The tax changes phasing out interest deducibility for residential rental properties is now law.

A Rotorua landlord was surprised to find ETB Realty let his property to a tenant who had to pay exemplary damages for smoking methamphetamine at her previous flat also rented to her by it.

The amount investors borrowed tipped into the billions again in February after dropping back to $812 million in January. The last time investor’ borrowing fell back to the millions was in February 2020.

Although the ANZ Bank has lifted its prediction of house prices falling to 10% from the 7% it forecast last month, it says its optimistic view is any greater drop will be tempered by household incomes.

An attempt to evict a tenant has floundered at the Tenancy Tribunal despite methamphetamine being used at the rented house.

The new fear in the housing market is one of over-paying (FOOP) .

Now that the housing market has turned and bargaining power lies strongly with investors and owner-occupier buyers and opportunities to get a property they want are now improving quickly.

February sales figures have dropped to the lowest number in a February month since 2011.

Members of Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee have been taken on a deep dive into the complexities of the new residential property tax rules.

Commercial and industrial property sales last year are expected to zoom past $12 billion for the first time.

Hotel transactions across the country hit the highest level on record last year despite the pandemic and international tourism being on its knees.

A case recently before the Tenancy Tribunal reinforces the need for landlords to give anti-social breach notices if they want to evict a tenant for unacceptable behaviour upsetting neighbours.

The Reserve Bank is predicting an annual fall in house prices of more than 5% by March next year and a total fall of about 9% starting from this quarter.

While Westpac Bank has long forecast a cooling in the housing market, the pullback has been faster than it expected.

CoreLogic’s Buyer Classification data for January shows the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance changes from the end of last year are having little impact on investors.

While landlords are struggling to pay higher costs of owning a residential rental property, rents are absorbing 22% of gross average household income.