Roger Clist: Working Landlord, Happy Tenants

As a landlord who has recently taken over the management of some of our properties, I found the information supplied in this book invaluable. It was able to answer most of the concerns and questions I had about things like the Residential Tenancies Act. It has examples to help give a clear understanding as well as little snippets at the bottom of the pages as a reference.

Although this book is subtitled Managing Your Own Rental Properties: A Hands-on Guide for New Zealanders, it covers so much more.

The first third of the book covers Property Certificates of Title and land ownership, the pros and cons of various property types as an investment (houses/flats) and various ownership structures.

The author delves into areas and details of property management that most other books don't bother with, and offers lessons learned in the trenches. Particularly useful are practical samples of forms, spreadsheets and letters and explanations of how to use them.

The Landlord Tool Kit (great if you're called straight from work to a tenant's home without the right tools) and the Landlord Bag (the important paperwork you may need with you) is handy. Clist even includes recipes for ant poison and methods of removing rust marks from vinyl or chewing gum from carpet.

This book would be great for landlords of all ages and experiences, whether they plan on managing the properties themselves or having them managed by someone else.

The author has a balanced view and gives heart to the notion that you don't need to be cruel to be a successful landlord.

This book can be purchased through the Good Returns bookstore RRP $29.95