I have been surprised at the somewhat negative media commentary on property in the last 90 days, with prominence given to many of the usual doomsayer economists predicting a market meltdown. With predictions of 10–20% price drops (and a few keyboard warriors during lockdown saying the market could fall up to 50%), it seemed we were in for something ... More 

Often business owners need to approach the bank for money, for example to put into their business. This is a perfectly normal part of running a business. However, there is something that many business owners are unaware of, which could jeopardise their relationship with the bank and therefore their chances of borrowing any more money in the future.  When ... 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 

Over the years I have had wide-ranging conversations with clients about boarding services and how to qualify. The reason people wish to  qualify is as providing a boarding service is if the amount of income you receive falls below either the “weekly standard-cost” threshold or the “annual housing standard-cost” threshold, then the income is exempt from tax, i.e. it ... More 

You will likely have recently been sent a bunch of forms to fill in from your bank or other financial institution asking you to define yourself or your entities by choosing between various unintelligible categories. Once you’ve chosen a category by throwing a dart at the form you’re then asked to advise whether or not you are tax resident ... 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 

I’ve noticed most people starting this year with a bit of optimism. However, it’s hard to say how much of that is based around fundamentals, and how much is more attributable to the amazing weather we have been having and a decent summer break. From our side of the Finance Desk, it has actually been a busy start to ... 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