Glad you asked! With us you change to property care excellence!​​ Saving you time. Saving you money. Putting you first. Save on our first 10 weeks for free - We give all our new owners with rental properties the first 10 weeks free property management. Simply sign up with us for 12 months or longer.  That's a saving of almost 20% in your first year!  Get in touch today. Best advertising - We advertise and promote rental properties on all the main websites – at the same time! This includes Trademe, Real Estate, Homes, One Roof, and Rent Square using quality photos and descriptions. We do this at a fraction of what you would normally pay on Trademe alone! Low management fee - Our management fee is very competitive and well below the market rates. Tenant vetting - We do proper tenant vetting. We do a Credit check, credit file history, & ID check, Tenancy Tribunal check, Employer reference check, Previous landlord reference check, Character reference check, Facebook and LinkedIn searches, and much more! Inspections & Maintenance - We do regular inspections and where appropriate, we organise repairs and maintenance.  Our inspections are of the highest standards aimed at protecting your investment. Rent paid weekly - We don't want you to wait for your money. Rent is paid weekly to you.

Contact Rent Square to get a full Rental Appraisal and to discuss your options.

This depends on market fluctuations and the time of the year, however rest assured we are very proactive. We begin marketing your property the day it is listed and have an automated booking system which allows tenants to book viewings 24/7. As soon as we list the property it is automatically matched to tenants on our database. Our letting agents do viewings both after hours and at weekends to ensure we maximise the opportunity for prospective tenants to come and view. We also offer a video walk through so that tenants that can’t view the property due to work or personal constraints are able to do a ‘virtual’ walk through. As we specialise in letting properties (we don’t sell properties), we can focus on finding you a qualified tenant in the quickest possible time.

The property you are renting is your house but while they are paying rent it will be the tenant’s home. By maintaining your property and ensuring it looks good for when prospective tenants come to view the property, we’ve put together some questions to ask yourself: Is my property decorated in neutral tones? Walls and flooring in neutral tones are much more attractive to potential tenants as chances are their belongings will then fit in a lot easier. You may think that a bright orange wall looks good but will the tenants? Are the lawns mowed and grounds well presented? Is my property well maintained? Have a look around and see the property through the eyes of a tenant, is the interior tidy? Are the walls clean and paint/paper in good condition?

We attract tenants in many different ways (mostly digitally) which means we don’t need to have an office near your property. This also means we reach potential tenants from across New Zealand and the world.​ Most tenants tend to look for a property on the internet so we will list your property on Trademe, Realestate, One Roof, Homes and Rent Square - all at the same time (and for the best rate in New Zealand!). Some of these sites (like Realestate) are sites that only real estate agents and property management companies can list on so by listing with us you will have access to these sites. We have an excellent booking system which enables tenants to book a viewing 24/7 and maximises your opportunity to find your next tenant. We have a database of prospective tenants who receive notifications whenever a new property is listed.

New healthy homes standards for rental properties in New Zealand became law from 1 July 2019. The standards will play a significant role in improving the wellbeing of New Zealanders and their families.

There are nearly 600,000 households rent in New Zealand, and research tells us that rental properties are poorer quality than owner-occupied homes. The research shows a link between cold, damp, and mouldy homes and negative health outcomes, particularly for illnesses such as asthma and cardiovascular conditions.

All rental properties must have one or more fixed heaters, which can directly heat the main living room and meet the required heating capacity.

​Ceiling and underfloor insulation has been compulsory in all rental homes since 1 July 2019, where it is reasonably practicable to install, meeting the required standards.​

Rental properties must have at least one door or window (including skylights) that opens to the outside in all bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, lounges, and kitchens.

Rental properties must have efficient drainage for the removal of storm water, surface water and ground water, including an appropriate outfall.

Landlords must block any unreasonable gaps and holes in walls, ceilings, windows, floors and doors that cause noticeable draughts. Open fireplaces must be blocked unless the tenant and landlord agree otherwise.

For more information on the Healthy Homes Standards contact Rent Square to discuss - or read more here. The Government has announced changes to the healthy homes standards. These changes are expected to come into effect in May 2022. See more here.

Although it is your property, while the tenants are renting the property it’s their home which means they are legally entitled to quiet peace and enjoyment of the property. The only times you are able to visit the property are: When you want to inspect the property. The tenant has to be given between 48 hours and 14 days’ notice in writing. When you want to carry out repairs and maintenance. The tenants have to be given a minimum of 24 hours’ notice and the work needs to be carried out between the hours of 8am and 7pm. If you want to do work on the outside of the property (e.g. do the lawns, prune trees etc.) you don’t have to give the tenants notice. Having said that, remember the tenants are entitled to quiet peace and enjoyment of the property. So, as a courtesy, and to avoid conflict, it is good practice to keep this to only what is necessary.

There are a few must have’s that you will need to put in your notice to terminate a tenancy and to ensure it meets the Residential Tenancy’s Act: The notice must be in writing Include the address of the tenancy Include the date the tenant has to move out Be signed either by you, your agent or property manager

At the beginning of each tenancy it’s the owner’s responsibility to ensure that all smoke alarms are in working order. During the tenancy it’s a tenant’s responsibility to replace dead batteries if there are older style smoke alarms with replaceable batteries. The tenant also has a responsibility to not damage, remove or disconnect a smoke alarm and to let the owner know if there are any problems with the smoke alarms. It’s also a good idea when completing inspections to check with the tenants that the smoke alarms are in working order and to note it on the inspection form. Rent Square can do it all for you. Saving you time. Saving you money. Putting you first.

From 1 July 2016 smoke alarms in all properties are compulsory and need to be in good working condition. Smoke alarms must be installed: Within 3 meters of each bedroom door, or in every room where a person sleeps In each level or story of a multi-story or multi-level home In all rental homes, boarding houses, rental caravans and self-contained sleep out.

Testing for methamphetamine between tenancies is highly recommended so that you have a baseline test to refer to. The New Zealand Standard 8510:2017 has an allowable level of 1.5 ug/sample for dwellings. Ideally, you would have your property tested prior to your new tenant moving into your property. If the result comes back with ‘no methamphetamine detected’ then you have a base to work with. When the time comes that your tenant moves out a test should be completed again. Should the test results return a positive test with a high level, then you or your property manager is able to go to the tenancy tribunal with evidence that shows that the property was clean before the tenant moved in and is now contaminated. Without a test being completed at the beginning of the tenancy, it is impossible to identify which tenant created the contamination. This means that you would not be able to hold your tenant responsible for any contamination as you would be unable to prove that they were responsible. Most Insurance Companies are paying for decontamination to below 1.5 ug/sample, which is the New Zealand Standard 8510:2017. Check your Insurance Policy It is important that you check your insurance policies to see what clauses there about methamphetamine contamination are and ensure that the conditions are met e.g., regular inspections are completed by either you or your property manager (see our Services and fees here). This does not mean three monthly methamphetamine tests. The insurance process pays for the replacement of soft furnishings, curtains, carpets, replacement of stoves etc., if required, and loss of rent while the property is being put back into a habitable state. Even if the levels are below 1.5 ug/sample, sometimes that it sufficient for a ruling in the tenancy tribunal for ‘exemplary damages’ for the tenants committing an illegal act, but this can’t be determined if a baseline test hadn’t been done in the first place.

The maximum bond allowed under Tenancy Law is four weeks. We always recommend obtaining four weeks bond from tenants whether they have a pet or not. If the tenants have a pet unfortunately you can’t ask for any more bond over the four weeks.

The differences between a fixed term tenancy and periodic tenancy are: Fixed term tenancy: Has specified start and expiry dates Only lasts for a set period of time (usually 12 months) and must be written on the tenancy agreement Gives both parties security of the tenancy for a set period of time Gives you as the owner certainty of what the income for the property will be for a fixed period of time Periodic tenancy: Has a set commencement date but no expiry date. Gives both parties flexibility in giving notice. Tenants must give 21 days’ written notice to end the tenancy and owners have to give either 42 days written notice if they or a family member are going to move into the property or they have an unconditional sales and purchase agreement or a minimum of 90 days written notice and no reason has to be given. If you as the owner are not sure what your plans are with the property e.g. considering selling then a periodic tenancy could be a good option Fixed term tenancies are generally the preferred option by both owners and tenants. Sometimes from an owners’ perspective it’s better to offer a varied term (e.g. 5, 7, or 10 months) to avoid the property being available at a time of year when it’s harder to find tenants e.g. in the middle of winter.​

Rent payments are checked daily and our tracking system allows us to produce a report that shows all tenants that haven’t paid rent. We follow a strong process which includes text messages, emails, and phone calls to ensure the tenants pay their rent. If these reminders aren’t adhered to, we serve them a formal warning letter explaining that if they fail to pay. A tenancy tribunal application could also be lodged. In our experience owners who have allowed their tenants to chalk up rent arrears tend to be ones who have wanted to give their tenants the benefit of the doubt. However, the key to success in managing rent arrears is to follow a methodical, frequent approach in spite of what the tenants may say.