Jane and Mark bought their first rental property down in Clendon in the mid-90s and have been steadily adding to their portfolio since then. “We now own 7 rental properties, a mix of residential homes, retail and commercial premises,” says Jane.

The couple have always had an accountant for their business, but as their rental portfolio grew, and with the amount of investment involved, Jane knew it was critical to have an expert eye helping to manage things. Jane managed the properties initially and the accountant did their tax returns. They needed a more streamlined and efficient accounting system including an accountant they could trust, easily talk to and seek advice from.

“Working with the accountants at SBA is great,” says Jane. “We were looking for a new accountant as we did not feel that we had a great relationship with our old one. SBA made sure we were up to date with all the changes going on in and around the housing and investment industry. The team at SBA are always available by phone or email and we feel they have our best interests at heart.”

Their SBA accountant also convinced Jane and Mark that using Xero for their rental properties would be less work in the long run and would give them all the information they needed daily at the click of a button. “I was resistant to changing from MYOB to XERO, mainly because it was a case of “better the devil you know”, says Jane. “I’m very glad we did, and now we use SBA with Xero for our other business as well. Using Xero makes communication with SBA so much easier, on a daily basis and of course at year-end.”

“It was a minefield as we felt like we’d bitten off more than we could chew,” said Mark.

Mark and Brenda thought the best decision was to see an accountant who could meet all the requirements for managing a rental property. When they went out to find an accountant it sounded so expensive and it felt like they were speaking another language. “We were at the stage of thinking seriously about putting the place back on the market and putting our money back in the bank,” said Brenda.

Then a friend suggested they talk to SBA. “What surprised us, was how easy it was. The SBA accountant sat us down and we just talked. This was great as we felt really at ease and at the end of it we knew what we needed and what it was going to cost.” said Mark. That was two years ago, now they are looking to buy another property and build an investment portfolio. “We couldn’t have done it without the support of SBA.”

We have over 80 branches nationwide so get in touch with your local SBA branch today and choose the accounting service that’s right for your business or rental investment.