 Hello and thank you for joining today's topic on Property Owners and Managers' Responsibilities for the Entry Condition Report. The Queensland Tentancy Laws outline the rights and responsibilities for Property Owners and Managers and Tenants. Besides the Tentancy Agreement, one of the most important documents at the Star of the Tentancy is the Entry Condition Report. The Property Owners and Managers must ensure at the start of the Tentancy, the premises and inclusions are clean, fit for the Tent to live in, in good repair and not in breach of any health and safety laws. The tenants must keep the premises and inclusions clean during the Tentancy, having regard to the condition at the start. At the end of the Tentancy, the tenant must return the premises and inclusions in the same condition they were at the Star of the Tentancy, minus spare wear and tear. No matter whether you are the Property Owner or Manager or the tenant, this document needs to be thoroughly completed at the commencement of the Tentancy to show the condition of the rental property. It records any pre-existing damage and whether the property is clean, items are working and whether there's any damage. Whilst in most circumstances, the report is completed separately by both sides, some Property Owners or Managers and Tenants complete the report together. It is also recommended to take photos or video at the start as further evidence of what the property condition is. There are instructions on the front page of the report as to what each person's obligations are, as well as an opportunity to recall any water meter reading. Take the time to read the instructions. The Property Owner or Manager is to inspect the premises and mark each item whether it is clean, working and undamaged and any other comments or notes and sign the report. On or before the tenant moves in, you need to give a copy of the report to the tenant. It is best to keep a copy in case the report is not returned by the tenant. Under the Queensland Tentancy law, it is a requirement to have the report completed as there are penalty provisions for the Property Owners or Managers for not completing it. For the tenants they need to inspect the premises, comment on any item if they believe has been missed or disagreed with anything or if it does not reflect the accurate condition of the premises. Tents need to sign the report and return a copy to the Property Owner or Manager within three days. The Property Owner or Manager then needs to send a copy of the final report to the tenant within 14 days and keep a copy for themselves. For Property Owners and Managers, be thorough with your inspection and this may include writing names of appliances, the types of window coverings, whether they are blinds or curtains and their color, whether the lights, air conditioning and stove are working, whether the carpets have been steam cleaned. Not only should you do the inside of the premises but also ensure you do a thorough external inspection as well, particularly for items such as your letterboxes, water tanks, driveways, fences, taps, garden and lawns. Again, photos are a good idea to assist in showing what their condition is. So what happens if there is a disagreement between what the Property Owner or Manager and the tenant has written on the report? If there are items on the report that the Property Owner or Manager and the tenant do not agree with, it is best to make the time with the tenant as soon as practical and go through the report and the property together. Any items that haven't been noted as significantly different should be discussed and the matter tried to be resolved. Should a tenant fail to return their signed copy of the report, then it may be that your original copy will be relied upon at the end of the tenancy should there be a dispute about the condition of the property. Communicate with a tenant and remind them about their obligations in returning the report. Remember this is a very important document and will be compared to the exit condition report at the end of the tenancy. To avoid any disputes about the condition of the property or a bond dispute at the end, please ensure the report is completed by both parties to the tenancy and that means both the Property Manager and Owner and the tenant. Keep a copy of the entry condition report in a safe place during the tenancy. For Property Owners and Managers, they must keep a copy of the report for at least one year after the agreement ends. A thorough detailed report and photos can avoid disputes at the end of the tenancy. Take the extra time to get this right to avoid a potential problem at the end where time and memory may not always align with what you and the other person remembers at the start. You can find a lot of tenancy information on the RTA's website, rta.qld.gov.au or give us a call on 1300 306 301. Thank you.