Bathe in the tears of property investors: Part two
I’m sorry, but once you see these you’ll know why I had to do a second post.
Welcome to Emily Writes Weekly, I am sorry to nail you with TWO housing related posts in a week but trust me, you’ll see why I had to do another post. I peaked too early! I didn’t know how bad things could get.
Unlike my last post I’m not going into a lot of commentary, because I’m sick in bed and so Friday Night Chats is going to move to Sunday. I have some kind of…chest thing? Wish me a speedy recovery please! I’m sorry to anyone really looking forward to Friday Chats. Sunday Chats will be just as good.
So without further ado…
The Coldest Day of the Year
It’s Christchurch property investment consultant Ana Meredith! Hard to pick just one from Meredith because she’s literally channeling a capitalist villain 24-7. She had ten houses at one point, who knows how many she has now. She has helpfully shared with her Instagram followers how to pass on their tax to their tenants. Because whose job should it be to ensure she gets more, more, more, more? Tenants! Enough is never enough.
Call the UN we have a human rights violation on our hands!
This is political prisoner Nick Gentle. Now, what he’s been through…I don’t know about you but it bought me to tears. He owns five blocks of flats and oh wow, I don’t know how to say this, brace yourself: Unless he sells some of those flats in the next four years he may have to pay tax some on them. I mean, have you ever heard anything worse in your life?
“It is understood that part of that includes investigating whether the rule change involves a breach of landlords’ human rights, including the ability to own their own properties, and the ability to make money.” - Property investors petition for reversal of rule changes.
Every property investor who unironically shared this image
I thank you for your service, you truly do carry the hahahaha omg sorry I’m choking to death.
Tax is a holocaust
Finally, I saved the best slash worst till last. Someone probably wrote this poem as a joke, but what is beautiful about it is that it got shared in a Women in Property Investing group quite seriously. That’s the part I love.
Now, I hope all of this has made you think more about the plight of property investors. I would like to help you improve your language:
I would also like to say as a palate cleanser - I’ve had so many messages like the one below this week. I know it feels utterly mind-boggling as a renter to be reading the comments of property investors, but - hope is on the horizon. And I know you’re scared your landlord will put up the rent, and you know they probably well and I wish I could work out a way to stop that happening…but…please know I’ve had a few messages from landlords saying they welcome the changes and will not be increasing rent. Hopefully these landlords can speak out publicly so others know there’s another way you can choose to be. You can treat your tenants like human beings not ATM machines. You can recognise that just like everyone else you have to pay tax. You can stop expecting families with so much less than you to subsidise your income! Who knew?!
I also just got sent this from a reader (thank you D!) I have included it because I think this letter writer is spot on.
Kia ora Emily, I have been reading your Friday night chats for a few weeks, but it took today for me to pay for an annual subscription. The reasons are because what you write is SO compelling and also, you are feeling sick. Yes, you showed up for all of us and our inboxes today (we are grateful, especially for the curation so we can easily absorb this information) but hey you’re sick!!! You need the night off. I hadn’t budgeted an annual plan, but if it means you take the night off (I know that’s unrealistic when you’re a parent) or at least a night off your writing job, then please take the night off. We need you to keep writing this stuff because it helps us make sense of everything that seems out of control. So look after yourself tonight. Get under that duvet! Rest and recover. And thank you thank you thank you thank you.
Hi EWW
I didn't post because I didn't want to sound like a sanctimonious bitch but you said you wanted to hear. I manage our family trust property. Someone told me we 'have to' charges market rent or it will mess up the market. I ignored them. I chose the very low end of the then market. I notified the tenants in writing that rent would be reviewed annually by the published cpi. However, for two years I've told them what it could go up by (about $6pw) but have chosen not to apply the increased. It does not accumukate so if I ever do apply it, the increase will only be the current years cpi. If these tenants depart (hopefully never), I will not increase the rent for the new tenants.
One thing I hate is my insurer demands I inspect the property every 3 months. I consider this an invasion of my tenants' privacy and only visit that often because I have to.