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LANDLORDS NEED A GENTLE TOUCH WHEN IT COMES TO RENTAL INCREASES
LANDLORDS NEED A GENTLE TOUCH WHEN IT COMES TO RENTAL INCREASES
BEN MALAPILE started his property investment journey when he was 20 but his voyage did not begin with buying a property.
Rather, it started when he read a book that ignited his passion for business and investment; the book was Rich Dad, Poor Dad
“That book taught me about financial freedom, how to be financially literate, and to invest in income-generating assets such as property,” he says in an article that delves into the start of his journey.
When he was 21, Malapile registered his first company – a real estate investment firm, but it took him three years to buy his first property.
The feat was finally achieved on December 1, 2020, when he bought a distressed sectional title property that he fixed up in order to let out.
Less than a year later, he added a second property to his portfolio – one that, due to its location near a college campus, he turned into student accommodation.
Now, in 2023, the young investor’s portfolio is growing steadily.
the ropes and give you tips on what to look out for.”
EXTRA TIPS
If you are buying a property using a bond, then you must make sure you have a good credit score. You can check it for free on www.clearscore.co.za.
OTHER TIPS HE SHARES
✦ Get pre-qualified and know exactly what you qualify for before you start shopping.
✦ Make sure that you save some money for the one-off bond registration and transfer costs.
✦ If renovations are needed on the property, save some money for that too.
Once you know your credit score and buying power, you can start shopping. But, before making any offers, make sure that you run your numbers thoroughly.
“Remember, as a property investor, you buy with your calculator, not your heart.”
MAKE GOOD CHOICES
BY BONNY FOURIE bronwyn.fourie@inl.co.za“In 2021, when the year ended, I had four properties with a total of 16 tenants – five of them being students and the remainder being normal tenants. In 2022, I spent the year optimising the portfolio, tweaking a few things here and there, and also managed to add another property to the portfolio.
“Not only did the property double my portfolio value, but it added 10 more tenants to it, increasing the total number of tenants to 26.”
POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES
Malapile’s journey has, however, not always been smooth sailing, and he has learnt many valuable lessons along the way.
One of the negative factors, he says, is that, being a young landlord, tenants are often the same age or older than his parents. For this reason, it can be difficult to have tough conversations with them about rent.
The positives he has experienced include that some of his properties have grown by more than 20% in value within the first two years of purchasing them.
“Two years of bond repayments are done, and there are 18 more to go. When I get to my mid-forties, they will all be paid off.”
GET A GOOD MENTOR
If you are looking to follow in Malapile’s footsteps, he has some valuable advice to share.
One piece of wisdom is that if you are not comfortable collecting rent and having tough conversations with tenants, hire a property manager who is on top of their game.
He also warns that property investment can be “very punishing” when done wrong.
“If you don’t run your numbers thoroughly and know which type of properties to avoid, you could be buying properties that can cost you thousands on a monthly basis and cause you endless headaches. This is where having an experienced coach or mentor comes in handy. They show you
Malapile says Covid and lockdown showed us that no matter what happens in the world, people will always need a place to sleep. This bodes well for investing in residential properties. Commercial properties, however, took a big knock during Covid, especially on the office side of things. Workfrom-home trends have not made it any easier.
“With companies no longer requiring their staff to be at the office every day, commercial office spaces are no longer collecting as much revenue as they used to.”
With the current interest rate at 10.75%, coming from 7% two years ago, he says bond instalments have gone up drastically. This will push some homeowners to sell their current properties for smaller ones.
“Some will be forced to sell and consider renting rather than owning, thereby increasing the pool of renters and creating a demand for rental properties.”
He adds that the current interest rate also makes it harder for some properties to sell because the pool of buyers has decreased.
“This creates an opportunity for new investors to get bargains when buying property due to the smaller pool of buyers.”
There is an obstacle though, and this is that the interest rate could continue climbing.
“If new investors don’t budget for that upfront when they buy, they could be in for a nasty surprise after a few years.”
Furthermore, Malapile says some tenants are also struggling to make ends meet due to the rise in the cost of living, as well as recovering from Covid.
“As such, some tenants are either not paying their rent on time or not paying at all. Therefore, landlords and new investors must make sure that all potential tenants are screened thoroughly before accepting them as tenants. Evictions can be very costly and time consuming.”
“The more you learn, the more you earn. Make sure that you educate yourself as much as you can before committing to an investment.”
Part of this, Malapile says, is getting a coach or mentor who has done what you intend to do.
It all started with a book and determination . At that stage, he had barely entered adulthood
A young property investor’s inspiring journey
TENANTS are under financial pressure and landlords will have to be sensitive about the rents they charge if they do not want their properties to remain vacant.
Furthermore, the trend is expected to compound in future years as tenant income growth remains weak, unemployment levels remain, interest rates creep upwards, and inflation – particularly utility and municipal expenses – outpace rental escalations.
Price sensitivity will therefore remain top of the agenda for landlords and property managers in 2023, says Payprop deputy chief executive Michelle Dickens, explaining that there is a “mismatch” between inflation and affordability, which is impacted by rent escalation.
“Inflation has fallen back from its high but is still soaring at 7.2%. However, landlords are being
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left behind. Rental escalation was a mere 3.1% in August 2022 and dropped lower to 2.6% in September 2022.
“Landlords are now feeling the pressure thanks to the combined effects of increasing interest rates and low rental escalation.
“Added to that, property expenses like levies and municipal charges continue to increase at higher-than-inflation rates.”
While most tenants are receiving below-inflation rent increases, she says each interest rate hike has put tenant affordability under increasing pressure as their debt obligations to credit providers increase.
“The increasing cost of other essentials has also taken a bite out of tenants’ ability to pay rent.”
All this is putting downward pressure on rents, adds Johette Smuts, the head of data analytics at PayProp. The most recent PayProp State of the Rental Industry Survey
found that 85% of agents reported “moving to a more affordable property” as one of tenants’ top three reasons for moving, an increase from 58% last year.
“Prior to the Covid pandemic, South African tenants’ debt-toincome ratio hovered between 42% and 48%. The low interest rate cycle of 2020 and 2021 helped bring this ratio down to 37%, giving tenants the chance to save on interestrelated repayments.
“But as inflation started to rise in mid-2021, and interest rates did the same in November 2021, so too did the tenant debt-to-income ratio, which breached 48% by the beginning of 2022.”
This reinforces the overarching trend of affordability being the real driver behind the real estate market in 2023.
It is a bitter-sweet situation for landlords as, due to the interest rate increases, more aspiring buyers
will remain in the rental market.
Demand for rental properties will therefore be greater, says Nick Pearson, the chief executive of Tyson Properties.
“The rental market will become more buoyant with more people choosing to rent rather than buy. This is in marked contrast to an increase in the number of first-time homeowners when interest rates were low as more people could afford to pay back home loans.
“We did see an impact last year when interest rates went up and this will definitely happen again this year.”
Paul Stevens, the chief executive of Just Property, says there is increasing pressure on the real estate market from several directions, with both the rental and sales markets being impacted by rising interest rates, the cost of living and high levels of poor creditworthiness.
From a rental perspective, he says 50% of prospective tenants across the country are in some way credit impaired.
“This trend will continue through 2023, putting extended pressure on the rental market as the economy and consumers continue to be under pressure. Landlords will need to be realistic about the rentals they can charge, as rental inflation is expected to also be under pressure in the coming year.”
However, he says there are “great” investment opportunities in property, although you need to be clever about your purchases.
“Seek out municipalities that operate well, collect taxes and invest in infrastructure; find those that rally local businesses and communities to help provide manpower and advisory services –these will be the places to invest in now, so you can reap the rewards during good times and bad.”
DISCLAIMER: The publisher and editor of this magazine give no warranties, guarantees or assurances and make no representations regarding any goods or services advertised within this edition. Copyright ANA Publishing. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from ANA Publishing. The publishers are not responsible for any unsolicited material.
Publisher Vasantha Angamuthu vasantha@africannewsagency.com Executive editor Vivian Warby vivian.warby@inl.co.za
Features Writer Bonny Fourie bronwyn.fourie@inl.co.za Design Kim Stone kim.stone@inl.co.za
Tenants are struggling to afford the payments on the back
inflation
interest rate hikes , a situation that is expected to continue for a few yearsThe increasing cost of living has affected how much tenants can afford to pay. PICTURE: MART LMJ/PEXELS
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DOGON GROUP PROPERTIES
Atlantic Seaboard Office 021 433 2580
thekings@dogongroup.com
www.dogongroup.com
RHONDA RAAD PROPERTIES
Cape Town Office 082 448 7795
Email: rrpsales@mweb.co.za
www.rhondaraadproperties.co.za
SHELLEY RESIDENTIAL
KZN
Office 082 412 4463
Email: hello@shelley.co.za
www.shelley.co.za
DOGON GROUP RENTALS
Sea Point Office 021 433 2580
enquiries@dogongroup.com
www.dogongroup.com
ASKA PROPERTY GROUP
Sandown, Milnerton Estates Office 071 604 8493
Email: corlia@aska.co.za
www.askaproperty.co.za
REMAX PROPERTY ASSOCIATES
Sandown, Milnerton Estates
Office 083 653 0595
Email: cristina@remaxpa.co.za
www.remaxpropertyassociates.co.za
DOGON GROUP PROPERTIES
Southern Suburbs, Claremont Office 021 671 0258
southernsuburbs@dogongroup.com
www.dogongroup.com
PETER MASKELL AUCTIONEERS
KZN
Office: 033 397 1190
Email: info@maskell.co.za
www.bidlive.maskell.co.za
BALWIN PROPERTIES
Ballito
Office 084 788 1020
Email: michelle@balwin.co.za
www.balwin.co.za
DOGON GROUP PROPERTIES
Western Seaboard
Office: 021 556 5600 or 021 433 2580 enquiries@dogongroup.com www.dogongroup.com
VAN’S AUCTIONEERS
Gauteng Office 086 111 8267
www.vansauctions.co.za
www.iolproperty.co.za
WIDENHAM RETIREMENT
VILLAGE South Coast, KZN 066 306 0669 / 066 306 0612
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