 Thanks for joining. My name is Deb Bond and I'm a Senior Community Education Officer with the RTA. Joining me today is Nikki Newman, who can share a wealth of experience and insights. Can you tell us more about yourself, Nikki? Yeah, absolutely. Hi everyone. Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon for our webinar. So Deb and I can have a chance to chat with you. My name is Nikki Newman and I'm one of the Senior Compliance and Enforcement Officers with the RTA. And I've been with the RTA for almost eight years this year. So looking forward to talking to you this afternoon. I'll hand back to you now Deb. Thank you. So in this webinar you would have seen when you registered will give you practical tips and examples to help you understand some of the biggest considerations when you become a landlord. Before we start, I'd like to respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of this country and their continuing connection with land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to all traditional owners and to elders past, present and emerging. So one of the first things that you can do towards a smooth tenancy is get all the initial paperwork right. On the screen is a list of paperwork to use at the beginning of the tenancy. Remember to always download and use the latest forms from our website. You'll see we've got three different sets of paperwork for different scenarios and some of you may be wondering which type of agreement applies to me. On the before renting section of our website, we have that information on the side panel about different scenarios and how to use the right tenancy agreement. So on this screen, we have summarised some living agreements where you will need to take extra time to check you're using the right agreement. We've also listed some top considerations for these arrangements. Nikki, can you tell us why it's important to use the right agreement for your situation? Thanks Deb. It is important to use the right agreement type for your tenancy as it offers clarity and protection for the rights and responsibilities for both parties of the tenancy. And in the event if things do get a little bit complicated during your tenancy or a case does go to QCAT, the tribunal could potentially make a decision about which laws apply to your tenancy, even if you have used a different agreement form. In short, it's best to take your time and make sure you have the right agreement from the very beginning. Thanks. They're very good points, Nikki. The other important thing to get right at the beginning of the tenancy is the rental bond if you choose to require a bond. Nikki, can you tell us a bit more about bonds and why it matters to get them right? Yeah, absolutely Deb. So a rental bond offers financial protection if there is any money owing at the end of a tenancy. It's not a requirement to take a bond. However, if one is taken, it must be lodged with the RTA within 10 days. If there are any disputes over a rental bond at the end of the tenancy, the RTA does offer a free dispute resolution process which can assist the parties in coming to an agreement about the refund of the bond. By ensuring that you have both an entry condition report and an exit condition report completed, it can aid in resolving any disputes over the refund of the bond. Thanks, Nikki. Now we all appreciate that tenants do have a responsibility to be good neighbors, ensuring peace and quiet enjoyment in the way they conduct themselves and not to use the property for illegal purposes. Also, the landlord or lesser needs to respect the tenant's right to quiet enjoyment, which means their peace, privacy and comfort. One of the ways that this plays out is an entry to the property. There are rules about when you can enter, why you can enter and the required notice period. So Nikki, can you tell us a couple more things about entry that landlords are sometimes unaware of? Yeah, so a couple of things for landlords to keep in mind over in relation to entry to the property is sometimes there might be a repair that you as a landlord could do yourself. However, you still need to respect the notice periods for entry. You and your tenant may agree to a shorter notice period, but that is up to the tenant's discretion. If you ask someone to do a repair for you, such as a tradesman, entry still needs to be done by providing the correct notice form and the notice period. Another entry fact that you might not be aware of is for rooming accommodation providers who live at the property. No entry notice period is required for common areas, but entry notices or mutual agreements are required for entering a resident's room. You may have consent to enter a room for one purpose, such as to conduct a repair, but you cannot then turn that repair into a routine inspection without first issuing the correct form and the notice period to the resident. They're really great tips for entry. Thanks, Nikki. And that's a really useful thing to be aware of that there are some differences in how you approach things depending on whether it's a roomy agreement or a general tenancy. One last quick tip is that when it comes to ending a tenancy, you should check our website for information because you can only end the tenancy for specific reasons and notice periods apply. So, Nikki, would you like to sum up the top tips that we've shared today? Sure. I'm not a problem debt. So the top tips to take away from today is to complete the right paperwork at the beginning of the tenancy. If a bond is taken, lodge the bond on time, use the correct forms, reasons and notice periods when entering the room or the property and when ending a tenancy. And communication is key. Be clear and timely and with all communication. Thank you. And then that one bonus tip we've got on the screen there is to keep up to date with rental law changes. So visit our website because there's information there on minimum housing standards, which start on the 1st of September for new tenancies. One last quick tip is that it's a great idea to jump onto our website and check out our forms and resources section. On the side menu, you'll find links to our fact sheets, webinar recordings and other useful resources. We also have a guide for property owners and managers of general tenancies and also a checklist for rooming accommodation providers. These will help you to understand your rights and responsibilities and key things to be aware of throughout a tenancy. The key resource to help tenants understand their rights and responsibilities is our pocket guide for tenants, or you might know it as the Form 17A. As well as the English version, we have translated this into eight other languages. So if you have a tenant who speaks another language, maybe an international student, please help them to access this information in their language. We also do have a free interpreter service available when you or your tenant call our contact centre. Please reach out to us if you need information about your particular circumstances. We're here to help and thanks for following along with our formal presentation.