Free advice for Landlords - ask our property experts a question
Do you have a property investment question you want answered? The Ask an Expert section is a free service provided for property investors in conjunction with a panel of selected property experts.
Please note that questions should be of a general nature about property investing and your question and the subsequent answer may be published in the NZ Property Investor magazine. There is a limit of ONE question per submission. We will use our discretion whether questions are published and we reserve the right to paraphrase your comments for our experts.
Before you send in a question, please read the Ask an Expert archive thoroughly. There is a chance that your question may have been previously answered and it will be listed there.
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Property Management
Ask Bernard Parker from Quinovic Property Management questions relating to property panagement
Quinovic's outstanding people and systems provide the most professional, effective and reliable residential property management service in the NZ market for over 22 years.
Last answered question:
Letting fee refund?
My niece and three others moved into a house, the bond and letting fee was split four ways. After three weeks the "head" tenant kicked the three other out. She gave them two weeks notice and returned their bond but not their share of the letting fee, is it possible to get this back after five weeks? And does it come from the "head" tenant or the property management company? I would of thought the "head" tenant should have paid this herself?
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Finance & Strategy
Ask Kris Pederson, director of Kris Pederson Mortgages questions relating to Mortgages, Finance, and Strategy
Kris is a respected commentator on the property and finance markets in New Zealand and overseas. He spends his time working closely with his support team sourcing clients leading edge finance strategies.
Last answered question:
LVRs on home to rental
I have a property that I purchased in September 2014. it was a first home, purchased with a 10% deposit. Currently, my loan amount is 80% of the total value of the house (current market value).
I am moving due to a job change. So I want to rent my property out and go and live in a different property paying rent myself. Can I have this property as an investment even if i don't have 40% as required by the LVR rules?
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Apartments
Ask Krister Samuel of Ray White City - Britomart questions relating to apartments investing
Krister is ranked in the top 1% of all real estate agents nationwide and specialises in the high yielding Auckland apartment market. He is happy to share insights and information on any aspect from an extensive knowledge base built up over a decade.
Last answered question:
Apartment insulation requirements
We moved into an apartment.
Before we moved in we weren't able to check the garage as the tenant showed us through and he wasn't very forth coming.
We took the place and I asked the property manager if it was possible to get the place insulated, as upon flat inspection, I noticed it wasn't.
He said he'd get back to me. (I put it in writing too.)
When the key hand over happened I asked again and he said the house isn't that cold. He was wrong. On our first night there it was freezing cold.
Is there any way to ensure this gets done? Surely a landlord would want to do this as an investment on their property and to ensure long term great tenants?
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More Questions & Answers about Apartments »
Tax/GST/LTC
Ask Mark Withers, director of Withers Tsang & Co questions relating to Tax and Asset Structures
Mark Withers and his team at Withers Tsang & Co specialise in advising on property related transactions, valuation and restructure services and tax planning.
Last answered question:
Interest deductability
I'm using a line of credit secured against investment properties to pay for expenses (ie: rates, insurance premiums, repairs, etc) on these investment properties. My understanding is that I can claim interest deductability for the loan interest created by these expenses. Am I correct ?
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Tenancy
Ask Jennifer Sykes, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment questions relating to tenants and landlords
The Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment provides information and guidance on building law and compliance, services including weathertight homes, and advice for tenants and landlords.
Last answered question:
Abusive neighbours
How do you evict abusive tenants from a neighbouring property when their landlord does nothing to evict them despite other landowners complaining to him about the abusive tentants?
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Property Advice
Ask Ron Hoy Fong, director of Ronovationz for questions relating to investment strategy and property advice
Ron loves to share his passion for property and his coaching course provides one-on-one mentoring and support that will empower you with tools, strategies and valuable insights so you can achieve investment success and become a property master.
Last answered question:
Cross lease term
"Fee simple 1/2 share leasehold 999 years". Is this just another term for cross lease or is it something different? If so, what is the difference?
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More Questions & Answers about Property Advice »
Insurance
Ask Myles Noble from Crombie Lockwood questions relating to insurance
Last answered question:
Spa damage liability
We believe our tenant forgot to close the locks on the cover of the spa pool and heavy wind blew it away leaving two of the locks broken. It was in good condition when the tenant moved in and she signed the landlord checklist to state that nothing was wrong. But now she is saying that it was broken because of its age, weight, and sun damage.
I don’t have a photo of the spa as it was when she moved in. But I do have the council’s periodic inspection reports and they ensured the spa cover is secure and that the spa poses no danger for children.
Our tenant does not want to repair it because of the current law stating that if a landlord has insurance, the tenant does not have to pay for repair of damage nor the excess of insurance. The house is insured but its contents are not insured which means that the spa is also not insured. So does my tenant have to pay for the cover repair?
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