New Zealand Property Investors Federation award

21 Nov 2007

Michelle was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the New Zealand Property Investors Federation at the annual Canterbury Property Investors Association (CPIA) Christmas Function. The award recognised 3 years service Michelle provided the CPIA in the role of secretary.

Re-election to CPIA Committee

19 Jul 2006

Michelle was re-elected Executive Committee Secretary for the Canterbury Property Investors' Association (CPIA) at their AGM today. This is Michelle's third year as Secretary and she finds it an excellent way to keep up to date with the latest initiatives in property management and property investment.

New website launch

26 Apr 2006

Welcome to the new Accommodate website. Our focus is to provide the best service to our clients and this 'new improved' site provides even more benefits and services to our tenants.

We have also made it easier for tenants to rent from us by dedicating a page to each available property including a full description, photos and a print friendly list. Prospective tenants can keep up to date with new listings by subscribing to the for rent list, an email is sent to all subscribers as soon as a new property is posted. As always our tenant application form can be downloaded from the site to speed up the application process.

We are always looking for new ways to enhance our services and the new look site and additional functions compliment our existing services. Take a look around the site and contact us if you have any questions or feedback.

Christchurch's 'The Press' asks Michelle Her Professional Market Opinion

07 Dec 2004

Michelle was asked by The Press for her opinion on the current rental market which made the front page of this mornings newspaper.

She was quoted at length, and although not exactly as she remembers the interview, she confirms that rentals have gone up significantly in the last few years which has been great for Landlords. She expects any rental correction, if any, to be very minor as there is still good rental demand.

Michelle reminds landlords that any reduction in rental rates or occupancy can be mitigated by presenting property in the best possible condition and signing tenants on fixed term leases. Of course the greatest single factor that influences the ongoing performance of a landlord's investment is property management. For the best quality service with a competitive fee, contact us.

We've reproduced the article in full below:

"07 December 2004 - By KIM THOMAS

Canterbury rents may soon be forced down as a rental property glut hits the market, industry experts say.

Rents for a three-bedroom house in a typical Christchurch suburb had risen from $230 to about $280 in the past two years as owners tried to cover their rising expenses, property manager Michelle Abley said. Although the tenant base had grown as prospective first-home buyers were unable to afford rising house costs, the balance was shifting in tenants' favour because of a surplus of rental properties, she said. "The rental market is very inflated but it is coming down because people are starting to say `I won't pay that'."

Christchurch investment association manager Martin Evans said rental prices would have to drop, but predicted it would not be by more than $10 in many cases. The first type of rental property to drop in price would be in the $350-plus bracket, he said. The losers in this expected rental shake-up would be investors who over-extended themselves by buying a rental property with no deposit, he said. Evans said current rents were now "at the level they should be" after years of under-pricing.

A review this year by the Department of Building and Housing confirms an increasing number of people renting houses rather than buying. The Getting the Balance Right report said buying a house was becoming less affordable for many New Zealanders and more older people and families with children were renting now compared with 1986.

Halswell tenants Danielle Wittmyer and Adam Wild hunted for three weeks to find a two-bedroom house priced under $200 "decent" enough to house their five-month-old baby. They looked at two "filthy houses with stained, torn carpets where you wouldn't put a dog, let alone a baby" earlier this year before finding their present flat. Their two-bedroom unit costs them $190. This took $760 of the family's $1400 monthly income. On top of rent was a bond of three weeks rent and another week's rent for a letting fee, Wittmyer said.

Christchurch City Mission food bank co-ordinator Margaret Weatherston said it was harder for low-income families to rent because more than $1000 was needed for bond and rent in advance."

Canterbury Property Investors’ Association Executive Committee Election

15 Jul 2004

We are pleased to announce that Michelle has been elected as the Secretary for the Canterbury Property Investors’ Association Inc. (CPIA). The CPIA provides opportunities for property investors to network, keep up to date with latest initiatives and to lobby parliament and policy makers on issues that effect our industry.

Change of Company Name

11 Nov 2003

The company registered its change of name with the Companies Office today. The name ‘Accommodate’ was proposed by our graphic designers and chosen to represent what we felt a property management company should be, accommodating.