WA LANDLORDS should be wary of defaulting tenants, says Realty Executives’ Keith Howes.
In WA there are now more than 13,000 people on the defaulting tenants’ register. The real estate register was established to help agents identify those people abusing the system.
Mr Howes said there were more than 3,500 rental properties advertised each week in WA.
However, he said many landlords were unaware there was now a large pool of people in the State who actively abused the tenancy system.
“There is a core of ‘professional squatters’, moving from one rental property to another, defaulting on rental payments and failing to take property care of the property,” Mr Howes said.
A survey by Realty Executives has revealed nearly a quarter of all newspaper advertisements for rental accommodation are from private citizens and not real estate agents.
“People who rent their home out privately are the most exposed to abuse because they tend not to have the proper checks in place,” Mr Howes said.