joeandchels – have a look at this pic, they have created a privacy screen which doesn’t close up the area too much

http://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-wa-east+perth-107432222

JakeL wrote:
Thanks for the replies guys. We will definitely rent for 6 to 12 months before buying in any given area, obviously we don't want to be stuck in an area we don't like. One last thing how do the tenancy agreements work in Aus? For example are they fixed for 6 months (on the most part) or are they rolling tenancies? I assume the prior…[Read more]

WA

s60 relates to an agent not being able to take commission after a contract has ended

found a carpark wanted ad this morn on gumtree, already found someone keen to take it. not bad for an hour online and some emails its not much $$, but its still getting something instead of having a bay sitting there abandoned, and besides the 2 months minimum rental income will help to top up the vacant period during renos, so its all…[Read more]

did a forum search, found a post with this link: http://www.findacarpark.com.au/

looks interesting, looks just like what i was thinking – property owners renting out the carpark attached to their apartment.

anyone used this site before?!

the suggestion of renting first is a good one… if you’re new to australia and have no established credit history here, you may find it hard to get finance for your purchase (if you’re looking for finance that is). Most banks need you to show genuine savings for 6 months or more, though I believe some banks will also factor in rent payments. if…[Read more]

Scott No Mates wrote:
If it touches the ceiling, the building code of australia calls it a wall. If it is a wall, you require a DA. If you have to get a DA, you will need body corporate consent.?

So theoretically you could put up a divider that didn’t go all the way to the ceiling, but was above head height? Thus still allowing some open space…[Read more]

hi bbt, congrats on your hard work and savings!

I purchased my first property at age 22, and I worked and saved hard for that. Most of the time I was a bit of a scrooge, and found it easy to skip the little things like buying a drink when I’m out because I’m thirsty (just wait til you get home), or going out for coffee, or expensive nights out…[Read more]

do you need any sort of approvals for removing the arch? assuming not, as its not a load-bearing wall, is that right?

Something I have done in the past is negotiate with a property manager to provide me with a listing only service. I paid 2 weeks rent+ GST to her for her to take photos, advertise on her own company website and the various real estate ones, and field the queries. she showed people through the apartment, did background checks, wrote up the lease…[Read more]

thanks everyone for sharing your websites, they are all very useful for a quick, free, property ad check. thanks so much

ten_burner, that’s an awesome site – thanks so much! unfortunately the one i had my eye on wasn’t on there, but interesting to see 3 other houses in the same suburb, one with a massive 218 days advertised! another 199 and another 213 days. plenty others with <20 also. just shows my idea of renovating that one to rent rather than buy could possibly…[Read more]

If you do all the rental process legitimately and declare the earned rent and keep good records of expenses, then yes: your rental income forms part of your tax return, and all legit expenses can be deducted off the income.

For a very quick and rough calculation:

monthly rental income received on your PPOR
– monthly claimable expenses related to…[Read more]

chrisaus wrote:
So if my expenses were say $5000 (deductable) and my rent income is $3000 and my income is $80000, the amount of money i will pay tax on this year is $80000 + $3000 – $5000 – (work related expenses) ?

That’s right Chris.

Rob G. wrote:
A) Capital … initial repair even if deferred Maybe capital if the extent of repainting was beyond required, i.e. if only patches required repainting. Also, if you used a more durable weather resistant paint etc. Its a matter of reasonable judgement, but if choosing a different colour forced you to repaint the whole house then…[Read more]

Ben and Mina – I feel exactly the same!!! which is why i was a bit cynical of those posts… so close together and interesetingly within 15 mins of the consultant in discussion having logged on and posted elsewhere on the site. I hate to be cynical but when we’re talking about a grand of my hard earned money I want to make sure its well spent!

I…[Read more]

Ben and Mina – I feel exactly the same!!! which is why i was a bit cynical of those posts… so close together and interesetingly within 15 mins of the consultant in discussion having logged on and posted elsewhere on the site. I hate to be cynical but when we’re talking about a grand of my hard earned money I want to make sure its well spent!

I…[Read more]

especially forum members with more than 1 post Don't mean to sound cynical, but always better to hear from people who have said more on here than just praise for one company…thanks to Alana for your feedback, I read with interest your prior posts about your kitchen renovations.

Thanks dorkyboy, just out of interest – where did your figures of $350-500 come from? Have you seen these prices quoted by a consultant or is it what you would value the service at?cascadasmith – did you mean to make a comment there, or just posting your link for advertising?

Hi Neil – as a QS yourself, do you have any additional comments regarding my initial query and whether I'll need to get the QS to visit the site once or twice? ie both pre- and post-renos?