Posts by Mike Mortlock
Why does your split depreciation schedule not add up?
Apologies for the click bait article title, but I was at a loss as to what to call it. Let me start by saying that split depreciation schedules are fantastic. I’ve written about them before: https://www.mcgqs.com.au/blog/split-depreciation-reports-are-saving-investment-property-co-owners-thousands/) and we’ve done thousands of them. They’re a fantastic way for multiple tenants in common to see their exact…
Read MoreTax depreciation estimating – The value of having your finger on the pulse
Back in the day, tax depreciation was not a service that quantity surveyors offered. In fact, it’s an industry that’s not much older than 21 years whereas quantity surveying in general can be traced back to at least 1859 but possibly 1785. Sorry, you’re right, you didn’t ask. Anyway, my point is that most quantity…
Read MoreIt’s all in the timing – When to organise a depreciation schedule
Once people have been rebirthed into the glorious world of depreciation boosted property investing, their next question is; ‘When should I organise the schedule?’ If I can cement one thing into your brain, let that be this answer: Now. What I’m getting at here is that people can get seriously caught out by putting it…
Read MoreWhy would a Quantity Surveyor be the life of the party?
Listen. I’m a Quantity Surveyor (QS) who specialises in tax deprecation so, frankly, I’ve heard them all: Q. How can you tell if a QS is extroverted? A. In conversation, he looks at your shoes instead of his own. Q. How does a QS make a bold fashion statement? A. He wears dark grey socks…
Read MoreMy favourite QS BS – The top three furphies spouted by the depreciation industry
As a Quantity Surveyor or QS if you will, I have the pleasure of a little inside information when it comes to reading some of the articles or catch phrases written by other quantity surveyors. No sour grapes here, for the most part we all get along. I have some great relationships with a number…
Read MoreWhat you need to know – Tax depreciation effective lives 2018/2019 – TR 2018/4
From the 1st of July 2018, new effective life rulings have been in affect that govern how plant and equipment assets are depreciated. The new ruling is TR 2018/4 and replaces TR 2017/2 (I don’t know how they come up with such whacky names). If you happen to be in any of the following industries,…
Read MoreDepreciable asset or repairs and maintenance? – How to make the call
Owning an investment property will invariably result in having to spend some money on it. The good news is that the tax man (perhaps we need a gender-neutral term but technically the tax commissioner is a man) will let you claim that expenditure as a deduction. However, not all deductions are equal. Spending money on…
Read MoreThree Key Triggers Telling You To Get A Depreciation Schedule
Every year people complain about Easter eggs being in the shops already in February, it’s one of those perennial water cooler topics like the magpie swooping season. Tax time is no different and for my part, I wish I wasn’t droning on about the end of the financial year approaching every year, but my insatiable…
Read MoreJoin us here at MCG in celebrating International Women’s Day
Today, March 8th is international women’s day. I’d like to take a moment from talking about property, construction, depreciation and my normal blog topics to recognise some inspirational women. Here at MCG Quantity Surveyors, our office is thankfully around 50% women and the contribution they make is a marked one. They are critical to our…
Read MoreThe recent regulatory changes and the state of the Property Market
The January CoreLogic figures have shown that capital city dwelling values have posted their first quarterly fall since April 2016. The peak of the market was called as far back as 2016, but now we’re seeing the evidence some two years later. On a positive note, the combined regionals edged slightly higher over the Dec-17…
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