Landlord FAQs

+ What services do you offer?

Tenant finding, tenant management and ongoing support, all for a flat rate fee of 8% +GST.

+ Where is your service available?

We manage a small selective rent role of around ~80 properties throughout Christchurch, New Zealand.

+ What are you fees?

We charge a flat rate fee of 8% + GST on all rent monies collected and no charges on anything else.

+ How do you take care of my property?

We inspect properties quarterly and email you a detailed report + photos following each inspection, so you can see for yourself how your property is being looked after. Inspections also detail any immediate maintenance and recommended maintenance (so you can better budget for future maintenance). We define “immediate maintenance” as repairs that need to be carried out to ensure the property stays in line with the residential tenancies act. So “immediate maintenance” is fixed immediately and costs are deducted from your rent account- A statement + any contractor invoices are then emailed to you. We have a comprehensive team of reasonably priced trades’ people- Some we have used for over a decade. We will typically action any “immediate maintenance” that has an estimated repair cost of less than the equivalent of 1 weeks rent- Providing you are happy with this arrangement (You have the option to decide the maximum amount in the terms of your management agreement). For any maintenance that exceeds this amount, we will provide you with a quote first, so there’s no big surprises.

+ Do you review rent prices?

We are constantly observing property/rental trends and will increase rents accordingly within the scope of the residential tenancies act. We conduct 12 monthly rental price reviews on all properties we manage which is inline with the curent legislation tha limits rent increases to once every 12 months.

Rent increases also require 60 days written noitce before the take effect.

You can read more about it *here:*

+ What happens when a fixed term tenancy expires?

Landlords will be sent a notice ~90 days before any fixed term expiry date, giving the option to renew the tenancy for another fixed term, or letting it automatically roll onto a periodic Tenancy.

Under the residential tenancies act, If a fixed-term agreement is for longer than 90 days, the tenancy will automatically become a periodic tenancy when it ends.

Tenant Notice before Expiry of Fixed Term Tenancy: If a tenant doesn't wish to continue their tenancy beyond the fixed term, they must give at least 28 days' notice before the fixed term ends.

Tenant Ending a Periodic Tenancy: To end a periodic tenancy, the tenant needs to provide a minimum of 28 days' notice at any time.

Landlord's Action at the End of Fixed Term Tenancy: If a landlord doesn't want the tenancy to roll onto a periodic tenancy or wishes to terminate it at the end of the fixed term, they must provide a valid reason and the appropriate notice. This rule is similar to ending a periodic tenancy.

Valid Reasons for Landlords to End Tenancy: Common valid reasons include the owner selling the property or requiring the property for personal use within 90 days after the termination date

For specific details and additional valid reasons for ending a tenancy, please check this notice tool provided by Tenancy Services:

+ How do I receive rental payments?

Landlord payments are made weekly, every Monday; we transfer all rent collected into your nominated bank account, less our flat fee and any accounts paid. A statement and any contractor invoices are emailed to you following each payment.

+ How do I review property documentation, invoices, statements etc?

Our Property Management service is run via a modern cloud-based management system (called Property Tree). Where both landlords & tenants have access to their own web-based portal. For landlords, this gives access to all content created from their property, eg Property documentation, agreements, inspection reports, invoices, statements etc.

+ How do you find tenants?

Good Property Management starts with selecting the right (best) tenants from day one- Tenant selection is the primary component of a good tenancy. To find the best tenants we need to ensure your property is properly marketed and priced accordingly with the market. If it’s priced too high, then we’re not going to find “best tenants”, because, the best tenants will choose another property and your property will stay vacant. We start this off by advertising your property using physical signboards and via multiple online networks (Eg Trademe, Facebook, Realestate.co.nz). The reality is that most prospective tenants will search Trademe for properties, so Trademe becomes the primary focus. There are no additional charges to you for any listing fees. On request, we also provide brief video walk-through presentations of your property as a complimentary service.

+ Do you screen potential tenants?

Yes - before we approve any application we start by screening all positive applicants. We check previous tenancy/character references, scan social media profiles, run multi-bureau credit & background checks which scans prospective tenants through a proprietary database looking for red flags(Consent to run these sort of checks is built into our Tenancy application form). We won’t approve an application without good references to back it up, so we’re minimising risk from day one.

+ What happens once you find a tenant?

We take care of all the necessary paperwork when the tenant moves in, including Tenancy Agreements, bond lodgements, and inspection reports. It is of utmost importance that Tenants have a clear understanding of exactly what they’re liable for, and what we expect of them (Tenants are provided with a detailed ingoing condition report with 100s of photos). Ensuring tenants understand the expectations we have of them and then maintaining regular contact with timely inspections, is a key component of a good tenancy.

+ How do tenants communicate with you?

Our Property Management service is run via a modern cloud-based management system (called Property Tree). Where both landlords & tenants have access to their own web-based portal. For tenants, this gives them access to all their rental information, including payment dates, rent receipts, tenancy terms etc. We also have automated systems setup where rent receipts, arrears notices, and inspections are triggered to send out based on pre-defined conditions. This streamlines the whole management process and helps keep both landlords and tenants on the same page.

+ Are your fees tax deductible?

Yes - our fees are tax-deductible, and we send you an end of financial year summary statement of all rent monies and outgoing expenses, to simplify things for your accountant/tax advisor. We can also pay your rates and insurance with funds from your rent account, with no additional fees charged. Just have them redirected to us so then all your property expenses will be reflected on your statements and summary statement (Which makes things easy for you at the end of the financial year).