We had the advantage when we set this business up of being able to look at the industry from the outside.

Quantity Surveyors, like engineers, can tend to over complicate things. Sometimes it seems like they are speaking another language. Add a bit of tax jargon into the mix, and it gets really complicated.

So we decided from the outset to make things more simple.

To start with, we simplified the process of ordering a Depreciation Schedule. We have a 1300 number that you can call toll free from anywhere in Australia to make an initial enquiry. The people you talk to on 1300 66 00 33 are our people. So it’s not an out sourced call centre. The person who picks up the phone will be able to answer most of the questions you might have. They will talk to you about your property and work out the best way to tackle it. If they don’t think it is worth you getting a Depreciation Schedule, they will tell you.

Then we simplified the process of gathering the information we need to do your Depreciation Schedule. All we do is open a job in our system and email you a link. There are half a dozen questions you answer – some dates and an access contact – then you hit ‘submit’. How easy is that.

Finally, we simplified the document itself. There is no set format for a Depreciation Schedule, so every company that does them has devised its own. And there are some we’ve seen that even we can’t understand. We canvassed numerous clients and accountants to find out what format would suit both. Clients just wanted something that wasn’t full of jargon. Accountants had some specific requests. They wanted, for example, that the Assets (fixtures and fittings) have a written-down value as of the first available to let date. Now that may not mean much to you, but it means your accountant doesn’t have to do any extra calculations with our Schedule. And that’s going to save you money on accounting fees.

We’ve even written a FREE eBook that explains as clearly as possible everything you could ever want to know about depreciation of investment property.