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EPM: Best Practice & Legislation
Are your listings at threat from meth contamination?
“Meth House of Horror!”, “Ice Epidemic!”, “Rental Properties Test Positive for Meth/ice”. The headlines are alarming and fuel widespread fears about meth contamination. Concerns are particularly prevalent in the rental industry, with stories about investment properties being used as clandestine laboratories or smoking dens, and subsequent tenants suffering ill-effects from exposure to the toxic residue. With alarm bells ringing, agents…
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EPM: Best Practice & Legislation
Fiddling on the roof: Sharon Fox-Slater
We are mid-way through winter and many parts of the country are getting windy and wet (although unfortunately not the right places right now!) When wild weather descends, roofs take a battering – and many come off second best. At RentCover around 55 per cent of all storm damage claims we receive relate to roofs. Last winter alone approximately $1.5…
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EPM: Technology & Social
A game of drones: Sharon Fox-Slater
It wasn’t long ago that drones were developed only for military purposes. Today, remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are mainstream and flocks can be seen flying over local parks and beaches every weekend.But it’s not only enthusiastic families taking to the skies; real estate agents have been quick to adopt the technology. When the first commercial drones came on the scene, early…
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EPM: Best Practice & Legislation
Vacation rentals & insurance: Sharon Fox-Slater
For many landlords with property in cities and prime holiday locations, the lure of the short-stay accommodation market is strong. Some choose to rent their property to holidaymakers, others may look for a corporate lease. Some have their property available to rent all the time, and some switch, looking to cash in during peak season. Although the financial rewards can…
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EPM: Best Practice & Legislation
(Rental) House Rules: Sharon Fox-Slater
When it comes to Rental House Rules, rule number one is don’t DIY, cautions Sharon Fox-Slater. Seduced by the plummy tones of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen (aka LLB) or the ocker Scottie Cam, the return of home renovation shows like House Rules and The Block is often a siren call to would-be DIYers. And while picking up the power tools at their…
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EPM: BD & Growth
MVP: Why An Insurance Broker Can Be A Great Asset To Your Business: Sharon Fox-Slater
“You don’t know what you don’t know.” It might sound like an off-hand statement, but it is really at the heart of why real estate professionals should partner with an insurance broker to help them protect their businesses. The risks facing real estate businesses are diverse and insurance can be complex, which is why engaging the services of a broker who…
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EPM: Best Practice & Legislation
A secure rental can mean a secure tenant: Sharon Fox-Slater
One in 40 Australian homes are burgled each year, sending a clear message to landlords and agents about the importance of security at rentals, says Sharon Fox-Slater. Home burglary is one of the most widespread crimes in Australia with more than 300,000 break-ins recorded each year, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology. This sobering statistic coincides with a number…
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EPM: Best Practice & Legislation
Sharon Fox-Slater: When weather goes bad
Seven cyclones – Hilda, Irma, Joyce, Kelvin, Linda, Marcus and Nora – have battered communities across northern Australia in the last four months. Add in storms and flooding in Northern Queensland and numerous bushfires devastating properties in southern Australia, including parts of the NSW Far South Coast and south-western Victoria in the last couple of weeks alone. It’s been an…
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EPM: Technology & Social
How to protect your business from cyberattacks: Sharon Fox-Slater
Sharon Fox-Slater of EBM’s RentCover explains how real estate businesses need to mitigate the risk of cybersecurity, with ransomware attacks and data breaches on the rise. It wasn’t that long ago that the only Trojans we knew of were an ancient people who made the fatal mistake of accepting a gift of a horse from their neighbours. Today, a real…
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EPM: Best Practice & Legislation
Disaster season and landlord insurance: Sharon Fox-Slater
Beaches, barbies, budgie-smugglers…and bushfires. The image of summertime in Australia may be one of sun-drenched beaches and swimming in warm water, carefree holidays and lazy days that culminate in spectacular sunsets, but sadly the reality does not always live up to that postcard image. The summer months are when our nation often bears the brunt of Mother Nature’s wrath. The…
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EPM: Best Practice & Legislation
Insurance and the ‘share economy’
The number of people offering their homes on sites like Airbnb, HomeAway and VacationRentals is snowballing. There are now more than 115,000 Australian properties listed on Airbnb alone. What started out as an opportunity to rent a room for a couple of days and earn a few dollars has turned into a business for many homeowners. In fact, the money…
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Brand Editorial
Sharon Fox-Slater: How Risky Is Your Business?
Cyber risks, public liability, management liability, strata and Director’s and Officers’ cover are just some of the insurances that any real estate business should likely be carrying, along with other covers like employment practices, motor vehicle cover, business travel insurance and workers’ compensation. Many agents have found, with increased risk around them, it really pays to talk to an experienced…
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EPM
One Small Dog
DON’T LET ALL THAT TAIL wagging and cute fluffiness fool you! ‘One small dog’ is sometimes all it takes to strike fear into the hearts and minds of landlords and property owners everywhere. WHAT ON earth do you think that one small dog is going to do – trash the house?” That was the response I gave my husband when…
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