Overseas Property Management in Auckland: A Complete Guide for Landlords Living Abroad

Owning an investment property in Auckland while living overseas can be rewarding, but managing it from another country presents challenges that local landlords do not always face.

A leaking hot-water cylinder, missed rent payment, urgent maintenance request or change in New Zealand tenancy requirements can be relatively straightforward when you live nearby. When you are thousands of kilometers away and several time zones behind, the same issue can quickly become stressful.

There is also an important legal consideration many landlords may not realize: If a landlord leaves New Zealand for more than 21 days in a row, they must appoint an agent before they leave.

That is why effective overseas property management is about much more than simply collecting rent. It requires reliable systems, local knowledge, proactive communication and someone you trust on the ground in New Zealand to look after the property when you cannot be there yourself.

This guide explains the major challenges overseas landlords face, the systems that make remote ownership easier and what to look for when choosing a local property manager in Auckland.


1. Going Overseas for More Than 21 Days? You Must Appoint an Agent

For New Zealand landlords, arranging overseas property management may not simply be a matter of convenience.

Based on the Residential Tenancies Act, if a landlord leaves New Zealand for more than 21 days in a row, they must appoint an agent before they leave.

If the landlord will be outside New Zealand for 21 days or less, they are not required to appoint an agent.

The appointed agent must be someone in New Zealand who can manage the rental property while the landlord is away. The agent does not have to be a professional property manager or property management organization.

This is considered a temporary landlord change.

The landlord must also give the tenant the agent's:

• name
• contact details
• address for service

This requirement should not be overlooked.

If the landlord does not appoint an agent when required, or does not give the tenant the agent's details, Tenancy Services states that this is an unlawful act.

The tenant can give the landlord a notice to remedy, which provides a deadline for the landlord to appoint an agent or provide the required contact details.

Why This Matters for Overseas Landlords

Having somebody physically located in New Zealand is particularly important when a rental property requires attention.

Although the appointed agent does not necessarily have to be a professional property manager, landlords should consider whether the person they appoint actually has the knowledge, availability and systems required to manage a tenancy.

For example, can that person confidently deal with:

• tenant communication
• urgent repairs
• rent collection and arrears
• routine inspections
• contractors and access
• tenancy notices and documentation
• Healthy Homes and other compliance matters
• unexpected tenancy problems?

Asking a friend or relative to act as your agent may seem straightforward, but managing a rental property can involve considerably more responsibility than simply being an emergency contact.

This is where appointing an experienced local property manager can be valuable.

For an Auckland rental property, a locally based manager such as MDG Property Management Limited can provide someone on the ground while also handling the practical day-to-day management of the tenancy.

For an overseas landlord, this can turn the requirement to appoint an agent into a complete overseas property management solution.


2. Keeping Up With New Zealand Tenancy Laws

One of the biggest challenges of owning a New Zealand rental property from overseas is keeping up with your responsibilities as a landlord.

New Zealand residential tenancies are primarily governed by the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, together with regulations and other requirements affecting rental properties.

The Healthy Homes Standards are particularly important. Rental properties must meet applicable requirements covering heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage and draft stopping.

Landlords also have ongoing responsibilities relating to matters such as maintenance, smoke alarms, tenancy documentation and record keeping.

The challenge for an overseas landlord is that New Zealand requirements can change while you are living in another country.

A good property manager should therefore do more than respond when something goes wrong. They should understand current tenancy requirements, maintain appropriate records and alert the owner when action may be required.

Effective overseas property management should have systems for monitoring matters such as:

• Healthy Homes Standards compliance
• smoke alarm requirements
• tenancy agreements and required statements
• bond administration
• property inspections
• maintenance and repairs
• rent reviews and rent changes
• notices to tenants
• record keeping
• relevant changes to tenancy legislation

The objective is simple: an overseas owner should not have to constantly monitor New Zealand tenancy requirements from another country.


3. Rent Collection and Arrears Management

Reliable rent collection is at the heart of a successful rental investment.

When landlords manage properties themselves from overseas, identifying and responding to rent arrears can become difficult.

A missed payment might occur while the owner is asleep or busy with work in another time zone. If nobody is monitoring payments consistently, small arrears can potentially become larger.

A professional property management system should provide regular rent monitoring and a clear process for dealing with missed payments.

Overseas landlords should ask prospective property managers:

How frequently do you monitor rent payments?
What happens when a tenant misses a payment?
When will I be notified?
What statements and financial reports will I receive?

The ideal arrangement allows the landlord to see what is happening financially without having to personally chase tenants or reconcile rent payments from another country.


4. Maintenance When You Are Thousands of Kilometers Away

Maintenance is often where remote property ownership becomes most challenging.

Imagine receiving a message saying:

"The hot water isn't working."

If you live in Auckland, you may already know a plumber who can investigate.

If you live in Sydney, Singapore, London, Dubai, Los Angeles or elsewhere, you may have to work out who to call, whether their pricing is reasonable, how they will access the property and whether the repair was completed properly.

Meanwhile, the tenant is waiting.

A good local property manager becomes the owner's eyes and ears on the ground.

They should have established processes for assessing maintenance requests, arranging access, obtaining quotes when appropriate, coordinating repairs and documenting what was done.

They should also have access to reliable tradespeople and understand the difference between something that can reasonably wait and something requiring urgent attention.

Good overseas property management means the landlord should not have to wake up to a dozen messages trying to coordinate a tenant, plumber and contractor from another country.

The problem should already be moving towards a solution.


5. Knowing What Is Really Happening at the Property

One disadvantage of owning a property from overseas is that you cannot simply drive past it.

You may not know whether the gardens are being maintained, whether minor deterioration is developing into a larger problem or whether the condition of the property has substantially changed since the tenancy began.

Regular property inspections therefore become particularly valuable for overseas landlords.

A useful inspection should provide more than a message saying:
"Everything looks fine."

Owners should receive meaningful information about the property's condition, supported where appropriate by photographs and recommendations.

A good inspection system can help identify maintenance issues before they become significantly more expensive.

For someone living overseas, detailed inspection reporting provides something extremely valuable:

visibility without needing to be physically present.


6. Communication Across Different Time Zones

Time-zone differences can make remote property management surprisingly difficult.

A landlord living in Europe or North America, for example, may be asleep during most of the New Zealand working day.

Even relatively straightforward issues can require multiple emails spread across several days if communication is not managed effectively.

This is why proactive communication is particularly important in overseas property management.

A good property manager should not simply wait for the landlord to ask:
"What's happening?"

The manager should provide updates before the owner needs to chase them.

Communication should also be clear, concise and useful.

Overseas owners generally do not need to be copied into every minor conversation between the property manager, tenant and contractor.

Instead, they need to know:

What happened?
What has been done?
Does the owner need to make a decision?
What happens next?

The goal is to keep the landlord informed without requiring them to micromanage the property.


7. Finding and Retaining Good Tenants

Vacancy can be expensive, particularly when an owner is overseas and cannot personally oversee advertising or viewings.

A local property manager should understand the Auckland rental market and have systems for marketing properties, conducting viewings, processing applications and checking prospective tenants.

Ask a prospective manager how they:

• advertise vacant properties
• conduct viewings
• process applications
• check prospective tenants
• determine appropriate market rent
• prepare tenancy documentation
• conduct initial and routine inspections

Tenant selection should not simply be about filling a property as quickly as possible.

The aim should be to establish a sustainable tenancy with suitable tenants while following New Zealand tenancy and other applicable legal requirements.


8. Protecting the Property Over the Long Term

Good property management should also consider the long-term condition of the owner's investment.

A minor gutter problem can eventually contribute to water damage.

A small roof leak can become ceiling damage.

Poor ventilation can contribute to moisture problems.

Because an overseas landlord cannot regularly see the property, the manager should be alert to signs of deterioration during inspections and maintenance visits.

This is one of the important differences between reactive and proactive property management.

Reactive management asks:

"How do we fix this problem?"

Proactive management also asks:

"Is there something we can do now to prevent this becoming a bigger and more expensive problem later?"

For overseas landlords, that proactive approach can be especially valuable because they cannot personally monitor the property.


What Should an Overseas Landlord Look for in a Property Manager?

Not every property management service is designed around the needs of owners living abroad.

When comparing Auckland property managers, look beyond the management fee.

A small difference in percentage fees should be considered alongside the quality of the service, systems, communication and oversight being provided.

Strong Local Knowledge

Your manager should understand the Auckland rental market and, ideally, the particular area where your property is located.

Proactive Communication

You should not have to repeatedly ask for updates.
A good manager should tell you what you need to know before you have to chase them.

Transparent Financial Reporting

You should be able to understand the rent received, expenses incurred and other transactions relating to your property.

Detailed Property Inspections

Inspection reports should provide useful information about the condition of the property, with photographs where appropriate.

Reliable Maintenance Systems

The manager should have systems for receiving maintenance requests, assessing their urgency, coordinating access and arranging suitable contractors.

Knowledge of New Zealand Tenancy Requirements

Your property manager should understand the legislation and regulations affecting residential tenancies and have systems to manage compliance-related responsibilities.

A Clear Rent-Arrears Process

Missed rent should not depend on somebody eventually noticing it.

There should be a consistent system for identifying and responding to arrears.

Accountability

Perhaps most importantly, when something happens, you should know who is responsible for dealing with it.

For overseas landlords, accountability is particularly important because you cannot simply attend the property yourself.


Questions to Ask Before Appointing an Auckland Property Manager

Before signing a management agreement, consider asking:

1. Who will actually manage my property?
2. Can you act as my New Zealand agent while I am overseas?
3. How frequently will you inspect my property?
4. What information will I receive after an inspection?
5. How quickly do you follow up rent arrears?
6. How do you handle urgent maintenance?
7. When do you obtain owner approval for repairs?
8. How do you select and monitor contractors?
9. What financial statements will I receive?
10. How do you keep owners informed about changes affecting residential tenancies?
11. How do you communicate with landlords living in different time zones?
12. What happens when a tenant gives notice?
13. How do you determine an appropriate market rent?
14. What are your management fees and what additional charges apply?
15. How are Tenancy Tribunal matters handled if a dispute occurs?
16. Can you show me an example of your inspection and owner reporting?

The answers to these questions can tell you considerably more about the quality of a property management service than marketing material alone.


The Ideal Overseas Property Management System

For an overseas landlord, a good management system should make ownership feel straightforward.

Rent arrives.
Statements arrive.
Inspections are completed.
Maintenance is dealt with.
Compliance is monitored.
The landlord receives an update when something genuinely requires attention.

That is what hands-off ownership should mean.

It does not mean the landlord loses control of the property.

It means the owner retains control over important decisions without having to personally manage every operational detail.

The property manager handles the day-to-day work while keeping the owner informed.


Overseas Property Management With MDG Property Management

For Auckland property owners living abroad, MDG Property Management Limited is an example of a locally based property management company focused on making rental ownership simpler and less stressful.

MDG manages residential rental properties for both New Zealand-based and overseas landlords.

For owners living overseas, the emphasis is on proactive reporting, clear communication and hands-off ownership.

Rather than requiring landlords to continually follow up from another country, MDG aims to keep owners informed through regular communication, inspection reporting and transparent financial information.

The objective is straightforward:

You own the investment. MDG takes care of the day-to-day management.

For an overseas landlord, this means having somebody local who can coordinate tenants, rent, inspections, maintenance and the numerous practical issues that inevitably arise during a tenancy.

If an owner will be outside New Zealand for more than 21 consecutive days and therefore needs to appoint a New Zealand-based agent, appointing a professional property manager can also provide a practical solution to the wider challenges of managing the property remotely.

Instead of asking a friend or family member to take responsibility for the tenancy, the landlord can have an experienced local property manager looking after the investment.

The aim is to provide something that can otherwise be difficult to achieve when managing a property from thousands of kilometers away:

peace of mind that somebody in Auckland is looking after your investment.


Overseas Landlord Property Management Checklist

If you own an Auckland rental property while living overseas or you are preparing to leave New Zealand, use this overseas property management checklist to assess whether you have the right systems in place.

Before Leaving New Zealand

☐ Will you be outside New Zealand for more than 21 days in a row?
☐ If so, have you appointed an agent in New Zealand before leaving?
☐ Is the person you have appointed capable of managing the rental property while you are overseas?
☐ Have you given your tenant the agent's name, contact details and address for service?
☐ Does your agent have systems for dealing with rent, maintenance, inspections, tenant communication and urgent issues while you are overseas?

Legal & Compliance

☐ Is the property compliant with applicable New Zealand rental-property requirements?
☐ Is the relevant Healthy Homes documentation current and properly recorded?
☐ Are smoke alarms compliant and appropriately maintained?
☐ Are tenancy agreements and required statements properly completed?
☐ Are bonds and tenancy records correctly administered?
☐ Is somebody monitoring changes to tenancy requirements that may affect your property?

Rent & Financial Management

☐ Is rent monitored consistently?
☐ Is there a documented arrears process?
☐ Do you receive clear owner statements?
☐ Are expenses and contractor invoices transparent?
☐ Is the property's market rent reviewed periodically?

Property & Maintenance

☐ Are routine inspections conducted?
☐ Do inspection reports provide useful information about the property's condition?
☐ Are photographs provided where appropriate?
☐ Are maintenance requests followed up promptly?
☐ Are reliable local tradespeople available for urgent repairs?
☐ Are emerging maintenance issues identified before they potentially become expensive problems?

Tenant Management

☐ Are prospective tenants appropriately screened?
☐ Are important tenant communications documented?
☐ Are tenancy issues dealt with promptly?
☐ Is there a clear process when a tenancy ends?
☐ Is somebody in New Zealand available when the tenant needs assistance?

Communication

☐ Does your manager communicate proactively?
☐ Do you know who is responsible for your property?
☐ Can important issues be handled while you are asleep in another time zone?
☐ Are you kept informed without being overwhelmed with unnecessary details?
☐ Can you easily contact your manager when an important decision needs to be made?

The Most Important Question

☐ Can you comfortably leave the day-to-day management of your Auckland property to your property manager without constantly checking what is happening?

If the answer is yes, your overseas property management system is doing what it should.

If the answer is no, it may be worth reviewing how your investment is being managed.


Make Auckland Property Ownership Easier From Overseas

Living overseas should not mean spending your evenings chasing tenants, arranging plumbers in another time zone or wondering what condition your Auckland investment property is in.

And if you are leaving New Zealand for more than 21 consecutive days, remember that appointing an agent in New Zealand is not something to leave until after you have departed.

The right overseas property management partner provides local knowledge, reliable systems, proactive communication and somebody on the ground who takes responsibility for the day-to-day details.

For Auckland landlords who want a more hands-off approach, MDG Property Management Limited provides locally based residential property management focused on keeping owners informed while taking the everyday workload off their shoulders.

Whether you are already living overseas or preparing to relocate, the goal should be the same:
​
Own the property. Keep control of the important decisions. Let someone local handle the rest.
 

 What Not to Put in the Garbage Disposal

For many homeowners, the garbage disposal is a bit of an enigma. It is easy to assume that anything is safe to put down the sink, but that is simply not the case. A waste disposal (insinkerator) is installed between the underside of a sink and its trap.
It uses a series of blades to mince waste small enough to be flushed away into waste plumbing. It is an environmentally friendly option and makes kitchen clean up a lot more convenient. There are limitations on what can go in a waste disposal. It is definitely not suitable to process everything you would want to put in it.  For example, tough or sticky objects can stop the disposal blades from spinning or cause a clog.

What Can Go Down a Disposal?

Countless soft foods and liquids can be taken care of in an insinkerator. In fact, some objects are even beneficial to disposal care. This includes:

Cold Running Water

It is recommended to use cool or cold water when the insinkerator is running.  You should keep the water on for ten seconds before and after using a garbage disposal to help carry waste down the drain.  Without running water, it might lead to a clog or give off a bad odour if scraps get stuck to the bottom of the insinkerator.  It is also important to note that cold water will help carry any unexpected fat down the drain pipes, preventing you from any future headaches.

Ice Cubes

Ice cubes help to clean and sharpen disposal blades. It’s a good idea to toss a few ice cubes down the drain every other week to make sure debris isn’t building up on your disposal blades. Ice cubes made with a few drops of lemon juice, vinegar or biodegradable cleaning products can help freshen up your garburator even more.  It is important to note that some waste disposal units have impellers instead of blades.
When this is the case, the use of ice cubes is not necessary.

Citrus Fruits

Putting citrus fruits like lemons or oranges down a garburator can serve two purposes.
On one hand, the acid inside of citrus fruits helps break down built-up gunk inside of a garbage disposal.  On the other hand, citrus fruits can effectively cut down bad odour and replaces it with a fresh fragrance.  You can simply cut your fruit of choice into wedges and run it down one at a time with cold water.

Biodegradable Dish Soap or Disposal Fluid

Too much grease is a disposal’s worst nightmare.  The anti-grease chemicals in dish soap and draining fluid help flush out grease, allowing the disposal to run better and last longer.

What Not To Put in a Waste Disposal

Common sense can only take a person so far when it comes to what not to put in the garbage disposal. 

Some of these items may not be obvious to you.

Here are 7 things you should not put in a garbage disposal:

Coffee Grounds

This is one of the biggest no-no’s when it comes to a waste disposal or any drainage system.  When coffee grounds enter the drain, it forms a thick and dense paste.
If too much goes down the drain, it can create a clog or slow down the draining process.  It is best to dispose of them in your compost bin or use them in your garden.

Grease

Fats and grease are one of the most important items to not put down a garbage disposal.  As fats cool down, they solidify.  Without proper flushing that pushes the fats further down the line, it can sit on the bottom of the disposal unit, creating drainage and clog issues. You should avoid running fats and grease down the garburator however fat can be inevitable for some common food like salad dressing, etc. Be sure to run the food scraps down the drain with cold water so the fat can remain solid as it passes through the disposal and into the drain pipes.

Eggshells in Disposal

Can you put eggshells down the garbage disposal? The answer is no. Eggshells are a common mistake to put down a disposal. A common myth is that eggshells can help sharpen the blades. While the shells do not have a major positive or negative impact on the disposal blades, the membrane on the inside of the shells is a different story.
This is the thin coating found inside of an eggshell. It can wrap itself around the blades of the disposal, get loose and lodged into the impeller or create a sticky blockage inside your plumbing.

Onion Skins

Similar to an eggshell, onion skins also have a skin membrane on the inside of the skin.
Because this layer of membrane is quite thin and wet, it can easily get through the blades and end up wedged in the drain that can cause a blockage.

Potato Peels 

Similar to onion skins, potato peels can be thin enough to slip through the blades.
Potato peels in a garbage disposal could fall through the disposal without being minced finely. This causes a barrier in a sink trap which could lead to a clog.

Hard Foods

Bones, nuts, pits, and other hard food scraps are too tough for disposal blades to cut through. This can cause the blades to jam or damage them significantly.

Dry Expandable Foods

Foods which expand in water like pasta, oats, and rice will continue to expand in a sink’s plumbing system, leading to an eventual clog. Like most food scraps, if it’s a small piece or a few left on a plate after your meal, it should be fine to run through the disposal. Please keep in mind to run the food with cold water to flush it through the trap and into the main sewer line. This will prevent the food from staying and expanding at the bottom of the unit, causing a future blockage.

"Source:  Pete The Plumber, Calgary, Alberta, Canada"

​"The YTD statement shows you the income and expenditure for a property (or properties) over the financial year.

If the owner has more than one property, you have the choice of running one page for each property or a Summary, which collects the data from all the owner's properties and puts into one statement.

Each column is explained below:

Year/Month: Each month by year in the date range you have selected

Rent: The amount of money received in through receipting as Rent

Intro.Funds: This is any money that was receipted in that was not rent, i.e money paid to you by the Owner. None of the money in this area has been subjected to management fees. This is for all money that has been receipted in using the Receipt Owner transaction.

T.Reimburse: This is any money that was receipted in that was not rent but still paid by the tenant, i.e water rates, tenant invoices. Like the Intro Funds, none of the money in this area has been subjected to management fees (Unless you do charge a fee on a tenant receipt invoice). This is for all money that has been receipted in using the Receipt Tenancy Invoice transaction.

Fees: This covers the management, maintenance, inspections and admin fees
GST: The GST component of the Fees

Invoices: This is any Creditor Invoice or Payment Expense that has come from the property

Payments: Any Owner Payments made. This does not necessarily mean the owner got the money, it just means that a Transaction was done using Payment Owner

Net: This column is the total of the whole line. For instance line 1 says that it was overpaid for the month of April. This usually means that there was an opening balance in the month before. You take the rent amount and add any intro funds, then you minus the fees, GST, Invoices and Payments, the total is the Net amount.

Invoice Analysis (incl.GST) – Expenses: Every invoice that went against this property during the selected date range will be broken down into an expense type. This is the expense type that was selected against the Creditor

Note: If an expense type looks incorrect, or you wish to show a more specific expense type, you can retrospectively alter the expense type on any individual transaction by locating it in the History area of Transactions, and editing the transaction. The YTD Summary will then show the expense under the new expense type.
​
Missing Months: If a month is missing, this usually means that that month was closed using a close-off date in the subsequent month. (The subsequent month might then show figures for both months)."

Source:

The above article was written by Mandy Welch of MRI Palace on 6 April 2023.

​Summary

The Palace Owner Portal (Version 2) is a secure website designed exclusively for Owners, providing them convenient access to their personal information. Through this portal, Owners can easily view their general portfolio details, monthly and year-end statements, transactions, invoices, diary entries, and any externally uploaded documents.

To access the portal, Owners can log in directly via a unique URL or through the MDG Property Management Limited website using their email address and password. Rest assured that all information and the website itself are fully secure.
Once an Owner sets up their account by following the outlined workflow, they can log in to the portal and access the dashboard, where their personalized information awaits.

Dashboard

Upon logging into the Owner Portal, your Owners will be greeted with your welcome message. This page also displays to the Owner what contact information you hold for them on record, which is ideal in order to have this information verified and/or updated if need be.
​
An Owner can set their own theme via the Sun icon in the top right corner - this converts the display between light and dark.

In addition to this, for Owners who are associated with multiple Palace databases, we've added a convenient feature. In the top right corner, an additional option will be visible, allowing Owners to effortlessly switch between different databases. With just a few clicks, they can now switch between databases and manage their portfolios with ease.

​Statements
​
At the end of every month (or mid month, depending on your workflow), Owner Statements are produced in Palace. These will be available to each Owner under the Statements page, where they can be downloaded as and when required.

Portfolio
​
​Here an Owner will be given an overview of their portfolio - in tile and list views. The information displayed here consists of linked bank account details, opening/current balances, along with management and maintenance fee percentages.

Transactions
​
Transactions related to an Owners portfolio are displayed here, separated by Property if there is more than one. Transaction types displayed include receipts, charges, invoices, and payments.

Diaries
​
​This area can contain copies of supplier invoices, inspection reports, diary notes, and any other information that the Property Manager uploads via the property diary. If it is a file, it can be downloaded as and when required. 

Questions To Ask Prospective Tenants Attending A Viewing Or Current Tenants Whose Property Will Be Inspected In Light Of Covid-19: 

1. Have you experienced symptoms of illness within the last 14 days?
2. Have you got back from overseas in the last month?
3. Have you been in contact with anyone who has become unwell in the last month?
4. Have you had COVID-19 and recovered?
5. Are you considered a Close Contact, Close Contact Plus, Casual Contact or Casual Contact Plus of someone positive with Covid-19?
6. Are you currently waiting for the results of Covid-19 swab test?

MDG Property Management's Managing Director Mark Dizon was one of the distinguished guest speakers during the New Zealand-Philippines Business Council (NZPBC) Business 101 Workshop Series held on 22 June 2017 (Thursday) at the Chapman Tripp office in ANZ Centre, Albert Street, Auckland. 

He openly shared his journey as he took the leap from being an employee to establishing his own property management company from scratch, together with his business partner Molino Garcia. Undoubtedly, MDG was a risky venture at the onset, given the business climate and competitive market, with only limited resources to work with. However, he intimated how the challenges and obstacles of starting-up a company have moulded him into the successful entrepreneur he is today.

If you have a hard time removing water spots on shower glass doors, here is the solution.  I recommend that you use C-Thru Water Spot Remover.  You can buy it at Bunnings.  It is so easy to use.  I have tried many products but this is the only one that does the job.

So, you bought your first investment property or you may already own one, one of the most expensive assets you could ever acquire in your lifetime. Undoubtedly, you would like to maximize the profit from such an investment as well as increase its value over time. Property management can help protect your investment. Below are some reasons why you should hire a property manager:

1. Save Time and Reduce Stress
Tracking rent payments, collecting late fees, dealing with complaints and repairs, preparing the property for new tenants, finding contractors and dealing with bad tenants could be tiresome and stressful. Relinquishing these ongoing responsibilities to a good property manager can allow you to spend your time identifying other investment opportunities or otherwise furthering your career, without sacrificing your time and health.

2. Screening of Tenants
Experienced property managers are experts at finding good tenants, and will take care of all the details, including running credit checks and getting landlord references. Property managers have a bigger pool of applicants to choose from due to their extensive marketing and advertising programs, resulting in better quality tenants for your property.

3. Knowledge of Tenancy Laws
One of the biggest advantages in hiring a professional property manager is the ability to avoid some legal hassles. In the event that an eviction becomes necessary, an experienced property manager will know how to handle it in a way that will save you time and money. Your property manager can keep your property up-to-date and compliant with tenancy regulations.  

4. Buffer between Owners and Tenants
When you have a property manager, you can keep a professional distance from your tenants. Getting too personally involved can result in being too tolerant on issues you may have on your tenants, or too defensive about their complaints. When problems from either side arise, your property manager is better prepared to deal with them effectively.

5. Make More Money in the Long Run
You’re probably hesitant to hire a property manager because of the costs involved. In reality, though, hiring a property manager will actually make you more money in the long term due to several reasons.  You may get better tenants that stay longer and have lesser problems to deal with. In addition, your property remains in great shape. In case of repairs or damages, your property manager can get you the best work for the best price, brought about by his existing relationships with tradesmen and contractors who will oversee any necessary maintenance projects.  Your property manager might be able to get you free insulation. In the long run, the time you save dealing with rental property-related issues may be spent doing something else.

*Mark Dizon is the Managing Director of MDG Property Management Ltd. (www.mdgproperties.co.nz), a Filipino-owned and operated property management company incorporated in 2010, with head office in Auckland City.

You need three items to clean your ceramic hob:

1)  A ceramic hob cooktop scraper. You can buy one at Noel Leeming for $10.99 (as of July 2014).
2)  A ceramic hob cleaner.  You can buy this at Pak N Save.
3)  A ceramic hob protector.  You can buy this at Pak N Save.

See photos of the three items below.

Directions for cleaning the hob:

1)  At a low angle use the scraper to remove spills and burnt and hardened oil on the hob.
2)  Make sure that the surface is cool.  
3)  Apply the ceramic hob cleaner sparingly onto the surface.  
4)  Rub well with a clean paper towel.
5)  Wipe with a damp cloth and dry with a clean paper towel.
6)  Spread the protector sparingly on the surface.
7)  Rub well with a clean paper towel.
8)  Polish with a clean, dry cloth.

Sources for images and texts:  Hillmark Cooktop Scraper, Ceraclen Glass Cooktop Cleaner and Ceraclen Glass Cooktop Protector packaging.