Question 1

Negative gearing vs positive gearing in Australia — which is better?

Accepted Answer

Negative gearing is when your rental income is less than your loan interest plus expenses, generating a tax-deductible loss. Positive gearing (or cashflow positive) is the opposite — rent exceeds expenses, producing taxable income. Neither is universally 'better'. Negative gearing front-loads tax benefits and traditionally pairs with capital growth strategies in metro markets. Positive gearing supports portfolio expansion because the property funds itself, freeing serviceability for the next purchase. The right mix depends on your income, marginal tax rate, life stage and goal — most mature portfolios have both.

Question 2

What is negative gearing and how does it actually work?

Accepted Answer

Negative gearing happens when the running costs of an investment property — loan interest, council rates, insurance, repairs, property management fees and depreciation — exceed the rent it produces. The shortfall becomes a deductible loss against your other taxable income, lowering your overall tax bill. Example: if a property runs at a $20,000 annual loss and your marginal tax rate (including Medicare levy) is 32%, you'd recover roughly $6,400 in tax, reducing your real out-of-pocket cost to about $13,600. The strategy relies on capital growth eventually outweighing the cumulative cash losses.

Question 3

How much tax do you actually save from negative gearing?

Accepted Answer

Your saving equals your annual shortfall multiplied by your marginal tax rate (including Medicare levy). At 32% (income roughly $45,001–$135,000), a $20,000 loss saves around $6,400. At 39% (income $135,001–$190,000), the same loss saves around $7,800. At 47% (top bracket plus Medicare), it's about $9,400. The higher your income, the larger the offset — which is exactly why negative gearing skews toward higher-income investors. We model after-tax cashflow at your marginal rate before recommending any property.

Question 4

Capital growth vs cashflow — can I have both?

Accepted Answer

It's rare to maximise both in the same property — typically high-growth metro markets have lower yields, and high-yield regional or commercial markets have lower growth. A portfolio approach lets you balance the two: growth assets to build wealth, cashflow assets to support serviceability and lifestyle. We screen for properties that are above-average on both rather than chasing extremes.

Question 5

What is debt recycling and how does it accelerate wealth?

Accepted Answer

Debt recycling converts non-deductible debt (home loan) into deductible debt (investment loan) by progressively paying down your home loan and re-borrowing the equity to invest. The interest on the new investment debt is tax-deductible, and the investment ideally produces income and growth. Done correctly with the right structure, it can dramatically shorten the time to pay off your home and build investment wealth simultaneously. It must be set up carefully to satisfy ATO requirements — get specific tax advice.

Question 6

How does rentvesting work as an investment strategy?

Accepted Answer

Rentvesting separates the lifestyle decision (where to live) from the investment decision (where to buy). You rent in your preferred lifestyle suburb and buy investment property where the numbers work. It's particularly powerful for early-career professionals in expensive cities, those with mobile careers, and clients prioritising portfolio growth over owner-occupier emotion.

Question 7

Should I buy in my personal name, a trust, a company or SMSF?

Accepted Answer

Personal name is simplest, qualifies for the CGT 50% discount, and uses your personal serviceability — best for owner-occupied or early investments. Trusts (discretionary or unit) offer income distribution flexibility, asset protection and estate planning benefits but lose access to negative gearing offsets in some cases. Companies have a flat tax rate but no CGT discount. SMSFs allow super to invest in property under strict rules. There is no universally correct structure — it depends on income, risk profile, asset protection needs, family situation and long-term plan. We model the after-tax outcome for each option before recommending, and tax/legal sign-off comes from your qualified advisers.

Question 8

How does land tax work across states and how do I minimise it?

Accepted Answer

Land tax is a state tax on the unimproved land value of investment property above a threshold. Each state has different thresholds, rates and aggregation rules. Multiple properties in the same name in the same state aggregate. Holding properties across multiple states (rather than stacking in one) and considering trust structures can reduce overall liability. Use our land tax calculator on Resources to model your situation.

Question 9

What is cross-collateralisation and why do you avoid it?

Accepted Answer

Cross-collateralisation is when one property secures multiple loans across the same lender. It seems convenient but creates real problems: if you sell one property the bank can demand a portion of proceeds to reduce other loans, and refinancing or restructuring becomes complex. We structure each property as a standalone security — even when using the same lender — so you keep flexibility.

Question 10

How does equity release / cash-out refinance work?

Accepted Answer

As your property grows in value, you can refinance to access the increased equity (typically up to 80% of the new valuation, sometimes more with LMI). The released equity becomes your deposit for the next property. Lenders will ask the purpose of the cash-out — for investment purchases, the new debt is generally tax-deductible if set up correctly.

Question 11

What rental yield should I target?

Accepted Answer

Target yield depends on strategy. Gross yield = annual rent ÷ purchase price. Net yield (after rates, insurance, PM fees, repairs) is typically 1–2% lower. Metro houses often sit at 3–4% gross. Regional and outer-suburb markets often deliver 5–6%+. SMSF properties usually need higher yields to service the loan. Chasing yield alone is dangerous — high yields often mean high vacancy risk or poor growth fundamentals.

Question 12

How should I screen suburbs? What data points matter?

Accepted Answer

Demand-side: population growth, job growth, infrastructure investment, demographic profile, tenant pool depth. Supply-side: stock on market, days on market, vacancy rate, current and pipeline development, rent listings ratio. Risk: insurance zones (flood, fire, cyclone), single-employer dependency, body corporate exposure for units. We use a 50+ filter framework that combines all three across the entire country, not just our home turf — so you're not buying in Brisbane just because we're based there.

Question 13

What's a 'good' vacancy rate and days on market?

Accepted Answer

Vacancy rate below 2% indicates a tight rental market with upward rent pressure. Above 3% suggests oversupply or weak tenant demand. Days on market under 30 days for sales indicates high buyer demand. Both should be assessed in trend, not snapshot — a falling vacancy rate matters more than the absolute level.

Question 14

What is property depreciation and when is a schedule worth getting?

Accepted Answer

A quantity surveyor's depreciation schedule lets you claim two types of deductions: Division 43 (capital works — building structure, generally 2.5%/year over 40 years) and Division 40 (plant & equipment — fixtures and fittings). For investment properties built after 1987, Division 43 is almost always worth claiming. Division 40 is now restricted to brand-new properties for residential. A schedule typically pays for itself many times over in the first year.

Question 15

How many properties do I need to retire on a target income?

Accepted Answer

Rule of thumb: to generate a passive income equivalent to a salary, you typically need either (a) 5–10 unencumbered investment properties producing net rent, or (b) 3–5 properties with substantial debt paydown plus equity drawdowns. The exact number depends on yields, your target income, and whether you sell-down vs hold. Use our Portfolio and Retirement calculators on Resources to model your specific scenario.

Question 16

Why do investors hit a 'serviceability wall' and how do you break through?

Accepted Answer

Around 3–5 properties, most investors hit a wall where banks won't extend more credit even though equity exists. Reasons: APRA serviceability buffer, lenders applying notional rates to existing debt, restrictive treatment of rental income (typically only 70–80% counted), and personal living expense floors. Solutions include changing lender (different banks have different policies), restructuring to interest-only on investment debt, exploring non-bank lenders, or using trust/company structures with director guarantees.

Question 17

Interest-only vs principal & interest for investment loans?

Accepted Answer

Interest-only loans keep cashflow free for the next deposit and maximise tax-deductible interest, common in growth phase. Principal & interest builds equity and reduces total interest paid, common in consolidation phase. APRA capped IO lending in 2017 so rates are typically slightly higher than P&I. The right call depends on whether you're accumulating, consolidating or paying down.

Strategy,structureandbuildingaportfolio.

Strategy fundamentals

Ownership structure

Yield, data & screening

Building a portfolio

5 Mistakes to Avoid With Your First Investment Property

Property Cashflow Stress Test

The 15-Minute Suburb Scorecard

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