Landlords and tenants are equally likely at some stage to wonder who is responsible for the eradication of pests in a rental home. Tenants wonder if the responsibility lies with them, or whether the landlord should take action to remove any vermin. 

Fortunately, there is clear information from NSW Fair Trading on responsibilities for controlling and removing pests. A summary of this information is as follows.

When budgeting for the costs of holding a rental property, most investors factor in the regular, repeatable expenses such as council rates, water service charges, building and landlord insurance, property management fees and strata fees (where applicable). 

From time to time there are additional expenses every investor is likely to incur - the trick is that the timing and extent of these expenses tends to be unpredictable. Due to their unpredictability, they can be more difficult to budget for and are sometimes neglected completely. 

Following is not an exhaustive list by any means, however should help as a reminder to new and seasoned investors alike of the importance to allow for a savings buffer to ensure any untimely surprise expenses are little more than an inconvenience. 

In this article we run through a series of steps we regularly see from investors who are fed up with terrible service from their current real estate agent, only to be wooed to stay where they are by a fee reduction.

If this sounds like your situation, read on.