Recent content by investorgirl

You might want to do a record search on www.naa.gov.au (the Australian archives). If you know your g-grandads middle name, or his wife's name, or perhaps his place of birth, you should be able to narrow down your search (I'd imagine the names James and Alexander would bring up a lot of records...

Putting down pavers or lawn, expensive but yes it would probably fix it. Mulch ... nooooo. We have lots of mulch in our front yard, and unfortunately the local cats love it. As I don't want to completely re-landscape my front yard I suppose I will have to put up with it.

And not just NSW it would seem ... I live in South Australia and we received our land tax bill yesterday. All of our properties have been revalued and some of the new values are over 40% higher than last year (even the lowest rise was a 25% increase on the previous value).

If you are set on having this particular tenant then it would be fair of you to offer the selling agent a finders fee. Explain that you have already signed up a PM (which they know as you took the principal PM to the final inspection). Find out the selling agencies PM terms, it may be that...

I tried the home whitening kits, absolutely useless. I gather they only work if your teeth are discoloured from coffee or smoking , ie there is an actual stain to remove. If your teeth are naturally pearly or off-white then proper treatment via a dentist is about the only option - a friend in...

We have a jetwasher, which works a treat. However, a cheap fix is to use a can of degreaser, which you can buy for a couple of dollars at 'Everything for $2" type shops, or from a car accessory shop. Spray it on, leave it for half an hour, then hose it down (a light scrub of the stain with a...

JamesGG, you are correct. If the outbound tenant breaks the fixed term lease early, they are still liable to pay the rent on that property up until either the lease runs out, or, a new tenant is found. However, if the tenant believed the landlord to be rejecting perfectly suitable applicants...

If it is a fixed lease and your partner is the only person named on the lease, then she would generally be liable to pay the costs incurred by the landlord as a consequence of her breaking the lease. This would include a re-letting fee, and advertising of the property - the actual costs payable...

Hi Brenda. I'd be inclined to have the whole thing removed ... these tenants may well keep it trimmed, but the next ones might not and then you'll have this problem all over again in a few years time. Mind you, I'd tell the tenants first, as bouganvillea's are very pretty and they might love...

I just had a call from a different tenant, same problem. Needless to say, AGL can expect a call! thanks again, investorgirl

Thanks Duncan, I had the same complaint from one of my tenants a couple of weeks back. The tenant said he was just alerting me as it had only happened once and he would 'see how things go and get back to you if the problem persists". I haven't heard anything since, but since he is on J tariff...

Luke, what you are describing is exactly what happened to me a few years ago, and Duncan is right - they were selling their rent roll. As soon as I found out I kicked up merry hell and cancelled my contract with the agency, and luckily they accepted this. You go to the trouble of selecting a...

Hi Geoffw, my parents in the UK still have an endowment mortgage (despite my efforts to try and get them to change it). In five years time, when they are both 70, it looks like they will not have enough return to pay off their mortgage. I believe it was possible to sue the insurance company...

I agree with Crest133 on this one. If it were not for the shared electricity scenario then it might have been worth renting out the second garage, but even then I personally would rather rent the complete property to one tenant. A double garage is a plus and should attract a premium. Sharing...

Do any forumites currently self-manage their investment property(ies) and live in Sydney. The Daily Telegraph will soon be reviewing my new book on property management and is looking for a self-managing landlord who is willing to be interviewed and photographed for an accompanying article - the...