The Nice Place Blog

Summer is a busy period for property managers. The start of the year brings a surge of students and new residents to the City. Last summer saw an unprecedented amount of people looking for a new rental, and with demand putting pressure on supply, we’re expecting that this summer will be just as challenging for tenants, if not more, than last year.

If the unthinkable was to happen to your investment property would you have the right insurance cover? Most insurance companies in New Zealand have a policy in place that cover rental’s many call it landlord insurance. This type of insurance policy is designed specifically for landlords and usually replaces the need for home and content insurance on rentals.

The Residential Tenancies Act came into force over 30 years ago for the purpose of governing the rental market but, over the past few months the tenancy law reform has been the topic of debate with property managers, landlords, tenants and policy makers. There has been a lot of discussion around the rights tenants could be given and the lack of control landlords will have if these proposed changes come into place.

Property maintenance includes a wide range of activities from, replacing a light bulb to bigger jobs like replacing windows or fixtures. While you most likely maintain your rental throughout tenancies by fixing broken windows and addressing plumbing issues it is also important to look at the superficial maintenance at the end of each tenancy.

Throughout our time as property managers, we’ve always worked to place the right tenant in the right property that fits their needs and suits their lifestyle. We don’t just work with property owners to fill their home and make them money – we work with them to ensure the tenant is the right fit for the place, and will treat the home with respect as well as keep it in great condition.

For some years, Nice Place had a policy of meth testing every property between every tenant to ensure that we are moving new tenants in to a clean property, and to check that outgoing tenants have left it in a reasonably clean condition.

Earlier this year, we saw a flurry of activity in the rental market. As with every January and February, when students are arriving in the city – we saw an increase in enquiries, pushing demand higher and exhausting the supply of rental stock. There were stories upon stories of tenants not being able to even find a flat, let alone make it along to viewings.

Late last year, we were approached by a landlord who suspected their tenant was illegally sub-letting the apartment in Wellington’s CBD. Because of our success with Airbnb previously, we took over the management of the property, and began investigating.

Since the Government proposed to remove letting fees altogether, there’s been plenty of speculation about how this will impact the cost of rent. But what we’ve found is that a lot of tenants, and even landlords, aren’t actually aware what it’s there for and how it affects them.

Airbnb has become a global ‘go-to’ for short term accommodation. The peer-to-peer room sharing website has impacted short term-rentals in many cities around the world, and here in New Zealand it seems to be causing problems too.

In the current Wellington rental market, properties are receiving hundreds, if not thousands of enquiries. Many students are claiming that landlords are increasing the rent due to the extra $50 increase in student allowances. For some landlords – this may be true, but overall it is simply being put down to high demand and lack of supply, as well as the increasing costs of property investment. So, what is going on in Wellington?

Airbnb can provide an extra supplement to cover costs of rent, or generate income – but it comes with risks and consequences.  With the holiday season approaching, and the growing use of Airbnb – we are seeing concerns in the property management industry, with property investors getting worried about their rentals being sublet online to people they don’t know.

Wellington is experiencing a shortage of rental properties currently, but if you think it’s tough out there now, just wait for Jan/Feb where we’re going to see more cases of 40+ people lining up down the street to view a property.

Maintenance requests can turn into an unnecessarily long process, and can result in frustrated tenants. We are excited to provide our tenants with an easy to use, maintenance request process, using new software called Tapi.

If you’re investing in property for the first time or have several properties that you’re managing yourself, hiring a property manager is a great step in protecting your investment.

There are many changes in the property management industry lately, we want to make sure not only are we are ahead of these changes by complying to all necessary standards, but that our landlords and tenants are aware of these changes.

Brrrrr! It’s cold outside – we’re all being treated to a classic New Zealand winter. It’s blisteringly cold, never ending rain, snow fall and stormy winds. You might not escape it when you’re outside but when you’re home it’d be nice to snuggle up and be warm and dry without it hitting the pocket too hard.

Every time there’s an issue in the rental market, regulation seems to be the answer to try and address the problem and ease concern that something is being done.

In an attempt to address the housing shortage, Labour recently announced their housing policy aimed at dis-incentivising property investors.

As a side conversation from the topical subject of the housing market, the media are putting a lot of attention on the rental properties, and in many cases focusing on the condition of these properties. A good story of course highlights the worst of the stock, which are usually mouldy, damp, cold and poorly kept.

Recently, the Tenancy Tribunal ruled in our favour that sub-letting a rental property on the online accommodation marketplace Airbnb is in breach of the Residential Tenancies Act, but there is far more to the story than a simple breach.

According to market data, between 2010 and 2016, the average duration of a tenant in a rental was two years, and one in ten lived in their rental property for more than five years. But while it’s not overly uncommon to rent for 2 – 3 years, it’s becoming increasingly popular for people to lock in for fixed term periods and sign for another fixed term following the end of the lease.

Compared to 2015, the 2016 year for us was largely a result of changes in Wellington’s rental market. We saw a 52% decrease in the number of properties we listed for lease during our busiest time of year compared to the same time the year before, even though we had a 45% increase in the number of properties we’re managing.

Christmas and the New Year celebrations are upon us – it’s usually the time we spend with family and friends, relax, and maybe have a wine or two. Most landlords will be more than fine with celebrations within their properties, although within limits.

Breaking up with someone can be a messy and awkward affair, but what about breaking up with your property manager? After all, not all property managers are created equal and you may not be happy with the relationship.

Last week I was successful in winning a case brought to the Tenancy Tribunal where, among other things, the carpet and curtains in a room of the rental property were damaged by the five cats that were kept closed in the room.

As a property manager I work for investors of property, and so it’s my job to ensure their investment makes consistent good returns and doesn’t decrease in value overtime. But there’s something quiet taking place all over New Zealand, something invisible, and it has the potential to turn a great investment into a bad one – methamphetamine!

The changes to the Health & Safety at Work Act has had a major impact on anything deemed to be a ‘person conducting a business or undertaking’ (known as a PCBU). While such a description obviously includes all our work places, it also encompasses every rental property in New Zealand, regardless of it being managed by a property manager or being self-managed by the owner.