084
Locksmith – Brett’s Locksmiths, Ph: (07) 3361 0510 or Lock2Lock Locksmiths, Ph: 0406 332 554
Plumber – RTL Plumbing On-Call, Ph: 0402 089 128 or Gary Hannaford Plumbing, Ph: 0418 787 334
Gas Technician - Buchanan Plumbing & Gas, Ph: 0422 677 904 or Ross V Plumbing, Ph: 0414 920 549
Electrician - Mayo's, Ph: 0401 669 900 or Electec Electrical, Ph: 0408 086 861
Builder/Handyman – Mayo's, Ph: 0401 669 900
Smoke Alarm Repairs/Maintenance – Smoke Alarm Solutions, Ph: 1300 852 301 or an Electrician listed above

BAD LANDLORDS

We do not make excuses for bad landlords. Unfortunately, from time-to-time some Landlords may choose not to effect or attend to repairs and maintenance. We believe respect goes both ways with our Tenants, and in the event a Landlord has instructed us they will not be attending to something we believe they are obligated to under the Act (and have advised them accordingly), we will simply let you know this and all we can suggest is you may wish to seek guidance from the RTA by calling them on 1300 366 311. As an Agent we act for the Lessor and must follow their instructions; it is not our property.


IMPROVEMENTS

How you receive the property at the start of your tenancy should be the same in every way as when you viewed the property, unless otherwise agreed. In this regard, the Lessor is under no obligation to agree to any requests for improvements to be made to the property during your tenancy, and if they will consider it, usually it would be in return for a slight increase in rent as the amenity to the property would increase. Common examples of improvement requests are adding fly screens, additional security measures such as flood lights, screens or bars on windows, CCTV, etc., air conditioning, ceiling fans, fencing and gates, so on and so forth. All these things cost money. Generally, if the property doesn’t already have it, it’s because the Lessor has chosen not to spend their money on it, and they’ve appointed the Agent to rent the property “as is” at the time of viewing. Please do not contact our office “demanding” that the Lessor install this or change that. If you do want to request improvements, it is best to “ask” and also provide a compensation plan such as “if the Lessor would consider installing air conditioning I would be happy to pay an extra $10 per week in rent”.

SELLING YOUR PROPERTY

It is extremely expensive for a small business/individual to deal direct with the likes of Realestate.com.au and Domain.com.au's, etc. As such this leaves little choice but to work as a conjunctive agent with an established brokerage firm/agency that has the capital and resources to do so. In this regard, I sell as a conjunctive agent through Next Realty. You can view my member profile here.


QUICK LINKS


SALES ACTIVITY

SERVICE CATALOGUE

Please visit our other business website - www.cutmygrass.com.au

(UNDER CONSTRUCTION)


For Rent

For Sale