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.
To ask a question, you will need to be a registered member (it's free).
Search the Ask an Expert archive
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 30 years.
Last answered question:
Compliance liability
We have a block of units in Wellington. We have just changed property managers and found that our previous manager had not, among many other things, kept the fire alarms up to date. There were a number of issues but given that this is a compliance issue, is there any recourse with the previous manager as it is now about to cost us significant money to get a fire inspection company in to do a check-up? We're thinking that as our representative, the property manager should have some liability here.
Read on...
More Questions & Answers about Property Management »
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:
Calculating potential ROI
I am thinking about building additional dwellings on my existing plot to rent out. But how can I figure out my return on income? Is there a professional entity that provides forecasting on what the return could look like based on some basic input assumptions? My goal is to back-calculate how much I should be spending to build based on the potential rental gross income from the area.
Read on...
More Questions & Answers about Finance & Strategy »
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:
LTC transfer?
I have a rental property that is currently rented out. It is held in mine and my wife's name. We bought the property more then two years ago. I am looking at transferring the property to a Look Through Company (LTC) as my tax bracket is more than my wife's. Also, we intend to do the transfer to LTC at current market value which is approx $300,000 more then the purchase price two to three years ago.
Can you please advise under what circumstances (ie: what conditions need to be met) can a rental property be transferred from individual names to an LTC name at the current market value? We are also open to adding our son's name to the LTC share if it helps in getting it transferred.
Read on...
More Questions & Answers about Tax/GST/LTC »
Tax/GST/LTC
Ask Matthew Gilligan, managing director of Gilligan Rowe + Associates, questions relating to tax, trusts and finance.
Matthew heads GRA's specialist property and asset planning division. He helps clients create optimal tax structures and build wealth through property. He has an extensive buy-to-hold property portfolio, is currently involved in over a dozen developments, and is author of two books - Property 101 and Tax Structures 101.
Last answered question:
LTC transfer?
I have a rental property that is currently rented out. It is held in mine and my wife's name. We bought the property more then two years ago. I am looking at transferring the property to a Look Through Company (LTC) as my tax bracket is more than my wife's. Also, we intend to do the transfer to LTC at current market value which is approx $300,000 more then the purchase price two to three years ago.
Can you please advise under what circumstances (ie: what conditions need to be met) can a rental property be transferred from individual names to an LTC name at the current market value? We are also open to adding our son's name to the LTC share if it helps in getting it transferred.
Read on...
More Questions & Answers about Tax/GST/LTC »
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:
Adding tenants to agreements
Our tenant has let us know that she would like to "trial a flatmate" for a few months (until her Tenancy Agreement ends) to see if they would like to live together long term and has asked if we could "add her friend to the Tenancy Agreement".
Do we have to cancel our tenant's current Tenancy Agreement (which has a maximum of one tenant noted in it) and create a new one with a "trial flatmate" added as a tenant or can we add an addendum that we all sign to the Tenancy Agreement we currently have?
The latter would be easier, but if the "trial flatmate" turns out to be trouble, I would think it would be better to have her as a tenant...or not? What do you recommend, please?
Read on...More Questions & Answers about Tenancy »
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:
Investing in Hamilton units
I am thinking about investing in some new units in the Hamilton market. Do you think that would be good idea? What's the outlook for property in Hamilton?
Read on...