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Investment property strategies
To make the most of your property investment, consider a range of property investment strategies.
Positive cash flow
You have a positive cash flow property when the income from your property (the rent) is more than the costs of holding the property (including things like the mortgage repayments and maintenance).
The pros
The cons
Related information & tools
Negative cash flow
You have a negative cash flow property when the expense of holding the property is more than the income made from the property.
Example: if your annual rental income is $40,000, and the annual cost of holding the property (maintenance, mortgage etc.) is $50,000, you have a negative cash flow of $10,000.
The pros
The cons
Depreciation
Negative cash flow isn't the only way you can get a break at tax time. Depreciation should also be a crucial part of your property investment strategy. It could be the difference between just a negative cash flow property and a negative cash flow property that generates an income for you.
What is depreciation?
Depreciation is the estimated decrease in an asset’s value over time. It’s an expense that you can add to your total expenses of holding the property, increasing your total tax deduction, therefore increasing your tax refund.
The Australian Tax Organisation (ATO) has lists on all the items you can claim depreciation on and for how long. For example, the free standing garden shed in the backyard can be claimed for 15 years, and the carpet in the bedrooms can be claimed for 10 years.
Money for nothing
If you have bought an older house that you plan to renovate before you rent out, be sure to tell your accountant about everything you remove. You can claim the dirty old carpet you want to rip out and the dusty old curtains you’ve removed, even though you’re discarding it.
How to claim depreciation
A qualified quantity surveyor should be able to inspect your home and prepare a report for your accountant.
If you don’t want to wait until tax time to claim depreciation, you can apply for PAYG Withholding Variation so that your employer applies an adjusted tax rate to you every payday. That means more money in your pocket on payday instead of having to wait until tax time.
What can I expect?
Whether you want to get pre-approval, a new loan or refinance your existing loan with Suncorp Bank, you can apply quickly online. We’ll reply within two hours or by the next business day.
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What can I expect?
Whether you want to get pre-approval, a new loan or refinance your existing loan with Suncorp Bank, you can apply quickly online. We’ll reply within two hours or by the next business day.
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100% obligation-free advice
Our experienced team are happy to answer any of your questions and you're under no obligation to choose to us for your loan.
We’ll reply within two hours or by the next business day.
