Frequently Asked Questions

If you find yourself locked out, lose your keys or in some other way require the office copy of the keys to your property, you will be asked to pay a bond of $100.00. (Note: an office copy of your keys is not always available). This bond will be returned to you once you have returned the keys. For more info on borrowing keys, click here.

Prudential Real Estate offices are open Monday to Saturday, 8:45am to 5:00pm with the exception of public holidays. Please find our office details below.

Campbelltown: 02 4628 0033 | campbelltown@prudential.com.au

Liverpool: 02 9822 5999 | liverpool@prudential.com.au

Macquarie Fields: 02 9605 5333 | macquariefields@prudential.com.au

Narellan: 02 4624 4400 | narellan@prudential.com.au

When you sign your Residential Tenancy Agreement, you enter into a legally binding agreement. The primary requirements of your agreement include:

1. To pay your rent in advance and on time
2. To pay water usage charges; and
3. To maintain your property in a clean and tidy fashion at all times.

Should you fail to fulfil your obligations, your property manager will enforce the owner’s rights under your rental agreement. If you have any difficulty meeting these requirements you should contact your property manager to discuss your concerns.

Rent payments at Prudential Real Estate are made via direct debit only.

At the time you signed the Residential Tenancy Agreement you also signed a direct debit form which allows us to take rent and water usage charges from your nominated bank account. We do this every Thursday and you should see the debit from your account on Friday morning. On very rare occasions, our bank’s servers fail to process our request to debit our tenants accounts and the request is held over until Friday. When this occurs we will do our best to inform you.

When rent is withdrawn from your account our bank will notify us within 2 days and a receipt will be issued in your name for the payment amount. These receipts are filed electronically at this office until such time as you request them.

Should there be an occasion when your account has insufficient funds to cover the payment of rent your bank will debit your account with a dishonour charge – generally in the vicinity of $45.00 or more depending on your bank.

Unfortunately direct debits cannot be deactivated so if you are having any difficulty meeting your rental commitments please contact your Property Manager at any time.

Water usage accounts will be forwarded to your primary email address every three months as the account falls due. 

You are required to pay the excess water usage charge within 21 days of the account reaching you. We manage this payment for you by debiting your usual bank account at the same time as we debit your rent 21 days after sending an email notification to you. NOTE: All notifications are now sent via email, so make sure you check your inbox!

Read more about receiving written communication at your primary email address by clicking this link.

You can move in:

• Once the previous tenant has vacated and our inspections are completed; and,
• After your application has been approved; and,
• After all lease documents have been signed: and
• After the owner has provided a permissible MOVE IN date
  

Our staff can provide more accurate details when you attend at the open house

At Prudential Real Estate we send notifications via email. This means that as a tenant you will need to check your email inbox regularly to ensure you do not not miss out on important updates.

If you change your primary email address from the one you gave us when you first moved in to your rental property, please let us know so that we can keep you in the loop.

At the time you signed your Residential Tenancy Agreement you also agreed to have our FOR LEASE/ LEASED BY sign displayed at the front of your leased property for a minimum period of four (4) weeks. 

You are responsible for the sign so please advise us if the sign becomes damaged. We will collect the sign in the fourth week after your tenancy begins.

Prudential Real Estate provides a no-cost service to all our clients for the connection of a range of utility services including;

• Electricity
• Gas
• Phone
• Broadband
• Foxtel
• Insurance
• More …

If you’re moving soon, head to our Prudential ASSIST portal. Just tell us what you need and we’ll take care of the rest!

If you are considering applying for an available rental property our staff will inform you at the open house if the property is also for sale.

If you are an existing tenant in one of our rental properties, and the landlord has made a decision to sell, you’ll be advised as soon as possible.. We will call you and / or email you to inform you of the landlord’s intentions and will set a time to discuss the arrangements for the sale of the property, including open house times, marketing etc.

Click here for more info on what happens when your rental is for sale.

It’s an unfortunate reality that no happy tenant wants to hear; your landlord is selling up the very abode you’ve made a home of. But before you jump on Google and pack your bags, it’s important to know your rights as a tenant. 

Click here for quick tips on what to do if your rental is for sale.

The Property Condition Report is a report attached to the Residential Tenancy Agreement, describing the condition of the property on the day you move in. It is also used to assess any deterioration of the property during your tenancy.

Your property manager prepares the Property Condition Report and as the tenant you have an opportunity to agree or disagree with the comments made by your property manager. The report contains instructions you can follow to ensure your opinions are recorded.

You should complete and return your report to your property manager within the first 7 days of your tenancy.

If you like where you are living and do not wish to go through the process of securing another property, it’s a good idea to approach your property manager before the expiry of your lease and ask if you can extend your stay. This is your opportunity to secure your property for a new term which prevents your landlord from evicting you.

As all Residential Tenancy Agreements have a start and finish date, when yours expires you’ll move into a week-to-week arrangement where you can continue to occupy the property, but can be asked to leave without reason and with as little as 90 days to vacate (or as little as 30 days if the landlord decides to sell).

It’s super quick and easy and can be done from your phone! See our step-by-step guide and everything you’ll need by clicking here. 

To view the New Tenant Checklist from Fair Trading NSW, click here.

We have a property alerts system to keep you up-to-date! All you have to do is register by clicking here.

Generally if a property owner allows pets in their property, this will be stated in the online property advertisement.

If you are currently living at one of our rented properties and would like to have a pet, you must first request permission from your landlord. Simply contact your property manager by email to submit your request.

As part of our commitment to the owner of your rented property, our office conducts regular inspections of all of our rented premises.

The first inspection will generally occur within the first 90 days of the commencement of your tenancy. After this, they typically occur every 3 to 6 months as directed by the landlord. 

Once your property has been scheduled for one of these periodic inspections we will inform you by email with at least 7 days notice. You are welcome to be in attendance at these inspections, as is the landlord who will often come along to inspect the condition of the property.

If you are unable to be there at the time, don’t be concerned. Our staff will be happy to use the office copy of the keys to access the property and will be sure to lock up properly as they leave.

We advertise all our rental properties on our website. You can see all the currently available properties here.

Once you find one you like look for the BOOK AN INSPECTION TIME button. Click this button and you will be taken to the booking page where you can select a day and time that suits you

Contact our office if you have any questions!

Moving soon? Try our free service Prudential ASSIST to avoid ‘moving stress’! Click here for full details.

If you’re planning to vacate and move, there’s a couple of things you need to consider before packing your bags –  click here for our step-by-step guide.

Your initial lease term will be either 13 or 26 weeks depending on your landlord’s instructions. Generally we do not allow longer lease terms. If you are a current tenant, please check the front page of your Residential Tenancy Agreement where you will find the lease term.

You can view a copy of the current RESIDENTIAL TENANCY AGREEMENT by clicking this link.

As a tenant you are not responsible for what is termed fair wear and tear at your rental property.

‘Fair’ means the deterioration that occurs over time, even though the rental receives reasonable care and maintenance. Deterioration can be caused by exposure, time or just by ordinary use. You are only liable for negligent, irresponsible or intentional actions that cause damage to the premises. Here are some examples that explain the difference:

Fair wear and tear (you are not liable)

• Faded curtains/frayed cords
• Furniture indentations on carpet
• Scuffed wooden floors
• Faded, chipped or cracked paint
• Worn kitchen benchtop
• Loose hinges/handles
• Cracks in the door from movement
• Water stain on carpet from rain leak

Damage (you are liable)

• Missing curtains or torn by pet
• Stains or burn marks on carpet
• Badly scratched or gouged floors
• Unapproved paint job
• Burns or cuts in benchtop
• Broken glass from throwing a ball
• Holes in walls from hanging a picture
• Water stains from overflowing bath

Current legislation requires each property to have a working smoke alarm.

As the tenant your responsibility is to ensure the alarm is in working order at all times. Please test your alarm regularly and certainly no less than every 3 months. If your smoke alarm is battery operated you are responsible to ensure batteries that run flat are immediately replaced with new ones.

We’ve got a comprehensive article on the difference between urgent and non-urgent repairs – click here for examples.

During office hours

For urgent repairs, please call your Prudential Real Estate office (click here for contact details) and speak with a property manager immediately. Next, lodge your repair request online here.

After office hours

1. Lodge a repair request online here.
   
   
2. If the repair is causing damage to the landlord’s property, or if it creates an unsafe environment for you or your family, please arrange to have the repair completed after hours by a qualified person. You will be responsible for the cost of the repair, which you can then claim from the landlord (limits apply) to reimburse by reporting the matter to a property manager in writing no later than the next business day.

Will the repair be reimbursed?

After a repair has been undertaken, as the tenant you must provide written notice of the repair to be reimbursed (for costs not exceeding $1000) within 14 days of the date of the repair.

Clause 19 of the Residential Tenancy Agreement states the following provisions for reimbursement:

• The damage was not caused as a result of a breach of the rental agreement by the tenant, 
• The tenant gives or makes a reasonable attempt to give the landlord notice of the damage
• The tenant gives the landlord a reasonable opportunity to make the repairs, 
• The tenant makes a reasonable attempt to have any appropriate tradesperson named in the rental agreement make the repairs.
• The repairs are carried out, where appropriate, by licensed or properly qualified persons
• The tenant, as soon as possible, gives or tries to give the landlord written details of the repairs, including the cost and the receipts for anything the tenant pays for.

You can report a repair or maintenance issue at your property at any time via our repair request portal here. 

Please note that if you report a repair in any other way except through the portal above, we cannot guarantee that your repair will be attended to in a timely manner.