When budgeting for the costs of holding a rental property, most investors factor in the regular, repeatable expenses such as council rates, water service charges, building and landlord insurance, property management fees and strata fees (where applicable). 

From time to time there are additional expenses every investor is likely to incur - the trick is that the timing and extent of these expenses tends to be unpredictable. Due to their unpredictability, they can be more difficult to budget for and are sometimes neglected completely. 

Following is not an exhaustive list by any means, however should help as a reminder to new and seasoned investors alike of the importance to allow for a savings buffer to ensure any untimely surprise expenses are little more than an inconvenience. 

Whenever we meet a new landlord, part of our conversation around preparing the property for the rental market includes a discussion of smoke alarm compliance and testing. Often, landlords may be unaware of their obligations, while others have a limited understanding of what appropriate smoke alarm testing and compliance entails. 

In this post we discuss the primary elements of smoke alarm law in NSW as it impacts landlords, and address the question of whether landlords should feel satisfied with testing smoke alarms themselves.

​We have written previously about the benefits for a landlord of having a tenant on a fixed term lease rather than a rolling or periodic arrangement. Several of the main advantages include:

• Security and stability of income
• Improved cash flow management
• Insurance benefits

As a landlord who has engaged a real estate agent to manage your rental property, you would expect that the property manager would monitor the lease terms for each property and begin certain processes when ever a lease was approaching expiry. ​Unfortunately this is not always the case. 

When choosing a property manager, it can feel like everyone is offering much the same thing. The fees and charges between different options can make it hard to compare apples with apples. 

Many investors resort to creating a spreadsheet, listing all the real estate agents they can find and recording the management fee, lease preparation fee, monthly admin fees, advertising fees, etc. for each. Some even work out the annual cost of using each agency, and whoever comes in cheapest "wins". 

If this sounds even remotely like you, read on. In this article we cover the 3 criteria most people use to choose a property manager, and why these criteria are flawed. 

There's a well-known saying in property investment - "The best time to buy an investment property was yesterday. The second best time is today". Experienced and would-be investors alike know that the sooner they invest in property the sooner and more significant the gains can become. However, often the timing may not seem perfect and the investment journey can be delayed. 

In this post we take a look at 3 reasons why now really could be the best time to buy an investment property. 

In the current market many sellers are giving consideration to keeping their home rather than selling, and turning it into an investment property instead of a sale. Either there has been little interest, or the asking sale price they have been hoping for is not being achieved. 

In the meantime, their home is remaining vacant and non-income generating while waiting for a sale. In this article we suggest three questions to consider when weighing up your options around whether to hold out for a sale, or list your home for rent. 

With the noticeable increase in apartments and townhouse complexes in and around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie in recent years, many investors are considering which is a better investment opportunity: a house or an apartment.

Just looking at the way the skyline has changed around suburbs such as Wickham, Charlestown and Warners Bay, there are seemingly never-ending opportunities to invest in apartments. But should you? In this article we take a look at the pros and cons of both houses and apartments as investment properties.