Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Guest blog
Monday, October 07, 2019
Peter Lewis: On tenancy disputes
Tenant advocates frequently claim that private-sector residential tenants are powerless pawns in the hands of greedy and uncaring landlords. They claim that when a tenant makes a request for their landlord to fix something on the property that they are entitled to have fixed, the landlord either ignores them or terminates the tenancy in retaliation. Some tenants have highlighted their... read more
Monday, September 02, 2019
Peter Lewis: How much is too much?
Recently we have had a friend call us. She lives in Melbourne but has a rental property in West Auckland. The tenant has just moved out, so the friend had come over to Auckland for a week to see how it was all going. She asked for me to go with her to visit the now-vacant property, carry out a full property inspection, and see what would need to be done to keep the place complian... read more
Tuesday, June 04, 2019
Peter Lewis: Selecting a new tenant
Acquiring a new tenant for a residential rental is always a stressful time, stressful for both those applying for the tenancy and for the landlord. The landlord is generally in the position that he is receiving no rental income from that property, but of course his costs in the form of rates, insurance, and most likely mortgage interest relentlessly continue every day. Thus th... read more
Friday, May 10, 2019
Peter Lewis: On the shortage of residential rentals
All the heat, light and thunder of the Capital Gains Tax controversy has faded away into the sunset, leaving only the whimpering and much disillusioned harping from the Green Party faithful in its wake. Fortunately, I did not devote too much of my time to agitating against the proposals as it seemed evident to me that the whole exercise was a political ploy with the usually p... read more
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Kelvin Davidson: The tax ring-fence is unlikely to cause a sea-change in investor behaviour
From April 1st the tax ring-fence for rental property losses needs to be accounted for by investors. It is currently going through the ‘bill to law’ process, which starts with a select committee and then ends up before Parliament for the final stage. In other words, although it’s not law just yet, it looks pretty likely to pass and once approved will apply to the current tax year... read more
Monday, April 15, 2019
Kristine King: A 101 on Rent-to-Buy
Rent to buy can be an option to purchase a home when you are not in a position to borrow from a bank and purchase on the open market. However, there are several issues that vendors and purchasers should consider. Securing the Purchaser’s Occupancy The purchaser has a beneficial interest in the property, which gives them a right to caveat the title to the propert... read more
Wednesday, April 03, 2019
Peter Lewis: What can you deduct?
Given the ongoing publicity and often heated discussions, all landlords should by now know that there are a number of mandatory upgrades and enhancements that will be required for all residential rental properties over the next few years. We have already passed the date when it became compulsory to install smoke alarms in all such properties, and we are very nea... read more
Thursday, March 07, 2019
Shaun Peacock: Building consents - a FAQ
In light of recent smack-down of unconsented work being carried out in Auckland, we thought it would be a great opportunity for all of us to learn about building consents, CCCs, inspections and all that fun stuff. Big thank you to Shaun Peacock and the team at Duncan King Law for providing excellent answers to these FAQs. What is a Building Consent? A Building Conse... read more
Monday, March 04, 2019
