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PHOTO: Tasmanian plumber Samuel Kiely said he wanted to use his properties as a way to financial independence. Picture: Supplied Plumber Sam Kiely has amassed a property portfolio worth more than $3 million but said he is using his homes for a “purpose”. The Tasmanian purchased his first place at just 18 after working

There are many property management companies in Auckland, New Zealand. Knowing which one is the best for you can be difficult if it’s your first time living in Auckland or if you’re not sure what you’re looking for. Find out in this article the top 5 Property Management Companies in Auckland that offe

The New Zealand real estate market is hot with residential property as seen by Trade Me Property results. Nearly 26,000 homes up for sale in the first week of December. But, what do people need to know before purchasing a property? What should you look out for, and what should you avoid? We talk to Property Consultant

Property Brokers General Manager, Will Alexander gives a quick overview of how renting has changed and evolved in New Zealand since the 1986 Residential Tenancies Act was first introduced. From smoke alarms to methamphetamine, to insulation, and now the proposed regulation of the Property Management industry. Alexander

Here’s how to navigate the rent arrears process in New Zealand, while minimising stress for both you and your tenants. Clear and timely communication should be your number one priority when dealing with rent arrears. Through communicating well and working together with your tenants, the whole process can be a lot less

Williams Corporation records three record breaking months of residential townhouse sales totaling $124.29million. 1. August: 62 homes sold, total value $33.49m2. September: 76 homes sold, total value $44.27m3. October: 88 homes sold, total value $46.5m New Zealand townhouse development company Williams Corporation has

Property managers. Among a list of responsibilities, they’re in charge of collecting the rent money, responding to your tenant’s urgent requests, and ensuring your investment is well looked after. So, with so much responsibility why is there no regulation? And, should there be? In New Zealand, basically, an

On October 17th, New Zealand’s 2020 election will take place, but what will the end vote mean for landlords and tenants? Housing is always an issue that party leaders are expected to speak on. This year, policies on housing affordability, housing quality, and social housing have been put forward by several partie

The lease is signed, your tenants are in, but the rent money isn’t? Rent arrears are a common issue for many landlords that when noticed quick can be remedied even faster. If your tenant hasn’t paid rent, you need to have a plan in place to get it all up-to-date, and you need to know your options. When you

You’ve found your first investment property and you’re ready to rent it out. But where do you start? Finding tenants, making sure your home is up to standard, and making sure you meet your responsibilities can feel a little overwhelming. But we’re here to help you navigate all this new stuff with a fi

On Tuesday the 7th of July the Select Committee released their report on the Residential Tenancies Act Amendment bill. The proposed changes remain much the same as the original, with a few recommendations being added after the public submissions process. With the entire National Party opposing the bill at its first rea

Saying goodbye to no cause terminations is a very real possibility reading over the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill. A Bill that aims to modernise the 1986 Residential Tenancies Act, this particular “no cause clause” is proving to be a little problematic. We take a closer look and ask, why? If you&#821

It’s time to talk about the Tenancy Tribunal for Kiwi tenants who are wondering where to go when their landlord isn’t meeting their obligations. The Tenancy Tribunal is essentially where landlords and tenants go for help on issues they can’t resolve between themselves. When you or your landlord have a

On the 18th of June the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development announced that the emergency provisions for tenancy terminations will come to an end as originally planned. As of the 26th of June, the usual rules around tenancy terminations will apply. However, the ban on rent increases will remain until after the 25t

Once a tenancy has ended, you can apply for a bond refund. A bond is like a security deposit that tenants pay their landlord at the beginning of a tenancy. It is a maximum of four weeks’ rent that can be used to help cover damages or repairs that occur during a tenancy. If your property is left in good condition

Proptech is a term many Kiwi landlords will learn to love as Covid-19 encourages all industries to look to tech for solutions. As people are having to move away from face-to-face interactions and find other ways of working, we are seeing more apps and tech tools for landlords. Although these aren’t yet being full

While New Zealanders have been in lockdown, the select committee has continued to work on some bills. Namely, the Residential Tenancies Act Amendment bill. With property investment circles labelling it as an ‘underhanded’ move from the Government, this is one of just a handful of bills that are being worked

Regular house inspections are vital to ensure that your tenants are looking after your property. But, how often should you do these? And, is the work involved in a routine house inspection worth paying someone else to do? A house inspection allows you to assess the condition of your property and see whether any repairs

So you have decided to sell your home! There are many reasons why a home owner or property investor might decide to sell, and many decisions to make before your home goes to market. As both economic and regulatory environments become less predictable, the cost benefit can start to swing in the wrong direction. As well

Good features in your property can help you attract great tenants. Many people feel more secure with a security system in their home. So, if you’re thinking about installing a security system in your rental property, is a wireless or wired security system better? Firstly, it’s best to define what we mean by

Your rental listing is live online, the rent price has been set, and viewing applications are coming in. Before creating any tenancy agreements you need to decide on how you will be collecting rent. In places like New Zealand, Australia and the UK most people use bank transfers for collecting rent, however, there are s

The Healthy Homes standards set minimum expectations for New Zealand rental properties. These are related to heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture, and drainage. To find out how your rental scores against the standards, take the quiz below! New Healthy Homes standards came into effect in July 2019, with other addi

We hear a lot about tenants responsibilities, but what about tenants rights? Before signing your tenancy agreement, you should be aware of your rights, especially if problems arise with your tenancy. Knowing your rights and responsibilities in any situation is only ever beneficial for you, and being a tenant is no exce

The kitchen is always the heart of a home. It’s where the magic happens and people come together. Everyone wants a kitchen that they love being in, whether they rent own own the home that they live in. Not feeling the kitchen vibe in your rental property? Maybe it’s time for a kitchen renovation! Now, whether it’s a ba

Overdue or unpaid rent is an issue you need to be aware of as a landlord. It’s one of the most common cases seen at the Tenancy Tribunal and if you’re a landlord you should be taking some steps of precaution to avoid it. While we can’t promise that your tenant will pay rent on time every time, we can

November last year saw the Government announcing the proposed changes to the RTA. One of the key changes is encouraging a shift from fixed-term tenancies to periodic tenancy agreements. These changes are aimed at making things fairer for the increasing number of Kiwis who rent. The RTA amendment bill passed its first r

Small changes you make to your rental will not only make it healthy homes compliant but will help your tenants to lower their carbon footprint. Your property can be energy efficient, reduce waste, and have a positive impact on the environment. You’ll get the best out of your investment, and you’ll be helpin

Deciding how much rent you should be charging can be a tricky task. Knowing how market rent is calculated is beneficial and will help you when deciding on a number. Charging too much can put off prospective tenants, resulting in a vacant property with no rent being paid, and higher marketing costs. If you are charging

Now that your tenancy is nearly at an end, its time to start thinking about your bond. Organising a bond refund is the first step after your final inspection, but it’s good to know what a landlord can take from your bond before you agree on the refund amount. Below we quickly summarise what can be deducted from y

If you’re looking for the TINZ website, you’ve come to the right place. We give you a brief history of one of New Zealand’s first tenancy organisations, specialising in background information on tenants. What is TINZ? The TINZ service was started back in 1998, and was only available over fax machine.

If you had to choose between KFC or your next rental – what would it be? With buckets full of KFC advertising gracing billboards and TV intermissions during the holiday season, it’s hard for the average Kiwi to avoid the charms of Colonel Sanders. But, what if a visit to his house cost you your own? When yo

Nowadays with smartphones, everyone has a camera in their pocket. But does everyone know how to take a good photo when it comes to their listing? When listing your property to rent on platforms like Trade Me, great photos are essential. You’re trying to attract the best possible tenants, so you want to make sure

Not all New Zealand landlords meet the new insulation standards, but recent tenant wins show why compliance is so important. In 2015, the Government updated the requirements set out in the Residential Tenancies Act. These changes required NZ rentals to meet a new standard of insulation, including having the ceiling and

Picking a power company can be a bit of a hassle. It is one of those things that you can easily forget or put off when you are in your first flat but you will soon realise that power is required to run a lot of things in our homes, including: Lights Hot water General appliances e.g. fridge, dishwashers. Wall plugs Inte

If you are asking whether tenants are responsible for accidental damage, the answer last year would be different. However, new reforms in the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act say accidental or careless damage by tenants is now their liability. Under new law tenants causing careless or accidental damage to a rental p

Tenancy law is experiencing some changes, thanks to the Residential Tenancies Act Amendment. This is a document that builds on the 1986 RTA and revisits situations such as: Tenant liability for damage Unlawful residential premises (e.g. converted garages and sleep outs) and The contamination of premises It proposes som

Are you a landlord or property manager? Do you credit check all of your tenants before letting them sign the lease? And are these credit checks comprehensive? If you are a landlord or property manager your answer to all of the questions above should be yes. Why? Because the cost of not doing a credit check on a tenant

The final inspection is over and your rental is ready for new tenants. But where is the best place to list your property to find them? The free Facebook Marketplace or NZ’s popular Trade Me website? In October 2016, Trade Me Property saw Facebook launch a marketplace button. This gave users from New Zealand, the

The first step before finding great tenants is to organise a viewing for your property. A viewing is when you invite prospective tenants to see your house before accepting applications. Although it seems simple there is a lot to do before a viewing to ensure that: people show up your house looks the best it can people

You’ve sorted through the pre-tenancy applications and you’ve chosen your preferred tenant; now is the time to do a reference check. A reference check is your chance to ask questions about a tenant before you make your final decision. They will tell you if your tenant is reliable, and give you an all-round

September 2018 showed New Zealand rent prices continue to soar. The Trade Me Rental Price Index calculated another 6.7 percent increase in NZ’s median rent, with Trade Me saying there were no signs of it slowing down. The current national rent median in New Zealand is $480, with places like Wellington reaching a

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that plans to impose a capital gains tax (CGT) have been abandoned. A recommendation by the Tax Working Group in early February, Ardern says a CGT has been “a cornerstone” of Labour’s campaigns for the past three elections – yet it won’t

If you want to keep your property in good shape, doing a regular rental inspection is a vital part of your job as a landlord. During every rental inspection, it is important to be doing a thorough check and making sure everything is functioning just as it should be. Are you going in to your property to do an inspection

If you allow tenants with pets then you should outline the conditions of this in the tenancy agreement. Why? The main reason is responsibility and knowing where it lies. If a pet causes damage to your home it is good to understand who exactly is responsible for covering the costs. And although you might shake hands wit

Landlord insurance helps you to protect your investment, but only if you are meeting your obligations. It can include cover for things like intentional and accidental damage, loss of rent, and meth contamination. IAG’s policies covering methamphetamine and loss of rent are changing. This means that New Zealand la

Doing a background and credit check is becoming standard in New Zealand when choosing new tenants, so why should you use a credit checking service? Agencies Star Rating Comments ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🏆 – The most comprehensive ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🏆 – The best value for money Why should I do a credit check? There are many good

During the new tenant selection process, it’s really important that you take the time to do a thorough background check on your prospective tenant. Although you can use services such as Doublecheck to conduct an actual background check and find out about the tenants: Police history Tenancy Tribunal history Court orders

Being a first-time renter is exciting but there’s also a lot to know before you move-in to your first home. Use this checklist to make everything easier when renting in NZ. If this is your first renting experience, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the whole process. There’s a lot to consider, a lot to remembe

Recent stats show that Doublecheck was used 4.8 x more by Wellington landlords this week than when it first launched in December. The rapid rise in the tool’s popularity coincides with an increase in TradeMe property listings for the Wellington region. There are currently over one thousand Wellington properties listed

A flat viewing is a good way to have a look at a property and get a feel for it before you commit to anything. Of course, there’s a lot more to a property than what meets the eye. It’s a good idea to prepare questions to ask at a flat viewing in order to get a better idea of the property and its suitability. If you are

As your tenancy comes to a close, there are a few things that you need to start thinking about so that everything runs as smoothly as possible. Leaving everything to the last minute is definitely going to add to the stress of replacing your tenants since it takes time to: ensure your property is ready to be rented out

When beginning a new tenancy, you need to provide your tenants with a tenancy agreement for both of you to sign. Tenancy Services provides a basic agreement which landlords can use as a starting point for forming their agreements. The basic agreement outlines contact details and other information required of your tenan

Taking your tenant to the Tenancy Tribunal isn’t an easy choice to make. It certainly isn’t going to make your tenants any more fond of you. But, if communicating the issue fails, and their behaviour is enough to warrant it then the Tenancy Tribunal might be your best option. Here are some examples of situations where

The Reserve Bank has announced changes to the loan-to-value ratio (LVR) lending that will make it easier for first-time buyers and investors to purchase homes. Effective January 2019, these changes will see the 35% deposit required of investors drop to 30%, while also loosening restrictions placed on loans for owner-oc

Different properties attract different tenants, and that can all come down to factors like: Rent price Location Age of the property The tenant’s occupation, and more. Here are a few things that you can do to make sure that you’re attracting tenants that are right for your rental property. Know what you’re looking for I

Advertising your property is easy nowadays, with the internet allowing you to create listings that are accessible from all over the world. However, this wide reach means landlords and agents need to make adjustments when advertising to ensure they are targeting people who are interested in their home. Here are some tip

If the photos of your property don’t do it justice, you might find your listings generate less interest. So, how can you take better photos of your property? While professional photos will ensure high quality photos taken by someone who knows what they’re doing, they definitely aren’t essential. Most smartphones and ca

There are times when your tenants might need to be away from their rental for a significant period of time. If you’re renting to students, for example, it is likely that they will want to go home over the Summer. Regardless of whether they’re staying in the property or not, they’re still going to be responsible for pay

When looking for new tenants, it can be difficult to separate the good from the bad. You can make your search a lot easier for yourself by optimising your property for high-quality tenants. What does this mean? It means investing. If you invest in improving your rental property then it is likely going to attract tenant

Being a good landlord makes the rental process easier for tenants and landlords alike. If you’ve ever been a tenant, you’ll know that a landlord has the potential to make or break a tenancy. If you’ve ever been a landlord, you’ll understand how difficult it can be to know what you should be doing to ensure the be

The last thing any landlord ever wants to hear is that their property has tested positive for methamphetamine contamination. It’s time-consuming, costly, and can cause conflict between landlords and tenants when it comes to taking action. While you should always test your home before the start of a tenancy, there

Sometimes situations change, and that can mean you need to move. If you own the property you’re living in, that’s all fine and dandy, but things can become a little more difficult when you’re in a fixed-term tenancy. Speak to your landlord The first thing you’ll need to do is to speak to your landlord. If they ag

Blu-Tack is a really useful tool for all those little jobs around the house. It’s an essential part of any office or workspace, and we’ve all probably got some floating around in that messy drawer in our kitchen. Blu-Tack can, however, actually cause a huge amount of damage to walls. If you’re not careful when removing

The Holler and Rouse v Osaki case concerns tenant liability and began when Teiko Osaki left a pot of oil on high heat unattended. The pot caught fire, causing extensive damage to the Holler household which the Osaki family were renting at the time. After many different hearings and appeals, the Osaki case came to the r

Buying a home is likely going to be one the biggest financial decisions and commitments that you can make in your lifetime. If you’ve ever bought a house, or are even just thinking about it, you’ll know that there’s a lot of considerations you to keep in mind. And, with housing affordability being such a big issue in N

Whether you’re a landlord because you want someone else to pay off your mortgage, or you’re just a keen property investor, you want to be sure that you’re making a return on your investment. Here are a few things that you can to do maximise that return. Replace and renovate A rental is an investment, and it can take ti

Since 1986, New Zealand landlords and tenants have known their rights and responsibilities under the Residential Tenancies Act. When the RTA was introduced, there were a lot more owners than there were tenants but now, this has changed. Although the RTA is undergoing its own reform (set to be finished in 2020), Governm

As a landlord, it is extremely important to meet all your obligations. Otherwise, you run the risk of receiving some pretty hefty fines. All landlord penalties are avoidable. Knowing your responsibilities is the first step to being safe, and making sure you meet these responsibilities is second. Here are some cases whe

Are you wanting to join the tiny house movement and make a home out of a container? Maybe your answer isn’t yes but you still need to come to a compromise and downsize in space. Whether that means going from four bedrooms to two bedrooms, or a house to a caravan, or a two-bedroom house to a tiny house – eve

According to section 40 of the Residential Tenancies Act, the tenant must “leave the premises in a reasonably clean and reasonably tidy condition” when vacating the property at the end of a lease. Nowhere does it specify that tenants are responsible for the professional carpet cleaning of the property, and so it is unl

The Lisa Jane Harrington vs New Leaf Properties Ltd (Kylie Andrews) case is a great example of what can happen to landlords that don’t get maintenance done within a reasonable time frame. If you don’t repair, replace, or remove something that a tenant has brought to your attention then you will not only make their life

At the beginning of a new tenancy, you have the option to collect and lodge a bond. A bond acts as a security deposit if: the tenant causes damage to the property beyond normal wear and tear. the tenant fails to pay rent. you want to make any claim(s) relating to the tenancy. Here’s a quick overview of exactly how to g

At the beginning of a new tenancy, you have the option to collect and lodge a bond with Tenancy Services. A bond is money paid by tenants that essentially acts as a security deposit. This can be up to the value of 4 weeks rent. What can a bond cover? A bond can cover many situations. For example, if your tenants cause

When you’re looking for new tenants, you want to make sure you’re picking the best people for your property. Although it’s hard to be sure that your tenant is the right tenant, you can ask questions to help with your decision. Your rental is an investment, and you’ve likely invested a lot of money into it. Becaus

Many landlords are divided on whether they should allow tenants to have pets on their properties. Although pets pose a risk of causing damage beyond normal wear and tear, landlords could miss out on a great tenant if they turn down a pet. So, should you allow tenants with pets? Well, it’s entirely your own decisi