Thanks to Covid-19, we are in a rapidly changing environment. Lockdown commenced on the 26th of March. It is quite possibly a two-month lock down, but that is conjecture. We are in the “initial 4-week period”. The Government is putting things in place to help the country get through this period of uncertainty, which everyone should consider adopting if ... More 

It’s that time of year where many businesses are finding things tight financially. Consequently, they can struggle to meet their tax obligations with IRD. If you find yourself in this situation you must be proactive.  Simply, if you get to the point where IRD start chasing you, your options become more limited and you can end up paying more ... More 

Banks have recently tightened their criteria and changed their serviceability rules so much, that it has become much harder for investors to get finance. And for large investors, it is almost impossible. The RBNZ has told banks that they must adopt ‘sensible lending’ practices, which means they need to stress test their clients’ ability to make their loan repayments. ... More 

There are a number of issues that New Zealand tax residents must grapple with if they are to invest in Australian rental properties. It’s important to understand what these issues are because they can have a significant impact upon your profitability. Financial Arrangements - foreign exchange gains & losses Holding an Australian mortgage on a rental property in Australia ... More 

As you may be aware, there is a new law that requires all tenanted homes to be insulated by 1 July 2019. Anyone who owns rental property must ensure their properties are insulated to the required standard by this date. At GRA we’ve been getting a lot of questions about whether the cost of insulating a rental property is ... More 

It is a requirement in New Zealand for parties to provide their IRD numbers when buying or selling real estate (whether as an individual or through another entity such as a company or trust). Normally this does not pose any sort of problem. However, there will be significant issues if you are selling a property that has been generating ... More 

Property contracts, including sale and purchase agreements and building contracts, sometimes include clauses that can be harmful to the unwary. And by unwary, I simply mean people who are not used to dealing with such legal documentation.  One of the advantages of using a professional trustee for your trust is that the professional trustee must review and approve contracts ... More 

For a while it appeared that the introduction of the 60% LVR rule for investors would make the property market easier for first home buyers. However, as per this article in the Herald and these statistics from the Reserve Bank, first home buyers are finding it difficult as well.The 60% LVR rules have certainly made it much harder for ... More 

Do you currently have life insurance in place? Unless you’re single, living the high life, flying solo, and not bothered what happens to your debts when you die, then you’re going to need to have the right life cover in place. Life insurance isn’t something that you lie in bed at night thinking about. Rather, life insurance generally comes ... More 

At Property Ventures we are increasing our focus on new builds as investments because we see tremendous advantages from a financing perspective. Not only do investors get pristine new and low maintenance properties in better areas, they get the benefit of 80% LVRs and tax advantages from higher chattel depreciation.   These smart tax and finance benefits make investing ... More