One Monte Cecilia family has been turning their new house into a home by forging a great relationship with their landlord and property manager to improve their new abode.

Sarah* came to Monte Cecilia from Women’s Refuge, where she had been staying during a COVID-19 lockdown, something she says caused her family a lot of uncertainty. She and her three children moved into the property after the Monte team negotiated a deal to lease it through Good Neighbours property management.

“The owner settled on Monte Cecilia because they didn’t want periods without rent between tenants moving out and another being found to move in,” Good Neighbours Property Manager Patrick Rankin says. “It can often take up to three weeks to find a good tenant, because there are a lot of bad ones out there.”

“I have been doing property management for 10 years and this property has had a series of rough tenants in the past before coming to Monte Cecilia. So, I was very pleased when I turned up and the outside was tidy – it made me excited to find out more about the family. Going into the house it was immaculate, all the rooms were clean and tidy and the kids were super polite.”

Sarah has developed a positive relationship with Patrick, letting him know of any maintenance issues that need attending to help him keep the property ship-shape.

“Having them take an active role in the maintenance of the property really helps,” Patrick says. “The landlord has appreciated it too and has given me a budget of $300 a month to get things done around the house.”

Sarah appreciates how close the property is to public transport and nearby shops, as well as having a back yard with fruit trees.

Now that her situation is stable she is keen to work toward purchasing her own house.

“Before we came here we had nothing but each other and a roof over our heads, and then everything fell into place. We’re really happy,” she says.

*not her real name