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Staff Reporter
First National Real Estate has urged landlords to exercise rental pricing restraint following the Queensland flood disaster.
According to the real estate, there have been instances where landlords with vacant homes have asked to have their rental asking price substantially increased to capitalise on the sudden demand for properties needed by evacuees.
“Fortunately, such incidents have been few in number and have been balanced by property owners who have contacted the network with offers of assistance. One such landlord contacted a Brisbane First National member and indicated that he was willing to furnish his rental property down to the last teaspoon if a flood evacuee needed temporary, furnished accommodation,” First National’s chief executive Ray Ellis said.
“He even offered to forgo the usual minimum six month lease to help out.”
Mr Ellis said real estate agents are currently struggling to find the necessary resources to re-house tenants in rental properties that have been either damaged or ruined.
“Our staff took calls from over 100 tenants last weekend alone,” he said.
First National Real Estate is a cooperative and its member agents have pooled their resources to help the worst affected offices in the network respond to the crisis.
“Property managers and staff located around Brisbane in particular have flocked to our Oxley and Toowong offices to help clean up, establishing temporary facilities under tents, and have set about visiting our rental properties to assist tenants who need to be re-housed, assessing the degree of damage, reporting to landlords, and starting the process of repairs and restoration,” Mr Ellis said.
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