In light of the recent heightened COVID-19 case numbers throughout NSW, new temporary measures have been put in place to support both tenants and landlords who are financially impacted as a result of COVID-19. 

Specifically, these measures have been introduced to prevent financially impacted residential tenants from being evicted and to assist landlords who agree to renegotiate rent.

The latest information related to these residential tenancy support packages is found on the NSW Fair Trading website, while a summary is as follows. 

At some time or another, many investors will receive a letter from their real estate agency advising that they are selling their property management interests to another business. That is, that the rent roll (the rental properties they manage) and perhaps other assets including the business itself will be sold to another business who will carry on the relationship with you from there. 

If you've had a great relationship with your existing agency (we hope you've been so lucky!), this news can be quite concerning. In this post, we discuss what happens when a real estate agency sells their property management business and what to consider before signing a new managing agency agreement with any agency. 

In the current market we've seen an increase in the number of tenants wishing to end a tenancy before the end of a fixed term lease. This is often due to the tenants finalising purchase of a property to live in, a relationship breakdown, or some other change in circumstances. 

In this article we discuss the misconception many tenants have around break fees, and our response to tenant requests to have the break fee waived. 

In recent times we have seen an increase in online searches for information regarding whether a tenant is permitted to install security cameras in a rental property in NSW. 

For all the of "less than clear" areas of NSW rental legislation, this particular question has actually been specifically addressed, although there are a number of conditions and a little research is required to see where!

We were very pleased to have been contacted by the Australian Financial Review to provide insight into the current rental situation outside the capital cities, as shared in this article.

We often speak with property owners who are planning to travel and are investigating options of how to manage their home while they are away. 

For significant periods of travel, some people consider actually selling the home and "starting fresh" when they return, however for most the plan is to return to the property.

In the current climate, as well as temporary relocations for work placements, we are fielding enquiries from people itching to explore domestic travel given the reduction in overseas holiday options due to the impacts of COVID-19. 

The current rental market across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie is running hot. We have been writing for months now about low rental vacancy rates across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and the impacts this has on driving house prices and rents upwards. 

As in basic economics, as supply decreases and demand increases, prices increase with demand. The thinking of "my property is worth what someone will pay for it", while true, can have more significant consequences. 

In this article we provide an overview from a property management perspective of what is happening right now for renters across the region, our frank opinion on the exploitative nature of some rental asking prices, and the impact this is having.