by George Astudillo | Apr 3, 2017 | Management Systems, Planning, Presentation, Repairs and Maintenance, Tenant
With winter now upon us, it is important to ensure your investment property is prepared for the change in weather.
The number one challenge in winter is mould.
More and more research is becoming available on the health dangers posed by mould, though it is still a grey area in regards to rental properties.
There are basically four ways that mould exists in properties:
Lifestyle
Cooking, showers and drying clothes indoors are the main ways that tenants contribute to the build-up of excessive moisture inside a property. Without adequate ventilation, the excess moisture will result in condensation and eventually mould will form. The best and cheapest remedy is ventilation – opening windows or providing airways to let the steam and condensation escape.
Repairs and maintenance
Mould can also be caused by a lack of maintenance, or repairs that have not been carried out quickly enough. For example, if a blocked gutter spills water onto walls and inside wall cavities, this would be a maintenance issue. If the gutters need replacing, it would be a repair issue.
It is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure that the property is maintained correctly and that repairs are carried out in a timely manner to prevent mould occurring.
Design of the property
Sometimes it’s the design of a property – the way it is sited or built – that may cause mould to become a problem. Some south-facing walls rarely see any sunshine and will remain damp for much longer after rainfalls. In persistent wet weather, walls may not get a chance to dry out. Additionally, there will be areas of the house such as basements that are more prone to condensation.
Climate
Tropical zones where high temperatures are combined with high humidity and/or rainfall, such as Cairns, are more prone to mould growth.
Given that there is little one can do to change the structure of a property, it becomes the tenant’s responsibility to make sure there is adequate ventilation to prevent the build-up of mould.
Mould can be destructive to both the property and its fittings. By making it easier for the tenant to manage and prevent mould build up, you are also looking after your own interests.
Tips to counter mould:
- Have the kitchen exhaust fan and clothes dryer ducted to the outside wherever possible to help ventilate rather than recirculate.
- In bathrooms, choose an exhaust fan activated by the light switch to control steam.
- Regular cleaning is necessary in bathrooms, kitchens and laundries particularly around tile grout and silicon.
- Make sure showers are properly water-proofed to meet the National Construction Code standards so as to prevent water seeping through walls. This is very common in older properties. Waterproof membranes don’t last forever and are likely to break down in five to ten years.
- Under-house ventilation systems can reduce moisture collecting under floors. They can be inexpensive and automatic, timed to self-activate throughout the day.
- Use mould-inhibiting paints to reduce the effects of condensation.
- In wet areas, use paints with a higher gloss level and avoid a matt or flat finish.
- Control damp coming from outside by checking for leaks in roofs, gutters and downpipes.
- Install a gutter-guard system to prevent leaves causing blockages.
- Consider window security that enables some windows to be left slightly open to provide ventilation.
Winter is coming, is your property ready?
For more handy tips on preparing your property for winter see our blog “Winter is Coming- A Rental Property Checklist”
About Us
George Astudillo is the founder of Property Quarters, an agency that values communication and great relationships with its landlords.
George now has more than 30 years in real estate, including 15 years as the owner of a national real estate franchise. He’s also an accredited auctioneer and is the author of “The Landlord Mindset”, a book with his best tips to help landlords look after their investments. His book has been quoted in the SMH, The Huffington Post and The Age.
As the founder of Property Quarters, George takes great care in looking after his landlord’s investments. Having seen it all and worked with may landlords and tenants, he’s a strong mediator and negotiator and knows how to navigate through property legislation.
George is trusted by his landlords to advise on the financial management of their investments. He’s put in place proven processes to ensure each property he looks after is managed effectively to retain its value, quality tenants and rental income.
If you’re looking for a property manager who thinks like a landlord and whose business is built on tested processes, contact us by clicking HERE.
Copyright © 2022, www.propertyquarters.com.au
by George Astudillo | Feb 15, 2017 | Financial, Management Systems, Planning
If the cost of owning an investment property is more than the income you receive, what’s the point?
I mean sure, Negative Gearing allows you to offset those losses against your other income, but even on the highest tax scale you’re still losing some of your hard earned cash (at least on paper).
So, let’s talk depreciation.
A property with a large depreciation allowance allows you to have a positively geared cash flow yet be negatively geared for tax purposes.
Let me explain further.
The Australian Taxation Office regards depreciating assets as a long-term cost of ownership.
In most properties there are many items that will, over time, deteriorate – i.e. the value of those items will depreciate. The ATO has worked out what items you are allowed to claim as depreciation as a deduction over specified period of time. There are two main types of depreciation claims: those for capital works and those for depreciating assets.
- Capital works are improvements to the property that are of a structural nature and fixed to the property. For example, kitchen and bathroom renovations, paving and driveways, built-in cupboards, clothes lines and fences are regarded as capital items (but note that not all capital works are recognised and advice should be taken here). Capital works include the initial cost of building, but not the cost of the land. When buying into any brand new building, you are entitled to claim all or a portion of the construction costs.
- Equipment and appliances are depreciating assets and include such items as kitchen appliances, carpets and other floor coverings, window finishes, air-conditioning units, alarms and pool equipment.
When you buy a brand new property, a list of these costs, known as a depreciation schedule, should be available from the property developer; this identifies the cost of every item that can be claimed. On older properties, there may still be items that you can claim depreciation on.
You can commission a quantity surveyor who specialises in preparing depreciation schedules to draw up a schedule for you.
A claim for depreciation is treated as an expense and is included as a cost of ownership that is deducted from the rental income. Negative gearing legislation allows any loss made on an investment property to be applied against other income.
If depreciation is the cause of the loss, then it seems you can have your cake and eat it too.
For a better understanding of negative gearing see our previous blog “What’s This Thing Called Negative Gearing?”
About Us
George Astudillo is the founder of Property Quarters, an agency that values communication and great relationships with its landlords.
George now has more than 30 years in real estate, including 15 years as the owner of a national real estate franchise. He’s also an accredited auctioneer and is the author of “The Landlord Mindset”, a book with his best tips to help landlords look after their investments. His book has been quoted in the SMH, The Huffington Post and The Age.
As the founder of Property Quarters, George takes great care in looking after his landlord’s investments. Having seen it all and worked with may landlords and tenants, he’s a strong mediator and negotiator and knows how to navigate through property legislation.
George is trusted by his landlords to advise on the financial management of their investments. He’s put in place proven processes to ensure each property he looks after is managed effectively to retain its value, quality tenants and rental income.
If you’re looking for a property manager who thinks like a landlord and whose business is built on tested processes, contact us by clicking HERE.
Copyright © 2022, www.propertyquarters.com.au
by George Astudillo | Nov 10, 2016 | Financial, Landlord mindset, Planning
There’s been a lot of talk recently in the media about negative gearing.
Bill wants it out, Malcolm says it stays. So what is negative gearing and what does it mean to the average investor?
Let’s start with some basics.
Without any borrowings you would buy a property and the rents received (income), would be more than enough to pay for the expenses (outgoings). Whatever income is left over would be added to your personal income and taxed accordingly. The value of the property would, hopefully, grow over time and you become more financially wealthy. So if over the period you own the property the property market increases in value by 50% you now own a property that is worth 150% of the price you paid.
That increase is called capital growth. The growth generally affects all properties equally, as a percentage. So it makes sense that if you buy a more expensive property then that 50% increase will mean more dollars.
To buy a more expensive property you will need to borrow money from the bank or other lending institution to be able to afford the purchase price. The amount of borrowings as compared to the purchase price is what is referred to as gearing.
When you borrow to buy an investment property the interest you pay for the loan becomes part of your expenses. A positively geared property is one where the total amount of expenses including the interest on your borrowings is less than the total income you receive from the tenant, so you have money left over. A neutrally geared property is where the income and expenses are relative equal.
Negative gearing occurs when you have borrowed so much to buy the property that the interest on the loan has pushed your expenses beyond the income you receive in the way of rent. This means that you are owning the property at a loss.
Investors use negative gearing on the expectation that the capital growth will be far greater in the long run than the losses they incur in owning the property. This seems like a great strategy in a rising market but what happens when the market is stagnant or even falling?
The main benefit from negative gearing comes from the use of depreciation. When you have a property with a large depreciation allowance you can have a positively geared cash flow yet be negatively geared for tax purposes. For a closer look at depreciation see our blog “Depreciation- The Key to Negative Gearing”
Does investing in property take you out of your comfort zone? See our blog “What is Your Risk Tolerance?”
Are you taking advantage of depreciation and negative gearing?
About Us
George Astudillo is the founder of Property Quarters, an agency that values communication and great relationships with its landlords.
George now has more than 30 years in real estate, including 15 years as the owner of a national real estate franchise. He’s also an accredited auctioneer and is the author of “The Landlord Mindset”, a book with his best tips to help landlords look after their investments. His book has been quoted in the SMH, The Huffington Post and The Age.
As the founder of Property Quarters, George takes great care in looking after his landlord’s investments. Having seen it all and worked with may landlords and tenants, he’s a strong mediator and negotiator and knows how to navigate through property legislation.
George is trusted by his landlords to advise on the financial management of their investments. He’s put in place proven processes to ensure each property he looks after is managed effectively to retain its value, quality tenants and rental income.
If you’re looking for a property manager who thinks like a landlord and whose business is built on tested processes, contact us by clicking HERE.
Copyright © 2022, www.propertyquarters.com.au
by George Astudillo | Sep 8, 2016 | Landlord mindset, Management Systems, Repairs and Maintenance, Tenant
We’ve all heard the stories about the landlords from hell.
The ‘slum landlords’ who treat their tenants like lower class citizens. Repairs either take forever or don’t happen at all. Some landlords preside over conditions that are inappropriate, sometimes even dangerous…
Read the full Huffington Post Australia interview HERE.
Copyright © 2016, www.propertyquarters.com.au
by George Astudillo | Aug 21, 2016 | Financial, Planning
The ‘Great Australian Dream’ is to own your own property, but is it wiser to rent?
Many of us have a deep affinity with home ownership. There’s the idea of the ‘great Australian dream’ some of us have drummed into us from a young age.
In some countries, renting is preferable to owning your own home, but Aussies tend to hold the concept of home ownership in high regard…
Read the full Huffington Post Australia interview HERE.
Copyright © 2016, www.propertyquarters.com.au
