Election to CPIA Executive Committee

23 July 2008

Our Property Manager, Kathryn, was elected to the Canterbury Property Investors Association (CPIA) at their AGM today. This will be invaluable in gaining knowledge and providing support to others in the rental property market.

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 landlords and tenants.

The new client login section gives our landlords access to relevant financial and property information. Their individual login allows them to retreive information about their investments, including their monthly and yearly reports, in one easy to access location. Additionally a page is dedicated to each of their properties with current rental rate, tenancy term, description and photos, so they are always up to date with their property status. We have set up a demo version of this facility and encourage any prospective landlords to explore it and compare it with services provided by other property managers.

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.

Christmas and New Year Holiday opening times

23 Dec 2005

The office will be closed over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, closing at 2pm on Friday 23 December and reopening at 9am on Wednesday 4 January 2006. Merry Christmas and happy New Year to our landlords, tenants and suppliers.

Get in early and ask for advice

07 Nov 2005

Because we have a reputation for building long standing relationships with landlords (and tenants) we don't tend to have to advertise for clients. Most of our clients are referrals and repeat business and this has always been our aim. We know that maintaining and enhancing your property wealth means you'll remain our client and recommend us to your landlord friends.

Often though we're approached after a client has purchased a property or in the middle of a tenancy disaster. If you're considering buying property and want an independent opinion on the market rent or help regarding an awkward tenant, give us a ring and ask for Michelle. Often our early intervention can mitigate problems before they escalate or costly decisions are made.

Michelle re-elected Secretary Canterbury Property Investors Association Inc.

21 Jul 2005

Michelle was re-elected as the Secretary of the CPIA this evening at the association's 2005 AGM. It doesn't surprise us at all, congratulations Michelle!

We DON'T charge a Letting Fee

14 Jul 2005

We have recently had a number of enquiries from tenants expecting to pay us a Letting Fee. Because we are NOT real estate agents and we want to manage your property for the long term, we DON'T change a letting fee.

This means we typically gain tenants before real estate agents because from a tenant’s perspective, we offer a better overall service at a lower entrance cost. Frankly we prefer the Letting Fee goes towards the Bond because this insulates Landlords (and us) from a non performing tenant, rather than these monies going straight into our pocket that could potentially encourage us to turn over the number of tenants at your property.

To find out more about our service and our fees contact Michelle.

Preventative Winter Maintenance

08 May 2005

With winter fast approaching there are a couple of low cost maintenance items that should be completed to limit any potential damage to properties during the colder months. Firstly it's a good idea to clean all gutters and down pipes at the end of Autumn, just after all the leaves have fallen. This prevents gutters overflowing and ground surface water from pooling around exterior walls. This is especially important for properties with hidden gutters as the water can overflow on the inside of the external wall, causing damage to the interior of the house. Also all open fires and log burners should have their chimneys cleaned. This will limit any potential fire hazards in flues and chimneys.

We offer to arrange both of these preventative maintenance items for our clients to help keep their investment in top condition. We don't charge extra for this service, it's one of the many items included in our all inclusive property management fee.

Part time assistant property manager

02 Mar 2005

We're searching for a new team member to help with increasing demand from landlord and tenant enquiry.

Ideally the person we are looking for would have a knowledge of the Residential Tenancies Act, be computer literate and available to work flexi hours including the weekends. The position would suit someone who wants the interest and stimulation of a part time job with the flexibility of arranging their own hours of work. The applicant must have access to their own vehicle, a mobile phone and training will be provided. If you're interested, please following the instructions given in the advert published in The Press Situations Vacant today.

Official recognition of our good service

10 Feb 2005

On page 8 of 'The Canterbury Property Investor' magazine February/March 2005 Issue No. 174 our client, Emily Wilton, has written a very complimentary 'Letter to the Editor' about her experiences with our company. We've reproduced the article in full below:

"Property Managers

Everyone has heard at least one nightmare story about property management. I had heard so much it wasn't funny. Despite this, I decided earlier in the year that getting a property manager was the best option for my situation. I phoned the CPIA [Canterbury Property Investors Association] office for [a] list of property managers within the CPIA and for some advice on how to go about it. I spoke at length with five property managers, visited their web sites, obtained cost information and selected my preferred property manager.

The company that I selected to manage the properties had excellent marketing skills and managed to hit the mark with a comment along the lines that they "look after your investment like it's their own". Initially I did wonder if this was just a marketing ploy to get you in the door, but after speaking with them I was convinced that they had the integrity and would genuinely look after the property well.

This is a positive property management story, and I'm sharing it for those of you like me, wanted to get a property manager but were worried about the quality of service. The property manager that I chose is managing my properties much better than I ever would. I am repeatedly impressed with their professionalism and would thoroughly recommend them to anyone looking for a property manager. They charge a flat rate and do not charge extra for inspections or tenant selection. I am very happy with my decision to appoint a property manager and even happier with the manager chosen.

Yours faithfully

EMILY WILTON"

Thanks for your support Emily...from the team at accommodate.

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."

The Importance of Assessing Prospective Tenants

26 Oct 2004

We prefer that private landlords employ the services of a reputable property manager (preferably us) but if you're doing it yourself, please download and modify our Tenant Application Form as a first step when interviewing prospective tenants.

We continue to be surprised by private landlords who go on 'gut instinct' and are then surprised when the rent isn't paid. When it comes to enforcement the problem gets worse as they find that the tenant has a bad credit history and most often they are only one of a number of debtors trying to collect money.

We're committed to finding the best tenants and providing the best service to retain good tenants for your property. Contact Michelle if you need help managing your rental property.

Official Launch of Our New Web Site

01 Sep 2004

We're continuing to spread our wings and promote the great things we have to offer. The new web site allows us to add value for our tenants and landlords informing them of current events and giving them the tools to learn more about what we do. If you have comments or suggestions, contact Michelle.

Disincentive to Give Minimum Notice

25 Aug 2004

It seems we keep finding things at the Tenancy Tribunal that 'just don't make common sense'. We were recently awarded possession of a property but somehow we lost the standard notice period a tenant should give when leaving a property. Rather than do nothing, we have written to the Tenancy Tribunal's Principal Tenancy Adjudicator informing her of this abnormality. To read the letter we submitted click here (pdf).

Ruskin Street Kerb and Channel Renewal

19 Jul 2004

As part of our proactive investor focus, we have just made the following submission as part of the Christchurch City Council's (CCC) public consultation process for improvements in Ruskin Street. To read the letter we submitted click here (pdf).

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.

Tenancy Services Advanced Landlording Seminar, Holiday Inn, Christchurch

20 May 2004

Michelle recently attended the Advanced Landlording Seminar held by Tenancy Services to ensure we kept up to date with any new initiatives and advice offered for landlords. Below are her thoughts on the seminar.

The seminar repeated the information already available on the Tenancy Services website and did not offer any additional advice to landlords. The information pack handed out contained forms downloaded from the website and blank pages to write notes from the speaker. I sat next to a woman who managed 3 rental properties and wanted to learn more about landlording. She attended the first introductory seminar, which she found useful, but her opinion was that she learnt nothing new from this 'advanced' seminar.

In fact, I felt this seminar provided inexperienced landlords with some particularly unhelpful advice. For example: one landlord said she had given her tenant permission to change the locks on the property as the tenants partner had moved out and she wanted to feel secure. This permission was given on the basis that the landlord would receive a set of keys to the new locks. It was now a couple of months since the locks had been changed and the tenant had yet to provide the keys as promised.

The Regional Manager for Tenancy Services asked her why she needed a set of keys to the property. He went on to say that If there was an emergency the door could simply be ‘bashed down’ and if she did possess a set of keys the tenants could accuse her of stealing their possessions.

This landlord has every right to a set of keys for the property and she has right of access to the property under the Residential Tenancies Act. Unfortunately some new landlords may take this type of advice seriously and not worry about keeping sets of keys to their properties. A new landlord could find all the useful information presented in this seminar by spending an hour or so on the Tenancy Services website.

Christchurch Water Rates

06 May 2004

We made a submission to the Christchurch City Council (CCC) as part of the consultation process for the City's Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP). Our concerns centre on the ‘Excess Water Supply Targeted Rate’ as we consider the CCC implements the water charges unfairly. This issue effects both landlords and tenants and if you want to add your support to our submission either contact the CCC directly or contact us.

To read the letter we submitted click here (pdf).

When is a Tenancy End Date Not Really an End Date?

06 Feb 2004

We had a particularly bad experience removing a tenant at the end of a fixed term tenancy so we wrote to the Minister of Housing, Hon Steve Maharey. We suggested improvements to Tenancy Services procedures, which was forwarded to the National Manager of Tenancy Services, Nigel Bickle.

To read the letter we submitted to the Minister click here (pdf). To read the letter we sent to the National Manager of Tenancy Services click here (pdf).

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.