Property manager responsibilities

Our Experts Answer:

You have asked a few questions. Firstly, you haven’t said how the oven incurred the damage that you describe. The property management company should not normally be responsible because they arranged to have the oven placed in the garage as you requested. Bear in mind that you replaced the oven because it didn’t work and that its value may have been negligible.

Secondly, the metal shelving belongs to you. It should have been noted as missing when the property manager carried out the end-of-tenancy inspection. You can ask the property management company to follow up and ask the tenants to return the shelving. The Tenancy Tribunal is available to the property manager to make a claim for the shelving if you consider it desirable and necessary.

Thirdly, it is not unusual for a property manager to lend tenants a key to pick up some items left behind. (Bear in mind that they were entrusted with keys during the tenancy!) It does depend on the circumstances, though. Was it immediately after the end of tenancy? Were the keys returned immediately afterwards? How many items needed to be collected? Often a property manager will accompany the tenant and supervise the collection. But for a quick visit and a few items, with the keys being returned very quickly, it’s occasionally acceptable to lend the keys.