Landlords
Why buying brand new is now the key to maximising your tax deductions
People often ask me questions like “I should buy a new investment property because it’s better for tax right?” The answer is yes and at the same time, no. Buying a brand-new property because of the available deductions is not a sophisticated strategy. Accountants tell me the same thing, people say they need an investment…
Read MoreOccupying your investment – The accidental investment property
We’ve often wondered how many investors convert their primary place of residence into an investment. We’ve seen a lot of first home owners buy a property for stamp duty concessions or first home owner bonuses and live in their property for 6-12 months before promptly converting it to a rental. However, anecdotally most of the…
Read MoreDraft Legislation for Depreciation Changes Issued by Treasury
On Friday the 14th of July, the treasury finally issued their draft legislation relating to the changes to depreciation for plant and equipment items. Personally, the most positive thing about the draft is that it’s silenced the fear-mongering commentators saying that depreciation on plant and equipment would be stripped from new properties. This was never…
Read MorePlant & Equipment Depreciation Changes – 2017 Budget Measures
The announced budget changes by the treasurer Scott Morrison, effectively take a sledgehammer to residential depreciation legislation that hasn’t really changed since 2006. The Reserve Bank only has a blunt instrument to work with, in changing the cash rate to curb/stimulate inflation, but fiscal policy can be far more nuanced. The Government opted against a…
Read MoreAnalysis of the Budget Changes to Tax Depreciation on Plant and Equipment
UPDATED 11/5/2017 If you’re not already aware, last night’s budget announced some major changes to tax depreciation that will have a huge impact on quantity surveyors preparing depreciation schedules and residential property investors. I’ve been fielding calls and emails from accountants, investors and quantity surveying firm directors through the evening. There are two main ‘buckets’…
Read MoreTimely reminder to home owners – Watersun Homes Collapses
The headlines are reading, ‘Home builder goes under, Thousands lost, Hundreds of home owners left out of pocket’. The reality is that we have all read these headlines before and unfortunately, these brutal words will continue to feature from time to time within the construction landscape. Building your home is a personal thing, whether it…
Read MoreThe Melbourne Residences – Rippling Facades and Ripping Deductions
If there’s one thing we love, it’s repeat clients. Obviously, it’s great to do another schedule and that they trust us as the depreciation experts, but what excites us more is that our investor clients and building their portfolio and hopefully dramatically changing their retirement lifestyle in the process. This repeat client bought a unit…
Read MoreCase Study – Ikebana luxury apartments, 130 Dudley St, West Melbourne VIC
It’s not terribly often we have a case study with a strong Japanese influence, let alone such a rich and detailed effort to showcase the majesty of the architecture. The word Ikebana translates as the Japanese art of flower arrangement and is an apt name for this stunning new development. Ikebana luxury residences comprise of 248…
Read MoreTax Depreciation Calculators – Is there merit in the estimates?
Google is telling us that more and more people are searching for a ‘tax depreciation calculator’. Admittedly, this search ranked well below the top 2016 result of ‘US Election’ and even a few million short of number 6 ‘Pokemon Go’. Putting the self-deprecating Quantity Surveyor stuff to the side for a moment, searching for an…
Read MoreCapital city dwelling values up, with pace of growth slowing.
Across the combined capital cities, dwelling values have increased by 7.1% over the 12 months to September 2016, a figure much lower than the 11.0% increase in values over the previous 12 months. So, whilst dwelling values certainly aren’t tracking sideways, the pace of growth has slowed markedly, yet is still relatively strong. Rental rates…
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