Ocean Grove Real Estate: Send in the dogs

ANIMAL lovers across Victoria celebrated last week, with the latest renting reforms coming into effect.

While it’s clear renters across the state are excited to now be able to include their furry friends into their homes, what does it mean for the property owner?

With most tenants loving their pets as part of their family, Ocean Grove Real Estate’s property manager Melissa Bell has encouraged her owners to accept the new reforms as a positive. The ability for tenants to have their cat or dog live with them, offers a new opportunity to ensure long term and happy tenants. Overall, Ms Bell has reported tenants with pets care for the property in the same way as most other Victorian families, with respect to the properties condition. While there may be some teething time introducing a pet to a new home, tenants overall ensure the property is kept tidy and undamaged and their pets are well behaved.

For those owners that are a little perturbed by the changes, Ms Bell has offered this advice – trust your property manager to conduct thorough application checks, complete regular and comprehensive routine inspections and relay the importance of maintaining the condition of the property to the tenant. She also noted that while some pets can cause a mess, so can some humans (and sometimes they can be worse) – it all begins with good tenant selection and a solid relationship between owner, property manager and tenant.

Ms Bell recommends keeping yards low-maintenance and dog friendly; if you are landscaping, keep plants low-maintenance and affordable. Keep in mind that while you may not want the pets inside, the tenant may bring them in during bad weather (storms and rain) so consider keeping common areas pet friendly with limited soft furnishings (carpets). While the property manager will mention your preference to outdoor pets only, the property manager can only visit the property for routine inspections so won’t see every instance of the pet being inside.

If pets are a deal breaker for your investment property, the market is on a high with Victorian clearance rates at 81 per cent and Ocean Grove’s median house price is a solid $705,000 (source: realestate.com.au, March 4), it might be the perfect opportunity to capitalise on your investment.

Melissa Bell is the senior property manager at Ocean Grove Real Estate, contact her on 0439 001 664 or [email protected]. Visit Ocean Grove Real Estate at 22 Kingston Downs Drive, Ocean Grove.