Barry Plant Questions & Answers

Hi Chris, Thank you for getting in touch. You are best to contact the office Directors local to you, or nearest to the properties you wish to refer. I am certain they would be happy to assist you & your clients. The Director at Doncaster is Spiro Drossos, you can find his contact details on our website at external link . Thank you

Hi Pete, As all our Offices are individually owned and operated franchises, and fees may vary from office to office, to get an accurate breakdown of any fees included in your statement, you would be best to contact your managing office or property Manager. Please feel free to contact me at Head Office if you require any further assistance at customerservice@barryplant.com.au. Regards, Emma Smith Customer Service Manager & Training Coordinator Barry Plant Head Office

Lydia Non-residents can only buy new properties. They also need to seek approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), without which, may face severe penalties including up to $135,000 in fines, three years imprisonment or both.

Temporary residents can buy no more than one established dwelling, which must be used as their principal place of residence. They cannot rent out any part of the property, they must sell it within three months of ceasing to use it as their principal place of residence, and they must ensure the property is vacant at settlement.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Thanks Kevin! I found your answer very helpful and illuminating. Thanks once again! Lydia

You would not recommend you to use them unless you want to pay your fees for no service.

Hi Sally, Tenant transfer fees apply if there is a cost to prepare the new lease agreement. As we are a franchise company, our offices are individually owned and managed business and processes can vary from office to office and therefore so can the fee - there is no set fee that is applicable. Please refer to your property manager.

Please refer to your lease agreement for break of lease costs as they are always stipulated in the contract that was signed at the commencement of the lease.

Kind regards, Olivia Campbell, Barry Plant Head Office

Hi Mini, All endeavours are made to respond to applicants within 24 hours – however it may depend on the ability to check applicants referees and obtaining the final decision of the landlord. Kind Regards, Olivia Campbell, Barry Plant Head Office

Hi Alyssa and Michael, I am sorry to hear that you have been disappointed with the services of one of our offices, if you would like to discuss this further and to discuss your question further please contact me on 9840 9555.

Kind Regards,

Olivia Campbell, Customer Service Manager at Barry Plant Head Office

Good morning Martyne, thank you for your question. We have been in contact with Barry Plant Mornington and believe they can resolve your concerns. Please contact them on 5975 4999. Kind Regards, Barry Plant Franchise Support

Good morning and thank you for your query. We recommend speaking to your property manager to discuss your options, however, Yvonne Martin, Property Management Consultant for the Barry Plant Group is also happy to speak to you to see if she can assist. If you would like to speak with Yvonne please call Barry Plant Franchise Support on 03 9840 9555. Kind regards, Olivia Campbell, Customer Service Manager, Barry Plant Franchise Support

Hi Ursula, Notices of Termination vary depending on the circumstances, to answer your question accurately we would need a bit more information. If you could please email customerservice@barryplant.com.au or call us on 03 9840 9555 we would like to assist you in any way we can. Kind Regards, Olivia Campbell – Customer Service Manager, Barry Plant Franchise Support

You should call The Ombudsman before you do anything. Going by all the comments left you can see how bad they are. I did rent a Property a few years back from Barry Plant - Rosanna Branch Vic. The Property Manager back then Di Bryan was the rudest & most difficult person I’ve ever had to deal with.

She actually broke the Law by calling weeks before rent was due.

I’m now with a small Agent & they are amazing.

Thanks for your email. We’d recommend that you call the office that has the property available ‘For Lease’, and chat to them about the ID that is acceptable, as often they can take identification that is not listed on the application form.

Kind regards,

Barry Plant Corporate

I recommend going straight to Consumer Affairs. They are the ones who issue fines for breaches. Complaining to the agency usually doesn't get anything resolved since realtors tend to want to protect each other.

Hi there Turnerh, I am sorry I can't help you with this as it will depend on the terms and conditions of your lease. Best bet is to talk to your property manager about what penalties will be applied if you break your lease and what (if anything) you can do to mitigate them.

Kind regards

Shiona Pearson

Barry Plant Corporate

Thanks for your question. i have forwarded it to our Property Management expert and will respond to you as soon as I hear from you. Just wanted to let you know that I had received your question. In the meantime could you let me know which form you are talking about (where did you get it from) and which office you will be applying through.

Kind regards

Shiona Pearson

Barry Plant Corporate.

It sounds a bit dodgy, I don't understand why you don't have a green bin for your garden waste but you haver a lawn mower and a garden?? Your landlord should supply this or get it replaced at his cost, maybe talk to the council on this matter.

How does Barry Plant know your place needs mopping, none of their business really, something is not quite right here. I let my lawn grow really bad one year but it was the council that told me to cut it.

Thank you for your answer and I understand from BP did not bother to answer me so far, it is a very dodgy and disgusting practice on their behalf. I believe the next step is to write to VCAT about this matter to withdraw this ridiculous notice and apologize me! I believe their Red Carpet ends up in a swamp for tenants!

btw it should be "Breach of Duty"

If there has never been a green bin at the property then the agent has to request it if the bin has been stolen then you can ring and request it. When I moved into my current rental property I only had one bin. Agent got a bin to me via the council within a week as they are normally delivered in the bin day and neighbours had taken my recycling bin so I was able to order that myself. Hope this makes sense :)

Thanks Nicola, but this is not the case at all, this property never have had a green bin (he owns 2 units separately in one block) his excuse is that his financial problems.? but just today he wanna to deliver and install over a $1000 split system unit..!

I believe the is (the landlord) just a p...k and the real estate just licks his behind, at least what Barry Plant does, I asked this questioning by directing to them as you see no body bother to even respond.

I think this property's rent already included a body corporate fee but instead they keep the money, both the Barry Plant and the landlord are p....cks. I am leaving this property any ways, I have been renting 28 odd years I never saw the face of a landlord, but he shows up almost every week for no reason and I serve them (BP and the landlord) with a Notification of Landlord's Breach of Duty, 9 breaches so far.

Thank you for your respond again and as you said, real estate should look after the tenants too..! but the leeches always stick the dogs, right..? ;)

Hi Ash Our policy is very clear. Our clients are vitally important to us and calls and emails must be responded to within a reasonable period of time. We train on this and it's a non-negotiable expectation so we are very disappointed to hear that you haven't been contacted back. Could you please call Natalie at Head Office to give her details of who you contacted and we will investigate further.

Kind regards

Shiona Pearson

Barry Plant Corporate

You can, if you choose, give notice that you intend to 'vacate' the premises, that is, not move into them, under this section of the Residential Tenancies Act, as the premises aren't vacant. You can make an application to VCAT for compensation.

226. Termination by tenant before possession

A tenancy agreement terminates if the tenant has

not entered into possession of the rented premises

and has given a notice of termination of the

tenancy agreement to the landlord on the ground

that the premises—

(a) are not in good repair; or

(b) are unfit for human habitation; or

(c) are destroyed totally or to such an extent as to be rendered unsafe; or

(d) are not vacant; or

(e) are not legally available for use as a residence; or

(f) are for any other reason unavailable for occupation

Get in touch with the Tenants Union Victoria and get some further advice, assistance and perhaps representation at VCAT from them. Good Luck!!

Thank you for your message. We certainly appreciate that you must be feeling very frustrated. It’s a difficult situation because Barry Plant can’t force a tenant to leave a property without them being derelict in their obligations and then going through a legal process.

I don’t know the circumstances in this situation, but from the information that you have provided, it would seem that the tenants that are currently in occupation of the premises have decided to delay their vacate date. It is not a commonly occurring issue, however unfortunately there is very little that the Landlord or the Barry Plant office can do, unless the tenant is in default of their tenancy. The Barry Plant application form advises that the property is subject to vacant possession being provided to the office. When you could not gain access on the day that was promised to you, you were within your rights to withdraw from the lease and obtain a refund.

It’s disappointing that you haven’t had more support from the office as far as being shown alternative rental options. We would appreciate it if you could call Olivia at Barry Plant Head Office on 9840 9555 to let her know which office and the details around your situation so we can implement training and improvements in processes if necessary.

Kind regards

Shiona Pearson

Barry Plant Corporate

I am not able to answer your question as to the legal position but morally he should I feel. The agent is working for the vendor remember. You should refer this question to a solicitor if you need clarification

Does working for the vendor make any difference as the law is law i find it strange you cannot answer my question does this mean working for the vendor the law can be broken?

Dear Sue, Thank you for your question. We have offices in both Pakenham and Berwick and they would be best placed to answer your questions on the market in those suburbs, the price range and the deposit needed. If you could email your specific questions to Pakenham@barryplant.com.au and Berwick@barryplant.com.au, they should be able to give you good suburb-specific information. Oh, and welcome back to Australia!

Kind regards,

Shiona Pearson,

Barry Plant Corporate.

When negotiating a commission fee for selling, stand your ground and offer a 1.5-2% commission inclusive of GST which is reasonable but based on no advertising costs! The agent can deal with that. Why pay for advertising to advertise the agent's name? The agent would have a database they can use to contact prospective buyers for properties that are similar to yours for sale. Agents usually pre purchase advertising space in bulk and charge you a fortune with what they call 'Various Advertising packages'. They charge for an ad on the internet. Most of us have unlimited internet for a set fee; well agents have access to the same deals so when you are told you need to pay a fee for their ad, I'd be saying no! That can be taken out of their commission. If they are serious about selling your property (which is most likely your most valuable asset) then they can source qualified purchases using their databases. 2% commision on a $500k property is $10k and even if it takes two months to sell, it works out to be an average income of $1250 per week for a few open inspections and maybe one auction. Always sign a 'general' authority not an 'exclusive' authority so if you are unhappy with the agent you can walk off without fear of the agent making a claim for commission should you sell the property yourself by word of mouth or through another agent.

Mark wheeling and dealing is part of the game as you know like every thing in life the cheapest is not the best you only pay for what you get as you well know

Dear Mark, In Victoria, commissions are negotiable so you are able to negotiate commission with the agent to strike a rate that is agreeable to both of you. It’s important that you don’t choose an agent just because they charge the lowest commission. Look for a proven track record in your area, a good database of interested buyers and a list of the sales prices of houses similar to yours that have sold recently in your area – so you can determine whether the anticipated selling range is reasonable or inflated.

With advertising costs, these expenses are incurred with third parties and are incurred whether or not the property sells. If a property doesn’t sell, there is no commission but the third party providers need to be paid – which is why this is a separate expense, borne by the vendor. Some agents to include a small advertising package in their commission but this is almost always contingent on the property selling.

Kind regards,

Shiona Pearson,

Barry Plant Corporate.