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).
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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 30 years.
Last answered question:
Shower head issues
Our tenants changed the showerhead in the bathroom. We found out that they changed it after the hose connected to the shower head burst. We suspect that their shower head was not designed for specific water flows and PSI of the hose as the old one which is why the hose burst. They did not have consent to change the showerhead. And now our property manager is saying that we as landlords are liable for the damage irrespective of the fact that the tenants made unconsented alterations. How can it be considered fair and reasonable wear and tear when the damage was done to the unconsented altered state?
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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:
Calculating equity
My owner occupier house is worth $500,000 and my rental property is worth $400,000. I owe $600,000 to my bank. How do I calculate how much the bank would lend me for a) a second rental house (to rent) and b) a third house to live in (i.e. if the current occupier house becomes second rental)? My mortgage broker has confused me about this.
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Apartments
Ask Aaron Tunstall, owner of Impression Real Estate, questions relating to apartments.
Aaron Tunstall is the owner of Impression Real Estate, specialising in sales, building and property management. Impression has been awarded property management company of the year three times.
Last answered question:
Leasehold vs freehold
I'm interested in finding out more about apartments with a view to investing in one. What is the difference between a leasehold and a freehold apartment? And what are the pros and cons with both?
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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:
Office investment
I am planning on purchasing an office property as an investment. Am I best off buying in my personal capacity or through a company?
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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:
Office investment
I am planning on purchasing an office property as an investment. Am I best off buying in my personal capacity or through a company?
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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:
Change of tenant rules
For a change of tenancy to take place on a fixed term tenancy, does at least one tenant that was originally on the contract need to remain as a tenant? If all tenants are leaving then does a new tenancy need to be created?
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Insurance
Ask Rene Swindley, CEO of Initio Insurance, questions relating to insurance.
Rene is the founder of digital insurance platform Initio, which is about insuring houses online in real time to provide a faster, smoother and customer-first approach to property insurance.
Last answered question:
Extent of cover
I bought a new DSLR camera on the weekend. Does my insurance automatically cover new items like this that I buy for my house?
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