Property managers

Is your rent roll storm ready?

When a storm comes through, it hits every property on your list at once. Twelve quick questions on the prep that makes storm day manageable.

Start the checklist (3 minutes, free, no sign-up). See it for your rent roll. Read the full guide.

The questions

1. Is every property listed with the landlord's contact, insurer and any approved spend limit? If not: List every property with the landlord's contact, insurer and approved spend limit.
2. Are your higher-risk properties flagged? Big trees, older roofs, known leaks, flood-prone streets and vacant properties. If not: Flag the higher-risk properties, so they get checked first.
3. Has each landlord agreed in writing what you can approve for urgent make-safe work? So nobody is chasing a yes in the middle of a storm. If not: Get each landlord to agree in writing what you can approve for urgent make-safe work.
4. Is landlord insurance current for each property, with the policy details on file? If not: Check landlord insurance is current and the policy details are on file.
5. Has a pre-season message gone to every tenant? How to report damage, what counts as an emergency, who to call after hours, the SES on 132 500 and 000. If not: Send every tenant the pre-season message. There is a template in the full guide.
6. Have tenants been asked to report leaks and blocked gutters now, not after the storm? If not: Ask tenants to report leaks and blocked gutters now.
7. Are keys and access details up to date, with pets, alarms, locked side gates and tricky access noted on each file? If not: Update keys and access notes, and issue entry notices properly for any pre-season work, following RTA rules.
8. Are there dated photos of the roof, gutters, yard, trees, fences and sails for each property, where the whole team can find them? Taken before the season starts, with existing damage noted. If not: Take dated photos before the season and note existing damage, so it is not confused with new storm damage later.
9. Have gutters and downpipes been cleared, and overhanging branches trimmed back from roofs? Big limbs are a job for an arborist. Anything near powerlines is a job for the electricity distributor. If not: Get gutters and downpipes cleared, especially under trees, and branches trimmed back from roofs.
10. Are vacant properties secured, with gutters clear and nothing loose in the yard? If not: Secure vacant properties, clear their gutters and clear the yards.
11. Do you have a current list of make-safe trades, and after-hours numbers sorted? Roofers, plumbers, electricians, tree services and glaziers, and who on the team is on call. If not: Line up make-safe trades and after-hours numbers, and agree who is on call.
12. Is there a one-page plan and a damage log ready to go? Who calls tenants, who calls landlords, who logs damage, who books trades. The log: property, damage, photos, trade booked, landlord told, insurer told, claim number. If not: Write the one-page plan and set up the damage log.

General guidance, not legal advice. The Residential Tenancies Authority sets the rules on entry, repairs and who is responsible for what, so check with them if you are unsure. The full checklist has 30 items and a pre-season tenant message you can copy.

More free checks

• Storm Ready Score: how ready is your home?: Ten quick yes or no questions about your home, a score out of 10 and what to sort before the storms. Free, two minutes.
• Storm season checklist: is your home ready?: Twelve quick questions from the SEQ storm season checklist. See what is done and what to sort before the first big storm. Free, three minutes.
• Storm damage? What to do first, in the right order: Pick what has happened and get the next safe step and who to call: 000, the SES on 132 500, your insurer or a licensed trade. Free, one minute.
• Roof warning signs: is your roof warning you?: Twelve things to look for from the ground and inside, what each one means and when to get someone up there. Free, and you stay off the roof.
• Roof repair in Brisbane: what moves the price?: Pick the repair and see what it involves, the six things that change the number and what a fair roof quote should show. Free, one minute.
• Gutters and downpipes: the boring job that saves the house: Ten quick questions to tell if your gutters and downpipes need attention, how often to clean them in SEQ and when to leave the ladder in the shed.
• Who should I call? Problem to trade, in plain English: Ceiling stain, power tripping, a gas smell, a sagging shade sail? See how urgent it is, what you can safely check and which trade to call.
• Simple home checks: ten minutes, no ladder: A safe walk-around from the ground and inside. Hidden leaks, ceiling stains, cracks, gutters and the safety switch. What it might mean and who to call.
• Could a flexi hose flood your house? Check it: Simple plumbing checks: flexi hoses, a leaking toilet, water pressure, the hot water relief valve and slow drains. What to look for and who to call.
• Is your tradie licensed? Check it in two minutes: A free QBCC licence check, step by step. Is it current, does the class cover the job, and the red flags that mean walk away.
• Is the cheapest quote missing half the job?: Twelve quick questions to check a quote: scope, exclusions, materials, payment terms, warranty and licence. Compare the quote, not just the number.
• Why your quotes go cold: a two-minute self-check: A lot of quotes are not lost on price. Seven yes or no questions for trade businesses to find where quotes leak between the enquiry and the yes.
• What are cold quotes costing your business?: Four sliders, two minutes, no sign-up. See what slips away a year when quotes go unanswered. Example only: revenue, not profit.
• Property manager storm checklist: are you ready?: A storm hits every property on your list at once. Twelve quick questions for property managers and landlords: what is done, and what to sort first.

Linc Point

Linc Point (sometimes spelt Link Point), ABN 48 535 502 159. Call 0458 381 559 or email linc@lincpoint.com.au. Brisbane and South East Queensland, Bribie Island to Helensvale. Website: lincpoint.com.au. Tools for trade businesses: lincpoint.online.