Owner guide
Property Owner & Rental Management Checklist
Whether you manage your own property or use a managing agent, the same things decide whether a rental runs profitably: who you let in, what the lease says, how quickly rent is followed up, and whether maintenance is authorised properly. This is the checklist we work to.
Before the property is listed
Time spent here decides how quickly the unit lets and at what rent.
- Set the rent against what comparable units in the same suburb are actually letting for, not what they are advertised at.
- Fix the obvious first: taps, locks, damp marks, broken globes, garden. Photographs sell the unit.
- Decide the deposit up front — normally one month’s rent — and who pays which utilities.
- Confirm what is included: appliances, parking bay, prepaid or conventional meters.
- Check the complex or estate rules, if any, and make sure a tenant can live with them.
Screening a tenant
Most bad tenancies are visible at application stage. Do not shorten this step because the unit is standing empty.
- ID document, and a check that the person signing is the person applying.
- Three months of bank statements, not only payslips.
- Proof of employment and income, or a guarantor for a student applicant.
- Affordability sense-check: rent should sit comfortably within monthly income after existing obligations.
- Credit and payment history where consent has been given.
- Previous landlord reference — the last one and the one before it.
What the lease must cover
A vague lease is only ever a problem later, when there is money in dispute.
- Rent amount, due date, and the last day to pay before late charges apply.
- Deposit amount, how it is held, and what it may be used for.
- Once-off administration fee, stated separately from rent and deposit.
- Lease period, renewal terms and the notice period for both sides.
- Who is responsible for which maintenance, and the limit above which the owner must approve.
- Utilities, refuse and any levy recovery.
- House rules, occupancy limits, pets, subletting.
Inspections
An inspection record is the only thing that makes a deposit deduction defensible.
- Move-in inspection completed with the tenant present and signed by both sides.
- Photographs of every room, appliance and meter reading attached to the record.
- Periodic inspection during the lease, with reasonable written notice.
- Exit inspection compared directly against the move-in record.
- Items that do not exist in the unit marked N/A — inspected, never chargeable.
Rent collection and arrears
Arrears grow quietly. A fixed, unemotional follow-up rhythm collects far more than occasional pressure.
- Rent due on the 1st; the 5th is the last day to pay.
- Every tenant has a unique payment reference so receipts match automatically.
- Invoice and statement issued monthly, not only when something is wrong.
- Reminder on the due date, a follow-up immediately after the deadline, then a formal letter.
- Late charges applied consistently — selective enforcement is what creates disputes.
- Arrears escalated on a documented timeline, with every contact recorded.
Maintenance
Owners lose money two ways: unapproved spending, and repairs left so long that they become replacements.
- One channel for tenants to log faults, so nothing sits in a personal inbox.
- A written quote before any work above the agreed approval limit.
- Written owner authorisation on record before the contractor is instructed.
- Before-and-after photographs on every job.
- Invoice matched to the approved quote before payment.
- Seasonal items scheduled rather than reacted to: geysers, gutters, roof, electrical certificate validity.
Compliance and admin
Keep the paperwork current while the property is letting well — it is expensive to assemble in a hurry.
- Electrical compliance certificate, and gas or plumbing certificates where they apply.
- Building insurance current, with the sum insured reviewed annually.
- Rates, levies and utility accounts up to date and in the correct name.
- Tenant personal information handled in line with POPIA — collected for a reason, kept securely, shared with no one who does not need it.
Reporting to yourself, or to your owner
You should be able to answer three questions at any time: was the rent paid, what was spent, and what condition is the property in.
- Monthly statement showing rent received, commission, expenses and net payout.
- Copies of maintenance invoices attached to the month they were incurred.
- Arrears position stated plainly, with the action being taken.
- Inspection reports filed and accessible.
- Annual review of rent against the market, and of the lease renewal date.