Melissa Benge

The arrival of winter often highlights all the home maintenance jobs you didn’t manage to get to before the rain came — painting, restaining a deck, cleaning gutters or servicing your heating source. And if the house in question is a rental property you own, you may be the last to learn the work is needed.

The return of LVR restrictions on 1 March and the real estate policy reforms announced on 23 March have caused more than a few raised eyebrows from New Zealand’s property investors. A Tony Alexander and Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) survey report released in May 2021 sheds light on what impact these changes are having on property investors.

Tenancy Services have been fielding a high volume of inbound calls in recent months due to a seasonal peak in fixed term tenancies ending, and changes in rental laws coming into effect.

The way the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act (RTA) is being rolled out has created some confusion around which tenancies the changes apply to, e.g., “my fixed-term tenancy started before this amendment passed… does it apply to my tenancy?”, etc.

January 2021 was a busy month for the Christchurch rental property market and the First Avenue Property team. We thought we’d share some of the data and activity we’ve seen to help you put 2020 to bed and keep looking forward. 

Attracting good tenants and retaining them in your rental property is key to maximising the ROI on an investment property, so today we’re looking at how best to prepare vacant rental properties for viewing between tenancies.

Earlier this year Inland Revenue released information around claiming tax deductions for costs incurred in order to meet Healthy Homes Standards. This information is helpful for all residential landlords and owners of investment properties.

New Zealand’s real estate market is running red hot with our borders closed, no overseas holidays, and kiwis returning home in droves due to COVID-19. It begs the question - is this the time to sell your Christchurch investment property?

The deadline by which landlords must provide a Healthy Homes Standards compliance statement was moved from 1 July 2020 to 1 December 2020 in response to COVID-19 events.

Property management services can make life infinitely easier for both landlords and tenants renting in New Zealand. Let us look at four key pros of property management, focusing on the value and expertise professional property managers bring to the rental industry.