When do I receive rental payments?

On first working day of the month following including a full statement of all income and expenses

Who pays the water rates?

Where a separate water meter and account is available, the tenant pays for water usage. The landlords’ account is charged with the total water bill we then invoice the tenant for their exact usage.

When can a tenant be evicted if they are in arrears?

When a tenant is 21 days in arrears we can apply to the tenancy tribunal for an eviction. Obtaining an eviction order can take 2-3 weeks following an application.

Who pays for lawn and garden care?

Usually the tenant is responsible for lawn mowing and general garden care, however this can be negotiated at the start of the tenancy. Tree trimming, weed spraying and plant removal is usually the landlords responsibility.

How much is property maintenance likely to cost me?

This is usually determined by the age of a property and this varies significantly between properties. The Ministry of Housing suggests a possible rule of thumb is 0.5 to 1% of the property’s value per year.

Mould, whose problem?

The landlord should provide adequate ventilation for the house. Bathroom fans, secure window stays and dehumidifiers help reduce condensation and mould build up. Tenants should regularly air out the dwelling to help prevent any condensation build up.

Who maintains any listed chattels?

It is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure all chattels are properly maintained and in working order. If damage to any chattel is found to have been wilfully inflicted by the tenant or due to the tenant’s negligence the tenant may be responsible.

Who looks after the swimming pool or spa pool?

This can be negotiated however we recommend that landlords employ the regular services of a pool specialist then incorporate the cost into the rent. You should note that New Zealand law requires all spa and swimming pools to be fully fenced. Have your local council check that your pool meets these regulations before tenanting.

Who pays for insurance?

The tenant is responsible for their own ‘home contents insurance’. Landlords are responsible for insuring the property including any chattels owned by the owner. We strongly recommend that your property is fully insured.

Can I sell my property any time I like?

Unless specified at the start of the tenancy, the tenancy is considered to be “Long Term” i.e. 1-2 years. Significant compensation can be awarded to the tenant if the tenancy tribunal finds that a house was sold following an unreasonably short tenancy. If a property is sold when there is a fixed term tenancy in place, the tenants are entitled to stay on until the end of that term under the same conditions.

How much vacant time per year should I expect?

We recommend that you budget for 2 weeks per annum.

How often can we increase the rent?

This is regulated by law to once every 12 months during a tenancy, however if the tenancy tribunal finds that a rent increase is unreasonable or in excess of normal market rent for the property, it can make an order for you to re-adjust the rent.

I hear so many horror stories about bad tenants, what happens if my tenant doesn’t pay the rent?

To put it simply, we have a no payment, no tolerance’ policy. Tenants are contacted repeatedly beginning on day 1 of missing a rent payment to secure payment of a missed payment.

apm has a thorough screening process of new tenants. This process has been refined to ensure only the best tenants receive our approval, and therefore very few problems arise.  We pride ourselves on excellent and open communication with tenants. This ensures that we can often pre-empt potential red flats before they arise and find a solution before non-payment of rent becomes a problem.

We have a very comprehensive follow up and reminder system to reduce arrears as much as possible including phone, SMS, email and letter based reminders as outlined in our written arrears policy.

I’ve found another real estate agent with lower fees, why should I stick with apm?

The property management field has become very competitive in recent years.

In their enthusiasm to win your business, many companies are prepared to drop their fees below industry standards. Your investment property could be one of the largest investments and it needs to be confidently managed. Wouldn’t you rather have a professional company who has confidence that their skill set will add value to your portfolio? Our investors do and they also refer many of their friends to apm. These are investors who have struggled with cheaper versions of service that have ultimately cost them money, and are now some of our strongest advocates. They have peace of mind and complete management of their property.

Our core focus is ensuring our clients, you, are 100% happy and earning maximum returns while nurturing the tenant to ensure long term relationships that in turn add value to your property.

This is why over 30 landlords a month are transferring to apm. We believe our systems are the best in NZ, and our clients, we are happy to report, seem to agree with us.