FAQ

Our management fee covers all that you would expect a property manager to do:  

• New property listings, inspections and sign up.
• Tenant placement, advertising, background checking and induction.
• Rent collection and rent arrears enforcement.
• Market appraisals and rent reviews.
• Initial, routine and final inspections, and follow up.
• Tenancy renewals and terminations.
• Repairs and maintenance coordination and contractor payments.

The only additional costs to the client are those costs incurred on their behalf for the services of third parties such as contractor payments, credit checks, listing advertising etc.
The more properties we manage for a client the lower the management fee.

Absolutely, owner’s rent payments are kept in a Trust account, like that of your solicitor, which is a separate bank account and completely removed from the day-to-day running of our business.

We subscribe and read the NZ Property Investor Magazine, Tenancy Services, attend HBPIA meetings and receive and read press releases weekly relating to rental property industry.

The substitute property manager looking after the property in the property manager’s absence has access to all the notes and information on the property and the tenants via our property management software and our hard copy file.   The substitute property manager will be briefed on any current ongoing issues.

Initially we would require as much information about the property as possible so that we are fully informed when we undertake our duties. Thereafter the client's involvement in the management of the property is completely at their discretion.  They can have as much or as little involvement as they feel comfortable with. They simply let us know what aspects of the management they want to be involved in and we will ensure they are contacted at these times.  We do however keep our clients fully informed of all that is going on at their rental property in our monthly reports.

We contact our clients monthly with a statement of account and a written update on everything that has occurred at their property in that month.  However when the big stuff happens we let our clients know as soon as we know, such as terminations, rent arrears, damages etc.  If we haven’t caught up face to face with our clients through the year then we arrange to meet to check up on their plans for their investments in the coming year.

The client can choose at the outset whether they prefer bi-monthly (paid on the 1st and 16th day of each month or next working day) or monthly (paid on the 1st of the month or next working day).

We have a zero tolerance policy to rent arrears.  When rent is not paid on time nobody wins, as the owner is out of pocket and the tenant can get into financial strife while paying arrears and maintaining current rent. It is best for all that arrears are attended to swiftly.  This is something we take very seriously, we do not stop until we have rent back on track.   We operate a two pronged approach, so where one avenue may fail the other avenue is already underway to ensure an expeditious result either way.

With the changes to the Residential Tenancies Act on 11 August 2020, this has pretty much been taken out of our hands. Legally we can only review rents every 12 months. Consequently we increase rent annually even if the amount is nominal to align with changes in the market and inflation. Making these rent increases every year, means both the tenant and owner can anticipate and expect an increase making it less of a surprise and budgeting issue.

Yes absolutely.  If the rent has increased on a property then so has the owners risk and this needs to be covered.  As a rule we request the tenant top up the bond amount at the time of the increase, if the increase is substantial we would offer the tenant an opportunity to pay it off.

Communication is key, as well as documenting those communications.  We would listen to the tenant’s issues, document them and then seek to resolve the issue, by either fulfilling the request if valid and fair or by letting them know why it can’t be done and offering an alternative if possible for them.  We would consult the landlord if it directly affects their investment in any way.

Initially we would troubleshoot with the tenant to see if it is something simple like incorrect use or a minor tweak.  If it becomes apparent that the issue may require a tradesperson we would gather as much information from the tenant to be able to question the tradie if there could be anything we could do to fix the problem or whether they consider it necessary for a visit.  Only then will we contract the tradie to undertake the repair.  Essentially we will do our due diligence first so that our client's are not charged for an unnecessary callouts.

Rental properties are in demand and renting properties anywhere at the moment is just a matter of choosing the right tenant from the huge number of applicants, as the demand currently exceeds supply.  Consequently we have many tenants to choose from and quality tenants are lowering their expectations, just to find somewhere to live. We would aim to get the property turned over within the tenant’s notice period ie 28 days.  Our process would be: advertising one week, viewing, interviewing & vetting one week, signing and moving/commencing rent in following week.  However this does not take into account notice periods of the incoming tenant if they have an existing tenancy or other variables.

Once we have shortlisted and then selected the right tenant for the property.  We put them through a rigorous vetting process which starts with a face to face interview, preferably in their current home, phoning past landlords/property managers or referees, social media searches and finally formal searches done via a reputable tenancy database.

Absolutely, this is where we shine.  While we work diligently throughout the management of our properties to maximise returns, sometimes greater returns can be achieved with a little extra investment.  The time between tenancies is an opportunity for clients to add value to the property and thus to increase their rent possibilities.  If we see properties with opportunities for additional income streams we will offer suggestions, assist with the information gathering process and manage the process from start to finish.