What Exactly is a Quantity Surveyor? 

THIS IS A QUESTION often asked by Investors.

A Quantity Surveyor (or QS) is a professional who specialises in estimating the value of construction costs and other assets. And Quantity Surveyors may get involved at various stages: prior to construction, during construction and post-construction.  [Read more…]

Can a Commercial Landlord Refuse Consent to Assign a Lease?

THIS QUERY OFTEN RAISES it’s head … whenever the proposed new tenant is felt to have insufficient financial resources. [Read more…]

Australian CBD Office Market

THE PROPERTY COUNCIL of Australia recently released their Office Market Report for the six months ending January 2019.

Both the Sydney and Melbourne markets have been the strong performers. Although, most capital cities have also seen an improvement in their vacancy rates. [Read more…]

You’ll Reduce Fit-out Costs by Claiming Depreciation

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OWNERS and tenants are often unaware they are entitled to claim deductions for the depreciation of many of the assets installed during the fit-out of a commercial property.

These deductions are important, as depreciation is a valuable source of hidden cash flow that will not only lower the burden of fit-out costs, but also assist with ongoing business expenses. [Read more…]

The Pillars for Commercial Property Success

AS YOU WILL APPRECIATE, there is a fair amount of information you need to know about Commercial property. Although fundamentally, all that rests upon just six Pillars.

Once you understand that, everything else starts to make a lot more sense.

So, let’s perhaps take a few moments to briefly explore those Pillars. [Read more…]

$20,000 Instant Asset Write Off Extended to June 2019

IN A MOVE that will help boost cash flow for small business owners, the Senate recently passed legislation to extend the $20,000 instant asset write-off to June 2019.  [Read more…]

Servicing Your Commercial Property Investment Deals

THE FINANCIAL INDUSTRY in general (and the major banks in particular) have been under the microscope recently as a result of the Royal Commission. And that has provided a steady stream of negative headlines for the banks over the past 12 months.

As a result, the banks have instituted a number of changes including: [Read more…]

Uncover Your Tax Benefits with Commercial Property Depreciation

DOES THE IDEA OF BUYING commercial property instead of renting your current business premises appeal to you? Or are you undecided whether to purchase a commercial investment over a residential property for your portfolio?  [Read more…]

PEXA – the Future of eConveyancing

AS OF 1 OCTOBER 2018, Victoria has moved one step closer to a completely digital conveyancing process as all property settlements (with some exceptions) are required to be completed via PEXA (Property Exchange Australia). [Read more…]

Why Choose a Depreciation Expert?

IT IS WELL KNOWN that you can claim wear and tear on a business vehicle. But do you know exactly how much wear and tear you can also claim, on your investment property?

You see, many property investors are unaware how significant the tax depreciation deductions their investment properties hold – meaning they could be missing out on thousands of dollars. [Read more…]

Are You Aware of the Absentee Owner Surcharge?

AS OF 1 JANUARY 2017, Victorian land owned by an “absentee owner” is subject to an additional 1.5% Absentee Owner Surcharge.  The purpose of the surcharge is to require foreign buyers, who do not pay other taxes, to contribute to government services and infrastructure in Victoria.

Although this surcharge also applies to commercial property, it was originally introduced as an attempt to manage foreign purchasing of residential real estate in Victoria – to assist with housing affordability. [Read more…]