The PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak Properties
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The PROPERTY DOCTORS, Sydney Australia Novak Properties
EP. 1358 “35,000+ lightning strikes: A property manager’s challenge next day!”
Prepare to gain a new perspective on property management amidst extreme weather challenges in our latest episode, featuring insights from Cleo Whithear, a seasoned expert in the field. Discover how Sydney's recent barrage of 35,000 lightning strikes is more than just a spectacle—it’s a wake-up call for property owners. We unpack the crucial steps landlords should take to fortify older properties, emphasizing the need for modernized electrical systems to better withstand such powerful storms. You'll also learn about the hidden costs, like potential damage from large trees, that can turn a storm into a landlord's nightmare, and why reviewing your insurance coverage is more essential than ever in these unpredictable times.
But it's not all doom and gloom. We share heartwarming tales of spontaneity, likening life's unpredictable moments to a forgotten game of Uno or the whimsical narrative of the movie "The Great Outdoors." The film's quirky humor about a character struck by lightning 166 times serves as a reminder of resilience and the human spirit's ability to find joy amidst chaos. Join us as we send our best wishes to the residents of Sydney and those managing properties during these trying times, all while encouraging you to embrace life's surprises with open arms and a positive outlook.
35 plus thousand lightning strikes over Sydney. Emergency services going bananas. What does that mean to the life of a property manager? Stay tuned, I'm the ringleader. Wow, cleo Whitty, expert property manager of 4,000 years, how are you?
Speaker 2:I'm good, thank you, how are you?
Speaker 1:Good, good. So last night, how did you go'm good?
Speaker 2:thank you, how are you good? Good, so last night, how'd you go? Did you get affected? No, thankfully not. Um, it was a beautiful light show from where I'm sitting, however, and um, some of those big thunder cracks. I was like don't wake the kids up please.
Speaker 1:Oh, I was like don't wake the kids up please, but it was good. It must be a record for Sydney. Like 35,000 strikes, it was like 35,706 or something weird. And my eldest daughter turned around and said imagine counting all those strikes. And I was like, anyway, it's incredible, with that driving wind, that heavy rain, what that it does to the electrical system. What does that mean to you today, like for property managers out out across sydney, um, what's today going to look like?
Speaker 2:well, I'm anticipating there's going to be some um tenants that are without power, like you said. Um, that is something that I believe the scs and and you know information that's coming through from Facebook channels tenants are being tuned on that. They will call us and they'll say I've got new power. It's not something an electrician would typically come out in these types of conditions. It will highlight, however, some of those older style properties that have got the old phase electrical power boards in their units and things like that. It will possibly spark landlords to upgrade and put some more safety features in there. You know, because when something like this happens, that's when you start thinking about all the things you should have or could have insured for or done to prevent.
Speaker 1:You know issues have insured for or done to prevent you know issues. Well, a lot of people don't know that if an electrician opens up your electrical board and it's become a donkey and compliance has gone beyond that board, they have to upgrade that electrical board.
Speaker 2:So I think some people today are going to be forced to do upgrades across their um, their circuit boards, just due to compliance 100 and and just even every day-to-day use, the tenant has a lot of appliances, um, in comparison to what they had in the 70s and 60s and 50s, and some of these buildings that were built, you know, I even know when you know we we bought this house where I'm living we're like there's no power points here. What is going on? We had to install all these power points because they were just, you know, older houses didn't have so much need for them. But in the event of storms and things like these extreme weather events, the older homes are impacted a lot as well. And especially the issue with trees. A lot of owners might think, oh, I'll chop that tree, I'll trim it. You know it's not really needed now, but if a big branch comes down and you know it's put your home in jeopardy, now is a bit too late to think about those preventative measures.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I was actually driving home last night I went through Mossman and a branch had come down over two and a half lanes across two and a half lanes on the city bound lane and you could just squeeze through a car to get through. So fortunately traffic was stopped. But these things are a ton or half a ton of it, doesn't matter whether it's steel or lumber or concrete, it's half a ton. So there's some serious weight on some of this.
Speaker 2:So these trees just give way, hey it's so true, um, and you know, I had a client once he's a branch who come down on neighboring property and it was literally um, like a seesaw dangling on the fence and he's like, well, I don't want to pay for all of that tree branch to be removed. And the other owner was like they had to split the cost of the branch, this gigantic tree branch. And you don't think that arborists, it does cost a lot of money to have a tree lopper out. Trees are a very big expense when living in certain parts of the northern beaches. I think it works out about 1500 a tree, um, sometimes more depending on the size. And then you've got the wood chipper, you've got a crane, you've got all these additional costs, um, so you would think, yeah, it's just a branch or a tree, but it can be quite expensive.
Speaker 2:And I know, um, you know, in these big, big event, um, events of storms and lightning and things, the scs they're only, you know, there's only so much they can do when everybody's in the same situation and inundated. I had a property in belrose that um had a branch, a tree, fall on the house. That house was vacant for a year while the insurances fixed the roof and the tree got removed and the tenants got relocated. It was almost a year where those landlords, you know, didn't have a tenant or any rent or income. So it can be really devastating when it's to do with trees and weather and things like that.
Speaker 1:So probably the biggest message from today is get a copy, a hard copy, a physical copy, of your insurance and just have a good old mosey that it's current and have a good old mosey that you agree with what's covered. Um, do you want content in covered? What happens in extreme weather events? You've got fire to consider, you've got flood to consider, you've got electrical to consider? Um, and just have a look how much those things are and if they are, in your policy, because you don't want to find out after the event.
Speaker 2:It's too late then? Yeah, exactly, exactly, and you know what? It's the beginning of the year. Now's a good time to get all your affairs in order when it comes to insurances and things to do with that, and if you are a tenant out there, that is effective. Rest assured that there are lots of people that are willing to help in these extreme events, and obviously our office, and if you need to come in and let us know what's going on, you're more than welcome to come into the office and any of our team will be able to assist you in the right direction of how to go about it.
Speaker 1:So, cleo, out of the properties you're managing just over 500 properties yourself. The team's managing just over 2000. What would be when you get in today? What's it gonna look like? What do you expect? Everyone calls, couple of people call. What's the nature of what you're against around the corner? Yeah, you haven't got to your desk. What does your crystal ball say?
Speaker 2:You know I'm going to have positive vibes. I'm thinking just normal plumbing, electrical maintenance in my inbox, nothing heavy. I have been doing some preventative tree lopping work with a few of my properties at the moment so I'm relieved that I've had certain things taken care of already. So I like to just feel positive and think that everyone out there was safe last night and just enjoyed the electrical storm from the comfort of their lounge with no problems, Fingers crossed.
Speaker 1:Well, stay tuned. Next Thursday We'll give you a one-minute update on what happened today, but I hope everyone out there today was nice and safe and, you know, with their families, and so check insurance is the message out of today, definitely. Do preventative work, particularly with trees. Be aware that your electrical switchboard has to have consistent upgrades done to it, and if those upgrades have not been done, you will be forced to upgrade your board. Anything else, real estate advice style after a storm like last night.
Speaker 2:Look, just like you said, all those things, check those things, save, consider saving for those upgrades. If you've got a property and you're a landlord, you have a duty of care to make sure that property is compliant so compliant with safety measures, with everything in the you know part of the landlord information statement. It's fine when you even you know bring on a property to an agency, it is up to an owner to make sure that their property is safe and compliant for tenants. So that is our number one goal and, yeah, check all those things.
Speaker 1:Can I tell you just a golden memory I got from last night's electrical storm. Please share. I'm going out with this one. My daughter goes oh my God, oh my God. My eldest daughter, I go what? She goes the Uber driver. I said what Uber driver? So she goes the Uber driver. I said what Uber driver. So Janine's got a bunch of friends that are very, very lad Bible based, very, very lad Bible based, and the Uber driver turned up with a pizza and then the electrical storm started. They're like come in, come in, come in. So he got stuck in their house during the storm in his high viz, in his yellow high viz, and they got a selfie. They got a selfie like talk and these are really real like lads, lads. So they all decided to play uno with the uh, with the uber driver that is perfect.
Speaker 1:How lucky I saw the photo and then all these deliveries got cancelled so I was like, all right, I'll play a bit more Uno.
Speaker 2:I love that. That is the best.
Speaker 1:It's amazing what happens in these events.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I think everyone's too old, all right, but there's that movie, the Great Outdoors, with John Candy. There's a guy in there that got hit by lightning 166 times. He was just really unlucky and he had a grey stripe. I don't know if anyone's seen the movie, but yeah, lightning it can get you.
Speaker 1:I think I remember the guy. But anyway, sydney, I hope you're okay. Property managers good luck for today. Cleo, put out good vibes.
Speaker 2:Nice to see you again. Bye.