What you need to know about Tenants subletting your property

[donna]

With tourists coming back to NZ and rent increases stretching tenants to near breaking point one option you as the LL or the tenant may consider is subletting - hopefully with your permission.

Did you know.....

• subletting is not just when the tenant moves out - and someone else moves in with exclusive use of the property
• subletting requires a new tenancy agreement (betw. tenant and person using the property), where the tenant is now a 'sub-landlord'
• tenant can have a 'flatmate' at the property - and doesn't need LLs permission!

What's stopping tenants from allowing short stay 'flatmates'?

See info in the link below.

cheers,

Donna

[Douegay]

Hello,

Have any landlords that are not living in the location of their properties figured out ways of preventing tenants subletting? Before or if anyone comes back with management companies.

Asking a management company is pretty useless, because they always provide notification before they arrive and tenants can always be present for just the day of the inspection and because they have so many properties their check do not tend to be thorough.
Are there other services that offer decent solutions to this problem bar getting a costly private investigator to monitor things.

Thanks

[donna]

If you’ve not agreed to it - you can evict the sub-let tenants. Your PM will also know if it’s happening and get them out.

cheers

Donna

[Nice]

Hello,

Asking a management company is pretty useless, because they always provide notification before they arrive and tenants can always be present for just the day of the inspection and because they have so many properties their check do not tend to be thorough.

I sure hope that as a Landlord you follow the RTA and give notice before showing up to the tenants property and expecting to look through the place as well?

[Perry]

Don't overlook that it may be possible to get some accurate indications from drive-bys, rather than physical inspections.

[donna]

Hello,

Have any landlords that are not living in the location of their properties figured out ways of preventing tenants subletting? Before or if anyone comes back with management companies.

Asking a management company is pretty useless, because they always provide notification before they arrive and tenants can always be present for just the day of the inspection and because they have so many properties their check do not tend to be thorough.
Are there other services that offer decent solutions to this problem bar getting a costly private investigator to monitor things.

Thanks

Reading through your post again I believe it's not possible for tenants to get away with sub-letting without the PM knowing about it.

1. When letting the property there is an initial inspection with photos. The photos show the furnishings etc that belong to the tenant. Plus the presence of the tenant's car? With regular inspections - it would be a red flag to find completely different furnishings and car (i.e. the subletting tenant's stuff - not the tenant's stuff).
2. The bank account details for the rent - it would still have to be the tenant's in the tenant's name. Any missed payments can trigger an inspection.


Agree with Perry - drivebys are good. For example my tenant was parking her car on an area too close to the house and not the designated parking area - only spotted when doing an unplanned driveby.

cheers,

Donna