Beware the summer holiday home investment: Washington Brown

Quantity surveyors Washington Brown are warning investors not to get carried away with that holiday feeling this summer.

Over the holiday period many investors can fall into the romance of owning their own private get away. But Washington Brown says to tread carefully.

Holiday properties can be an enticing investment. Victoria’s coastal town of Torquay has a median house price of $617,000 and a median rental price of $400 per week, according to Core Logic RP Data.

Washington Brown says when buying a property, the ‘we have got to have it and we will make it work’ compulsion is natural. After purchase costs such as renovations and furnishing can build up and before you know it, you may have spent over $1 million on your new holiday property.

Quantity surveyor and depreciation expert Tyron Hyde says that there are way around spending a lot of time and money on holiday properties.

“Holiday houses can be depreciated if they are rented out to a third party,” said Hyde.

This stops you from staying at the house whenever you want.

“As long as it’s available for rent most of the year you can block out a two week period over Christmas and claim the depreciation pro rata,” Hyde said.

“You are still entitled to that deduction regardless of how many weeks the property is actually rented out as long as it was available for the full 50 weeks.”

“I’m seeing many clients buy holiday homes at close to, or less than the construction cost and if you furnish your holiday home, you’ll magnify the deductions.”