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Complying with your legal obligations is crucial, regardless of whether you use a property manager or self manage your properties.
With this in mind, we're sharing 10 'must know' things from the Residential Tenancies Act in New South Wales and encouraging you to provide your own. Next week, we'll tackle Victoria.
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That the following terms are not allowed in your agreement:  - A requirement for the tenant to have the carpet professionally cleaned, or to pay for the cost of this service, at the end of the tenancy. - This may not apply if the tenant has pets. That the tenant needs any sort of specific insurance.  - That any rebate may occur if the tenant does not breach the agreement, and, on the other hand, that a tenant is liable to pay all the remaining rent, increased rent or a penalty if they breach the agreement. 
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Your tenant has anti-discrimination rights.   While this can be a broad topic, you must not discriminate against tenants on the basis of your tenant's race, religion, sexual oritenation, age or any disabilities. Discrimination can be seen as broad, and may include undertaking extra inspections due to a tenant's age. 
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<li>Pet bonds are not allowed. </li>
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You do not have to allow sub-letting.  If a tenant is sub-letting without your consent, that is having another resident in the house pay rent to themselves, this is against the agreement. 
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Tenants must be provided 60 days of written notice for a rent increase.   When 'written notice' is mentioned, you must allow time for postage if this is your intended method. It is recommended that landlords and property managers keep clear records of when notices have been sent, to avoid a breach. 
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The property must be in a reasonable state of cleanliness, and it must be habitable, when provided to the tenant.   While this is a debatable point, it's largely worth remembering the state of a property you would be happy to inhabit, and emulate this. Remember to focus on making the property compliant, safe and clean. 
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Tenants are required to report the need for repairs and maintenance.  They must also not make material additions or changes, such as the alteration of locks or security devices, or fly screens, without the consent of the landlord. 
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There is a limit on the amount of bond you can charge a tenant. In New South Wales, this limit is up to four week's of the rent you have agreed to pay. As a landlord or property manager, a bond lodgement form is required to be provided to the tenant. 
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A landlord must tell tenants 'material facts'.   These material facts include whether the home has been subject to serious flooding or bushfire in the past five years, if there are any health/safety risks or if the home has been the scene of a violent crime in the past five years. 
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A tenant should be provided with a condition report. The tenant should be provided two copies, one of which is for their records, the other is for the property manager. They should be given seven days in which to complete and return this form.
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Do you have any "must know" facts from the Residential Tenancies Act? Share yours below.
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10 things you need to know about NSW's Residential Tenancies Act

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If the tenant is permitted to keep pets capable of carrying parasites which can affect humans, a pet bond may be charged.  
Lessors/agents must lodge the security bond as a single amount, specifying the amount taken as pet bond.
The amount a tenant can be charged for a pet bond depends on the type of lease agreement they have.
Residential tenancy
The pet bond must be no more than $260 unless the weekly rent is more than an amount set by regulation ($1200 per week as at 1 June 2011).  
Long-stay tenancy in a residential park
A maximum amount of $100 may be charged for a pet bond.
Assistance dogs
Tenants must not be charged a pet bond for an assistance dog.
For more information, <a href="https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au" target="_blank">click here</a>.
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Property 101: Pet bonds in WA

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The Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria has accepted undertakings from Latitude Real Estate Pty Ltd and its director and former officer in effective control, who failed to meet their trust account obligations.
Investigations followed a complaint about the company, alleging discrepancies between bond payments made by tenants and amounts lodged by the company with the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA), for four properties.
CAV found that bond money paid to the company by tenants, and by the company to the RTBA on behalf of tenants, was not properly recorded in the company’s rental trust account.
Latitude Real Estate inadvertently made overpayments of rent to landlords totalling $372,348, and underpayments of rent to landlords totalling $352,470. 
As a result, there was a deficiency of $19,879 in the company’s rental trust account in November 2015.
Latitude Real Estate acknowledged that it had contravened the Estate Agents Act 1980 and the Regulations by failing to keep full and accurate accounting records of trust money received. 
The company’s insurers have started making rectification payments to reconcile these discrepancies.
James Robert Hand, who was at all relevant times the Officer in Effective Control was responsible for reviewing and approving all monthly reconciliations of the company’s trust accounts, offered an undertaking to the Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria that he will complete further trust accounting, ethical and risk management professional training. 
Latitude Real Estate offered an undertaking to implement and maintain a compliance program to ensure that it keeps full and accurate accounting records, in accordance with the Act and Regulations, and will only permit suitably qualified staff to manage and maintain its accounts and records.
The company must ensure that all money owed to landlords as a result of errors in its trust accounting is paid within six months of the commencement date of the undertaking. It must also pay $3000 to the Victorian Property Fund within six weeks. 
The company also gave an undertaking to ensure that all directors, employees and agents who handle trust money, complete or repeat further professional trust accounting, ethical and risk management training.
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Overpayments made to Victorian landlords by Latitude Real Estate

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Strong interest has emerged overnight in Australia's first-ever 30-year bond.
Demand has pushed past the $13 billion mark, although the size of the offer is likely to be less.
The new bond, which matures 21 March 2047, was launched on Tuesday.
It is expected to be finalised today by the Australian Office of Financial Management. 
Traders told the Australian Financial Review the demand is likely to have come from insurance companies eyeing globally attractive long-term rates paid by a triple-A rated borrower, and short-term traders and funds looking to buy securities that will gain in value if a slowdown in China forces further Reserve Bank of Australia rate cuts.
As of late Tuesday, the AOFM had almost $11 billion of orders and was guiding towards a yield of 3.24 per cent. 
The Australian Office of Financial Management said the historic transaction would be of 'benchmark' size'. 
Traders had anticipated 100 to 107 basis points over the implied yield of the 10-year bond futures contract.  
ANZ, Citi, Commonwealth Bank, Deutsche Bank, UBS and Westpac managed the issue.
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