Landlord FAQ’s

Unlike other investments such as shares and bonds, property requires significantly more hands-on management. Our primary focus is on helping clients to minimise their liabilities, in turn maximising the return from their investment in compliance with all current legislation.

At Breeze Property Management, we treat every property investment as a business. From maximising rental income and limiting vacancy times to coordinating repairs and maintenance, our focus is on achieving optimum returns for every aspect of our client’s property investment.

List your rental property investment with the property management company that works smarter for you. Contact Breeze Property Management.

Breeze Property Management do not sell houses, insurance or mortgages. With no distractions or enquiries relating to sales or listings, we focus 100% of our time on the management of investment properties and tenancies.

Our aim is to take the stress out of being a landlord, providing professional, reliable property management services with a strong focus on maximising return on your property investment.

Yes, we would love the opportunity to appraise your property … we offer this service for FREE with no obligation to you. This would require a visit to your property so that a full assessment can be made.

We always strive to get our clients the maximum rent possible. Market rent needs to be comparable to the rent charged for other properties of a similar type, size and location.

To establish market rent we take into consideration recent Local Market Rent statistics as well as comparing the property to other local properties that we manage. Demand for rental properties also plays a part, this can be seasonal and affected by a number of factors.

Unless otherwise instructed, we seek fixed term tenancies of 12 months.

Once a tenant has been approved (subject to strict tenant screening), we prepare and execute a Tenancy Agreement and bond lodgement paper work. The bond lodgement form along with the bond money is deposited with Tenancy Services, part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

In addition to this we prepare a comprehensive Move-In Inspection Report that records the condition of the property prior to the tenancy commencing. We take plenty of photos to go with the written report. This report is then referred to for all future inspections.

Breeze Property Management has a mandatory tenant screening process. To assist us with this process we use a Tenancy Checking System, ilion NZ Ltd. illion is New Zealand’s largest tenancy database containing thousands of records which are constantly being enhanced and updated plus over 20 external database sources.

In addition to this we contact employers and existing or past landlords to assist us in our assessment of whether the tenant can afford to pay the rent and maintain the property to an acceptable standard as well as review online social media activity such as Facebook.

We do not guarantee the performance of the tenant. Breeze Property Management are rigorous in checking that rents are paid on time daily. Many of our property owners have substantial financial commitments and it is our duty to immediately follow up and take all necessary action, on all late or missed rent payments.

Unfortunately there are risks that come with owning an investment property, including property damage over and above “fair wear & tear”. We recommend that you take out landlord protection insurance if the risk greatly concerns you.

Absolutely. Please call us on 0800 455 622 or alternatively email us
at [email protected] and we will send you a comprehensive information pack.

Fixed-term tenancies are for a specific length of time, for example 12 months, and cannot be ended by notice during the term of the tenancy unless mutually agreed between the landlord and tenant.

A fixed term tenancy automatically becomes a periodic tenancy upon expiry of the fixed term unless both parties agree to extend the fixed term. To end a Periodic tenancy, each party will then be required to give the following notice period to terminate the agreement:

• A tenant must give at least 21 days’ written notice.
• A landlord must give at least 90 days’ written notice, but can give less time (at least 42 days’ notice) in certain circumstances. For more information click here.

Breeze collects rental income on a weekly or fortnightly basis as agreed with the tenant. Breeze credits rent payments, less any fees, every fortnight to your nominated bank account. A detailed Statement is sent out at the same time.

Most minor repairs in a property are simple things that our property managers can handle on the spot, such as broken hinges, toilet seats, and loose door handles etc. This attracts little or no cost to you. Some repairs require qualified tradespeople such as electricians or plumbers. At the outset of our relationship we agree a pre- approved limit for repairs. Should repairs look likely to exceed this we will be in contact for your approval. However our number one priority is to protect your investment so Tradespeople will be dispatched immediately to all emergencies to limit any potential property damage (such as a water leak) and cost is discussed after the event.

The Kapiti Coast District Council charges for Water, separate to Property Rates, every quarter. According to the Kapiti Coast District Council (KCDC) website, water will be charged at $1.140 (incl. GST) per cubic metre (1,000 litres) of water used, measured by a dedicated water meter installed at each property. A fixed annual charge of $190.00 will also apply to each property.

How will this work?

We ask that property owners re-direct their KCDC Water invoices to Breeze Property. Breeze will pay the whole invoice (fixed and volumetric charges) on your behalf and in turn invoice the tenant directly for the Volumetric (or consumption) charge associated with their tenancy. By law we cannot pass on the fixed charge.

Breeze Property Management has invested in the best of breed Property Management Accounting technology to take care of the complicated stuff so we can focus on more important tasks. Our technology enables our Property Managers to access and load information such as property inspections on the go. We also provide access to a secure website that allows owners the ability to log on and get relevant, up-to-date information such as Statements, Invoices, Property Inspection Reports and end of financial year reporting.

We inspect each property 4 times per year. In reality we will visit the property more often due to small maintenance requirements, drive-bys etc. In addition to this, our property managers introduce themselves to neighbours, where practical. This provides additional eyes and ears as well as security.

Landlords and tenants are responsible for maintaining smoke alarms

Landlords must ensure smoke alarms:

• are working and not passed their expiry date at the start of each new tenancy
• remain in working order during the tenancy

Tenants must:

• not damage, remove, or disconnect a smoke alarm
• replace dead batteries during the tenancy if there are older-style smoke alarms with replaceable batteries
• let the landlord know if there are any problems with the smoke alarms as soon as possible

Generally, the tenant is responsible for maintaining the lawns and gardens to the same standard they were at the start of the tenancy.

Any major trims, hedges and trees – are the owner’s responsibility.

From 1 July 2019 all residential rental homes must meet the minimum insulation requirements as outlined in the Residential Tenancies Act. From July 1 2016 all landlords are required to provide a statement on new tenancy agreements about the location, type and condition of insulation in the home for any new tenancy.

Breeze Property is currently working with a number of insulation providers and can arrange a site visit to determine your properties current level of insulation and what is required, if anything, to meet the Tenancy Act requirements.