The PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak Properties
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The PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak Properties
EP. 1281 WHO STOLE MY COUNCIL PARKING STICKERS, TENANTS RIGHTS TO THEM :\
Could a simple parking sticker really spark a tug-of-war between landlords and tenants? This episode uncovers the heated debates and surprising grey markets surrounding council sticker allocations. Join us with property manager extraordinaire Cleo Whithear as we dissect the high stakes of these seemingly trivial stickers. From their coveted benefits like free beach parking to the annual scramble to secure them, Cleo offers a behind-the-scenes look at the expectations, disputes, and logistical challenges involved. You’ll also be intrigued by the insider scoop on how these stickers are secretly traded on social media under code names.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. We dive into the quirky, competitive world of parking stickers within rental properties. Listen in as I share a personal anecdote about how these stickers were a prized possession when I purchased my first investment property, and the dilemma my family faced when downsizing meant losing our extra stickers. Discover the hidden value of these items and why landlords might want to think twice before keeping them all to themselves. Wrapping up with a call for a bit more generosity, this episode offers a fascinating, light-hearted glimpse into the unexpected complexities of property management and local council perks. Tune in for a story that's as entertaining as it is enlightening!
Council sticker madness when you're a tenant and when you're a landlord, who gets the council stickers? We're going to talk about it today. I'm the ringleader, so let's go. Good morning. We've had to roll in expert property manager Cleo Whittier that manages millions of real estate properties for hundreds of years. Welcome.
Speaker 2:I'm the official custodian of the council stickers. That's my new title.
Speaker 1:Judge and jury. So, if anyone's unaware, council, local councils will issue on the back of the quarterly bill. They'll issue parking stickers. They'll issue two for every property owner. So you're paying council rates. It's part of the benefit of paying council rates. And, claire, what's the council sticker do for punters that stick them on their car? What do the stickers do?
Speaker 2:It allows you to park at our iconic beaches for free, basically. So, if you go to Narrabead Beach, montevall, dui Beach, most of those parking ways are metered. But if you're a resident and you pay your council rates, you get a sticker, one per year which allows you to park at the beach for free.
Speaker 1:And landlords and tenants. Some landlords and tenants lose their minds over this.
Speaker 2:You know it's August. They always come in in August and that's normally a month where I look forward to my birthday celebrations, for example. But no, it's council sticker time every August. So we get inundated in the office with calls from both landlords and tenants requesting the stickers, and some even getting before August, you know, a month before. Just a friendly reminder. I want my stickers again this year and we've got a special. I wouldn't call it special, but we've got an in-house system where we know which owners have requested them, you know, and they need them to go to certain places. Sometimes they are gifted to friends and family, so we're also having to ID people coming into the office to collect stickers. It's a real process.
Speaker 1:It's a sticky situation.
Speaker 2:Oh, oh, that's a dad joke, that's a dad joke what's the dilemma?
Speaker 1:like? What does that? Is it there? Are you? This is what we do with it. Obviously not tell. Tell us about it.
Speaker 2:Look, there is an expectation that if you're the tenant and you're paying rent, that why shouldn't you get a sticker? And then there's also the landlord's perspective. Well, they pay the rates, they're the rate owner, so it's not usually a hairy process. A lot of our clients the majority, actually of our clients, because they get two stickers usually say give one to our tenant and send one to us, which is beautiful. So you give one to the tenant they're always grateful and then we send one back to the owner, or the owner comes and collects them, whatever it is.
Speaker 2:Some owners don't need the stickers. They live overseas and they're more than happy to onset those to their tenants also, so we do have a lot of those as well. And then there's some people that have a lot of friends and family that want the stickers. So the tenants miss out, and sometimes they get angry or annoyed that we're not releasing stickers to them, and it's one of those things where we need to navigate. And sometimes it's one of those things like the stickers that come in in August. For example, this year they didn't come when they're supposed to.
Speaker 2:So we've had a lot of chaos in the office as to why they haven't arrived yet, and we only got them literally three days ago. So you can imagine. It's a box, probably about that thick, full of the rates notices which need to be paid. That's the first thing as a priority, not the stickers as such. We need to pay the rates for the owners and I'm guessing, because of all this sticker printing business, they never arrived on time. So our council department is having a ball trying to get olives in at the moment.
Speaker 1:It's like a sticker blood sport. So, guys, if you think this is not, if you're watching, thinking, how can this be a thing? This is such a thing that there's actually a grey market for stickers or a black market for stickers. On what were you telling me before, Claire, like on Facebook.
Speaker 2:Yeah, on Facebook, yeah, they're calling it Fancy Pens and so that's the code name for it. So they will photograph a pen, whatever kind of pen you know like. It's like sell me this pen, like for Wall Street, you know, um. So they put the pen on top of the sticker and what they're really selling is the sticker. Some of the pens are going for $140 and that's one sticker. So, yeah, it could be quite lucrative and people might suspect you know that they're wanting these stickers so they can make some money on the side. But, for all intents and purposes, our office is literally, you know, managing people being able to park. I don't know anyone that's you know managing people being able to park. I don't know anyone that's you know, done that, but it was on Channel 9 this morning. It's a real thing every year, the Facebook marketplace fancy pen movement.
Speaker 1:No way. So would real estate just have them under lock and key. Is it that fancy?
Speaker 2:No, no, it's nothing. I don't feel that it's currency. Yet it hasn't got to that point and we've been doing this a long time. We do have a process. We don't just leave them down in reception for all and sundry to just come in and pick a sticker, but even the stickers we do give out you know we have to sign for them.
Speaker 2:They have. There is a process, the internal process. Who's collected them, what date? We have a register and there is one allocated person in our office who looks after the stickers. You know it's not. You have to go and ask them and you know what property it is. There's, like you know, a process there as well. But, having said that, tenants can take their lease agreement to council and purchase a sticker. That is also a thing. I don't know exactly how much it's gone to now, but you know what the irony and the funny thing is the one place that you want to park for free if you're a resident would be manly.
Speaker 2:You can't get a sticker for manly there's no problem no, they have this weird permit system for people that live there, um, and it's not the same as all the other beaches, so yeah, unbelievable.
Speaker 1:So, um, just before we go, and and again to sort of so two things. Your advice to a landlord on how to handle a sticker, the. The holy grail is probably one sticker to the tenant.
Speaker 2:The landlord can keep one yeah, that's, that's what a lot of our clients are doing and they and they, you know, sometimes they're the people that pay the rates and they go and deliver the sticker for the tenant in the letterbox and it's just like a little gift to say thank you for you know being great tenants. And yeah, and if you're a tenant and you're requesting the sticker, just understand that we are asking the owners if you have one. It's not an entitlement that you automatically receive because you're a tenant.
Speaker 1:So you think it's best practice? It's definitely not. A tenant doesn't have a right to a sticker or both stickers, to be really, really clear, and before we go, do you have a memorable moment with these stickers?
Speaker 2:Look, you know, when I bought my first investment property my only investment property you know, those two stickers were gold, because in a normal household you always have extra cars, extra people. So I was like, yes, now I get two extra stickers, and so it's a bit of a trophy for owners yeah, it was like a little you know boost to myself.
Speaker 2:So then I could, you know, either give it to a friend or something. And now, um, my dad, who downsized, and you know he's in in our unit and you know he sold his property. Now we're down two stickers again. So it's yeah, we have to get rid of the car.
Speaker 1:Oh no. Anyway, that's Bloodsport of stickers, sticker wars. Thank you very much for sharing that with us. Guys and girls, landlords watching Give your tenant a sticker. Have a great day, see ya. Thanks, leo, bye.