Did the COVID-19 crisis have you working from home for some of this year? If so you’re not alone. With EOFY almost upon us, it’s important to know that there are certain expenses you can claim a deduction for if you were forced to work from home due to the health crisis. This may result…
The REINSW refers to the upcoming NSW rental reforms as “sweeping changes”. So exactly what is changing and how much of an impact will those changes really have on you, your landlords and tenants? All states and territories in Australia have now responded to demand for minimum housing standards for tenants. As a result we…
With much of Australia struggling through a long drought, bushfires burning in large parts of New South Wales and Queensland and no decent rain in sight, it’s important to understand the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords in these situations. Bushfire season has started very early this year with some of the worst fires…
By now you would have heard the news about the QLD government’s proposed rental reforms and the subsequent responses from the REIQ and others about Stage 1 of the proposal. But what are the reforms trying to achieve? Rental reforms are nothing new in Queensland and elsewhere. In July this year New Zealand implemented national…
It’s tax time and that means most of your landlords would be gearing up to complete their annual tax return. One thing they may not be aware of however is that the ATO has announced a crackdown on investment property deductions. According to the ATO, 2.2 million Australians claimed over $47 billion in tax deductions…
New tenancy reforms for victims of domestic violence in NSW commenced on February 28, 2019. Designed to improve protection for tenants and/or their children living in a domestic violence situation, the new law allows the tenant to terminate their tenancy immediately, without penalty, if they or one or more dependent children are experiencing domestic violence…
There have been fresh calls for landlords to test for traces of methamphetamine (ice) in their property after a New South Wales tenant fell ill and was forced to leave her home due to prolonged second-hand exposure to the drug. According to the report, Ms Veronica Rawlinson, who was renting a four-bedroom home in Nowra,…
The start of a new calendar year and the end of the financial year are the two most common times when landlords question whether or not to increase the rent. Some will simply request an increase, often without doing any research to back up the change, while others (especially those who have a good relationship…
One of the benefits of renting is that when something goes wrong in the home, the tenant need only pick up the phone or lodge a request online or via their Maintenance Manager app, if their property management agency uses it, to get it resolved. But while the landlord is responsible for most of the…
Wouldn’t it be great if all landlords realised that investing in property is really no different to investing in a business? An investment portfolio, whether it consists of one or several properties, should be run as a business with the intent to grow asset value and provide ongoing returns. In addition to growing asset value…
With wild weather lashing most of Australia in the past few months it is a timely reminder to reassess who is responsible for what in a rental property. In general terms, the following rules apply: Before a tenant moves into a property, it is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure it is in a state of…
Do your landlords ever question you when you tell them that the law requires them to make an allowance for fair wear and tear in their property? In our experience, many landlords don’t fully understand what is deemed ‘fair wear and tear’ and why they should make any allowances for tenants. It’s up to you…