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.
Read MoreIf 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreProperty 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.
Read MoreFor 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.
Read MoreEarlier 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.
Read MoreLate 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.
Read MoreSince 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.
Read MoreAirbnb 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.
Read MoreWith the current rental market, we’re seeing mum and dad property investors pulling out of their property investments left, right and centre. This has to do with the uncertainty of how the market will move, as well as a lack of understanding and knowledge of how to adapt.
Read MoreIn 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?
Read MoreWellington 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.
Read MoreMaintenance 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.
Read MoreBrrrrr! 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.
Read MoreEvery 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.
Read MoreIn an attempt to address the housing shortage, Labour recently announced their housing policy aimed at dis-incentivising property investors.
Read MoreAs 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.
Read MoreRecently, 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.
Read MoreAccording 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.
Read MoreCompared 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.
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