2015
Jun
09

Housing Minister to set minimum standards for landlords

According to media reports over the past day or so, rental properties will have to meet a set of minimum standards under rules to be unveiled by the Government in July. The rules will be aimed at ensuring that tenants have a safe and healthy house to live in. This development comes in the wake of last week’s coroner's finding that the death of Emma-Lita Bourne from a brain haemorrhage could be partly blamed on the inferior condition of the state house she lived in. The house was cold and damp, the roof had leaked, and although the family had been provided with a heater they could not afford to use it. The case has shocked New Zealanders, and the Government – it appears – is now acting quic…
Read More >>>
2015
May
17

NZ property investors to feel the squeeze… and fund the budget

The New Zealand Herald has today reported that PM John Key announced this morning that the capital gains of people selling residential property within two years of buying it will now be taxed. This change will take effect from 1 October, with the aim of addressing Auckland’s widely reported and seemingly irrepressible house inflation march. Mr Key made the announcement at the National Party's lower North Island conference at Silverstream. The exemptions to the CGT slug, according to the NZ Herald, “will be if the property sold is the seller's main home, if it is part of a deceased estate or inherited, and or if it is transferred as part of a relationship settlement.” New disclosure rules …
Read More >>>
2015
May
17

Record New Zealand average property asking price

The average national real estate asking price climbed to new national record of $521,729 in April, while new listings and total inventory plummeted, according to figures cited in a recent Realestate.co.nz media release. The latest monthly property data from the official website of the New Zealand real estate industry, showed that Auckland continued to be the main driver in the overall national increase. The city’s average asking price rose by 3% to a new high of $789,581, while ironically no other region experienced a new record in average asking price in April. In fact, most parts of the country experienced little change – or even decreases – in their average asking price during the month…
Read More >>>