"Here's the key, help yourself!"

When your property is vacant, how does your property manager show it to prospective tenants? Some give keys to tenants and invite them to show themselves through. It isn't as uncommon as you would think - a very large real-estate company's rental division does this. It makes me shudder. While the tenants do fill out an application form beforehand, their references are not checked and any ID is not confirmed as genuine. People lie on their paperwork, even if they do want the property and not any other foul intent.

The risks to your property are numerous. Keys could be copied, and the property burgled once new tenants move in. They could take the copper pipes and hot water cylinder. Often when the cylinder is stolen, theives don't bother to turn off the water, so the house gets flooded too. That's a whole lot of trouble and expense for you because of a lazy property manager.

The property could also be trashed. Rubbish & grafitti are real risks, potentially expensive and heartbreaking to sort out, and it will put off those prospective good tenants.

They could leave your property unsecure. It is common for people to open doors and windows when looking at a property. If you don't go around behind them and secure them, you leave the house open for others to steal or ruin. What would your insurance say?

They might not give back the keys. I showed a man through a property we manage, and two days later, he rang to tell me he had the key, and where should he return it to? It was a key from another company for another property, and he had forgotten which one. Frankly, that man gave me the creeps when I met him at the property. I wouldn't have rented him a property.

Best practice is to have a property manager accompany the tenants through the property. Not only can they keep an eye on your belongings, they can be assessing from their behaviour whether they will be careful and respectful of your property. I had a prospective tenant look at a house and I couldn't get out the door quickly enough; her kids were so destructive in the few minutes she was there. I can't imagine what it would have been like if I hadn't been. Needless to say, she didn't get the property. She might have if I hadn't met her there. Horrors.

Viewing the property with a property manager gives time to build rapport, and interview the prospective tenants, checking the information they give. It also gives opportunity to tell the prospective tenant about the features of the property they may not have noticed, like insulation.

Ask your property manager if they show tenants through, or just give them the keys to help themselves.