Frequently Asked Questions

There are a few good reasons to consider hiring a property manager. Owning a rental property is challenging. You need to find good tenants, deal with maintenance issues, carry out inspections, know and comply with the Residential Tenancies Act, and chase unpaid rent (all while trying to do your day job). As property managers, we’re experts on New Zealand property management law, and having us manage your property saves you time, stress, and the risk of being penalised for something you may not have realised was unlawful.  

Furthermore, if you are a self-managing landlord are you are going to be out of the country for more than 21 days you are legally required to assign someone to manage your property in your absence (it doesn’t have to be a professional property manager but we highly recommend you consider putting your property in competent hands while you are away). 

There are several options available.  First, we need to understand your situation so we can recommend a package that is best suited to your needs. 

In all instances, our fees are reflective of the quality of our services and we will be completely transparent about our fee structure before we take you on as a client.  

We are 100% dedicated to providing exceptional service, including finding reliable tenants in a timely fashion.  We don't charge a cent until we have a tenant paying rent. Unlike many other property management companies, we don't charge any fees for arranging maintenance and repairs.  

For more information, get in touch!

Over the years, we’ve honed our processes to make sure we get the right tenants in the right properties. All Propertyscouts property managers follow our proven step-by-step process to ensure you end up with excellent tenants. You can find more information on this process in our Landlord Information Pack. 

Demand for rental properties across the country is currently very strong. Most of us at Propertyscouts are property investors just like you, so we know what it’s like to have a property vacant. Rest assured, if your property is vacant we’ll do all we can to get it rented as soon as possible.

The simple answer is nothing - Propertyscouts will continue to pay you disbursements regardless of whether a tenant has paid their rent (for up to 4 weeks). We’ll work with the tenants in the background to ensure that it won’t be an ongoing issue. If it is likely to become a bigger problem, we’ll let you know.

We’re so confident about our proven property management processes and services that we offer our landlords a simple and straightforward rental guarantee. If (for any reason) a tenant is unable to pay rent, we’ll make the payment on their behalf for up to four weeks. Also, if the tenant defaults on the tenancy for any reason, we’ll find and place new tenants at no cost to you.

We consider property maintenance to be an important part of our role and unlike most property management companies, we don’t charge any additional fees for arranging repairs and maintenance. Our well-established relationships with professional trade contractors means we can arrange for repairs and maintenance to be carried out efficiently and cost-effectively. We’re also happy to work with your preferred contractors.

All of our locally owned and operated franchises specialise in property management and investment. It’s our job to make owning a rental property as easy as possible and give you peace of mind that your property is in the very best hands. With Propertyscouts, you get to retain control of your property while leaving the day-to-day administration to us.

Often, we have tenants in our database who we know are looking for particular properties and can lease your property without advertising it! When advertising on our own website there are no advertising costs. However, when your property is listed on the likes of Trade Me and Realestate.co.nz we will pass the cost on to you. When we do advertise, we use tried and true platforms and can tailor your marketing package to your needs. This ensures the money you spend on advertising your property isn’t wasted.

Considering New Zealand's high pet ownership rate, you may want to reevaluate your pet policy. Currently, very few landlords allow pets, despite the fact that pet-owning tenants tend to stay longer, reducing turnover and vacancy issues. Allowing pets can also boost demand for the property, attracting a larger pool of potential tenants and increasing the chances of securing a high-quality tenant quickly.

One option is to list the property as "pets negotiable" and screen prospective pets through a series of questions.  

If you're worried about damage, it's possible to mitigate this risk by having a landlord insurance policy that covers pet damage. Additionally, while including clauses in a tenancy agreemement requiring professional carpet cleaning at the end of the tenancy is generally not allowed, a "special circumstance" clause can be used when pets are allowed, addressing potential future allergy concerns.

Ultimately, the choice to allow pets remains yours, but being open to pets can lead to positive outcomes and increase the pool of potential tenants.

Rent is collected from tenants on a weekly basis, beginning with a week in advance. It is stored in a Trust account for safe keeping until it is disbursed to you.

We guarantee disbursements to owners twice monthly. Disbursements are made up of rent payments less any deductions (such as our management fee and any invoices we have paid on your behalf).

We test for meth before and between most tenancies (even if your property is brand new). We do this to ensure the responsible parties can be held liable should the worst-case scenario come to pass. Here is an article we wrote that will help you understand why it’s so important!