POLITICAL & REGULATORY REPORT for APRIL 2009

UNIT TITLES BILL – Submissions closed Written submissions to the Social Services Committee Select Committee investigating the Unit Titles Bill closed last week on 24 April.
30-04-2009 more >>

Homeowners advised not to rush to fix rates

Homeowners are being advised not to hurry to fix their mortgage interest rates by a leading economist.
30-04-2009 more >>

Home-building approvals dip to 17-year low

New Zealand home-building approvals dipped in March to a 17-year low, and may have reached their nadir, amid signs the housing market has picked up from its trough last year.
30-04-2009 more >>

National Bank, ASB, SBS, BNZ break fees cleared by regulator

The Commerce Commission has cleared home loan break fees charged by National Bank, ASB, SBS Bank and Bank of New Zealand, saying they’re likely to comply with consumer finance law.
30-04-2009 more >>

RBNZ cuts OCR to record low 2.5%

Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Alan Bollard cut the official cash rate 50 basis points to 2.5%.
30-04-2009 more >>

Tenants enjoying 'lowest rents in a decade'.

Landlords across the country are slashing rents to avoid having their properties stand empty as tenants find themselves in the best position for a decade.
27-04-2009 more >>

President's April Report

Drugs in rental properties. Responsibility for Outgoings. Submission on the Unit Titles Bill. Changes to Associated Persons rules. Monthly reports from Thomas Chin. HERS and NZBCD proposal.
23-04-2009 more >>

Flat fee companies being discriminated against?

The inter-market debate over whether real estate agencies should be charging a flat sale fee has arisen again, after Auckland-based firm Property Wizards was banned from advertising in the Property Press.
23-04-2009 more >>

Turning rate thinking on its head

All the recent thinking and commentary on what to do with your home loan may be turned on its head after next week’s official cash rate announcement from the Reserve Bank.
23-04-2009 more >>

Sales activity returning

Harcourts’ latest report is signalling a jump in sales activity, with last month's figures up 52% when compared with March 2008.
22-04-2009 more >>

Floating rates on a high

Lower interest rates are prompting Kiwis to abandon their preference for fixed over floating - rate home loans
21-04-2009 more >>

Unit Titles Bill - NZPIF submission

The Federation supports a number of proposals in this bill.
20-04-2009 more >>

Olly Newland: Beware of false dawns

Like a hungry man falling on a morse of food, some commentators and interest groups are in full cry over the improvement in the property market
19-04-2009 more >>

Positive cash flow properties becoming more and more common

The current conditions are creating a market where positive cash flow properties are now becoming more common says QV Insider.
17-04-2009 more >>

The continuing saga of rental property outgoings

The issue of who pays for what in a rental property has caused many problems over the years. With a move towards user-pays for many household outgoings, there is likley to be a higher number of problems occurring in the future.
17-04-2009 more >>

Proposed changes to the associated person rules for land transactions

Hugo Mulligan, partner of White Fox and Jones outlines the implications of the proposed changes
17-04-2009 more >>

NZPIF Submission on changes to Associated Persons rules

This submission was forwarded in May 2007. The Finance Select Committee is now considering this issue.
17-04-2009 more >>

Collecting your debts

Glenn Morris tells landlords how to ensure debts are paid when the Tenancy Tribunal awards a money order
16-04-2009 more >>

Insider's guide to building law

Available from June, this new book bridges the gap between building inspectors and building owners.
16-04-2009 more >>

Drug case outcome sets the bar

The outcome of a recent drug case has set the legal bar for landlords to deal with drugs being manufactured by tenants, or friends of tenants, in their rental properties.
16-04-2009 more >>

Get real and quick recovery will follow, owners told.

A leading corporate lawyer says a recovery might occur quite quickly once business and building owners become realistic about the value of their assets.
14-04-2009 more >>

Action on the home front

Home buyers - including expats with an eye for a bargain - have returned to the market in strength, hunting both high end and investment property
13-04-2009 more >>

NZ property values drop 9.3%

New Zealand property values fell 9.3% last month, led by declines in Auckland City and Manukau, as rising unemployment and waning job security counters the benefits of lower borrowing costs.
09-04-2009 more >>

QV residential highlights - March 2009

The residential property market is picking up, but values are still dropping, according to the latest numbers released by QV Valuations. Find out how the main centres are faring below.
09-04-2009 more >>

Review survey of Rental Property Owners

Download the results of the Property Managers
09-04-2009 more >>