10 apps and websites for managing your investment property

There's a wide range of tools, often free, to help you with your investment property.

PROPERTYVALUE.COM.AU

Cost: free, subscription required for premium content

Would-be property moguls will enjoy using this website for their search. RP Data's comparison service uses up-to-date research to provide estimates for 98% of all properties in Australia.

Premium subscribers will benefit from the estimates for rent, gross cash flow and gross yield, giving you a clear idea of how profitable a particular property might be.

You can compare individual properties in different areas, which can help pinpoint the one that's going to work best for you.

SQMRESEARCH.COM.AU

Cost: free, premium content for fee

Don't you wish you could predict the future? While SQM's website can't help you with any fortune-telling, it can look back at property data to identify trends that could affect the value of your future investment.

SQM provides free data on vacancy rates, sold records and gross rental yields for almost all suburbs in the country.

There's also a demographics tab to give you a better understanding of the area you're investing in.

HIA.COM.AU

Cost: free

While the Housing Industry Association's website is mainly directed at the construction industry, its content can be extremely valuable for everyday property investors.

The site features a comprehensive guide to home building standards and regulations, which is vital for any investor considering a renovation.

The HIA also has a team of economists who provide frequent updates on housing trends and forecasts using independent data and market research.

ATO.GOV.AU

Cost: free

What are the tax consequences of owning an investment property?

To help you get your head around the tax laws and how they can apply to you, the Australian Tax Office's website provides a clear and detailed encyclopaedia of terms and conditions, plus statistical tables to give you an idea of your costs.

ALWAYSCHECKYOURBUILDER.COM.AU

We've all seen those shonky builder stories on TV current affairs programs.

Avoid falling victim to a corrupt tradesperson by doing your own "digging" before you hire.

Select your state, type in a builder's name or business name and see whether they're licensed.

The site can also tell you if the licence is facing any restrictions or endorsements.

If you're about to embark on a high-end project, whether it's a renovation or an off-the-plan purchase, you can buy a background report that lists the business's dispute history and credit status.

PROPERTY CALCULATOR

Cost: Free OS: iOS only

Make the most of your investment property by claiming depreciation at the end of the financial year. Tax experts Washington Brown have provided this handy app to help investors calculate how much they can expect to get back. Simply plug in your property's value and date of construction, and the app will estimate a depreciation schedule for you.

Android users can download the BMT Tax app, which does the same job and also estimates your maximum tax refund based on your marginal tax rate.

SUBURB INVESTOR

Cost: Free

OS: iOS + Android

Using information from RP Data, suburb investor can compare potential investment properties while you're on the go.

It uses suburb-specific stats to give you an idea of average annual growth rate, and can give you estimates of current value and equity.

You can also subscribe to free reports such as top 20 highest-yielding suburbs and top 20 long-term growth suburbs.

RENTRIGHT

Cost: Free OS: iOS + Android

While Victoria's RentRight has some useful features for tenants, it also acts as a digital organiser for landlords.

You can download template emails for inspection and eviction notices, and there's even a template for notifying your former tenant when they've left items behind.

All the relevant forms are also available for you to download, print and sign.

If you're bringing in new tenants, there's a feature that allows you to create and send the condition report via the app.

PROPERTY CALCULATOR AUSTRALIA

Cost: Free OS: iOS + Android

Want to know how much it would cost to buy an investment property?

Property Calculator Australia can give you an estimate of how much you're likely to need for mortgage repayments, stamp duty and lenders mortgage insurance (LMI).

It also allows you to change your interest rate, customise your loan term and differentiate between a principal-and-interest loan and an interest-only version. Each calculation can be saved so that you can compare options.

DULUX COLOUR

Cost: Free OS: iOS + Android

Renovator's rejoice! There's an easy way to create swatches for your walls.

Forget the tester tins - now you can use the Dulux Colour app to see what your place would look like in any of Dulux Colour's shades. Simply take a picture of the space and select the colour you'd like to experiment with.

Once you've created your visualisation, document the colour name and head out to buy your paint.

The app also works around any dodgy lighting you may experience with your images, giving you a much more realistic visualisation.

Get stories like this in our newsletters.