Owner FAQs

Upon request and for a small monthly administration fee Staysouth is happy to manage electricity, gas, refuse, SKY TV, wifi and telephone accounts on behalf of owners.

Yes – as Staysouth adopts a broad overview of your property, we often liaise and work alongside Body Corporates to ensure all aspects of a property operate and present to standard. In fact Staysouth is often contracted by Body Corporates to manage various property upgrades or maintenance works required.

There is no limit to the number of times nor the length of time you can stay in your own property but obviously annual rental income can be affected by an owner’s visits. For example – one of Queenstown’s busiest and highest overnight rental periods is during AUS and NZ winter school holidays – if you choose to visit for 2 weeks over this peak period, you would expect to have less rental income than another owner who instead choses to visit in a quieter time such as May.

Staysouth pays monthly owners returns either on the 20th or 30th of the month following guest departure date. Payment date will be specified in your management agreement with Staysouth.

Each month’s nett rental payment is accompanied by a report itemising: each rental during the period ; all costs associated with the each rental (eg. cleaning) ; any repairs or maintenance performed during the month ; and any other expenses deducted as per your management agreement (eg. Utilities, Wifi etc.)

• With Staysouth, you can use and visit your property at any time for as long/short as you wish – have a holiday home with benefits!
• Long term tenants tend to be harder wearing on your property which can lead to a decrease in value of your investment.
• With Staysouth, wear and tear are kept to a minimum as every guest arrival and departure is overseen by Staysouth staff who are very familiar with your property – housekeepers maintain a high level of cleanliness and management conducts both pre-arrival and post-departure inspections
• Staysouth requires a security bond to be held for each booking – this guarantees guests are respectful, but also acknowledges accidents can happen. When booking with Staysouth, guests agree to Staysouth holding a bond and that they are liable for any damage caused to the property
• All repairs and maintenance issues are attended to immediately and therefore not left unattended for long periods thereby causing less long-term damage
• An annual return on investment without a corresponding decline in value due to sustained and relentless wear and tear

• Staysouth adopts a wholistic approach to your property we look after both the interior with its furniture and fittings as well as take an interest in the exterior walls, driveway, and garden presentation – therefore we liaise and work closely with Body Corporates to ensure your asset is well maintained and well cared for
• Staysouth often represents via proxy property owners at Body Corporate AGMs and is often contracted by Body Corporates and Owner Committees to manage projects on their behalf
• Several Body Corporates have contracted Staysouth to manage annual maintenance schedules and contracts as per their LTMP
• Staysouth has a comprehensive knowledge of Queenstown’s Visitor Accommodation Resource Consent process & can advise on or manage applications on your behalf
• Staysouth has developed and adopted a very proactive and overnight rate management strategy unseen and unused by any other Queenstown short-term management company.
• Sonya and Andy are long-time locals who have witnessed the tourism, building and community growth Queenstown has seen in the last thirty years. They have long-time tourism and hospitality experience giving them in-depth knowledge of trends and patterns and what does and what does not work in Queenstown and enabling robust and tactical marketing strategies to be developed and carried through
• Staysouth is modern and tech-savy and always looking at ways to improve both our guest and owner experiences by using new technology to better improve our systems and processes
• Staysouth is a true “one stop shop” taking care of sales & marketing, reservations, guest (and owners’) inhouse requirements, cleaning, maintenance, annual service checks, health and safety, financial accounts, utilities, body corporate liaison. All you need do is book your dates of stay and enjoy your holiday home.

Although Staysouth is happy to manage most operational costs associated with your property; our owners retain financial responsibility and management of the following commitments associated with owning a property in Queenstown: Queenstown Lakes District Rates; Otago Regional Council Rates; Body Corporate Levies, Insurance; and Visitor Accommodation Resource Consent Levies/Costs/Contributions

Once signed up with Staysouth we will provide you with a list of who’s who and who to go to for what within Staysouth but our company policy is very open-door and we encourage open communication with anyone in our team from Reservations to Operations Manager to Inhouse Accountant, to General Manager, Sonya Archibald or Chief Executive, Andy Salek

• Staysouth, as a short-term Queenstown accommodation management company, has been in business since 2006 and has survived the GFC and now Covid-19
• Staysouth has seen consistent year-on-year growth in both occupancy and rental (until Covid-19 affected Queenstown visitor numbers in February 2020)
• Staysouth started out as Property Owner, owning one of our apartments (still managed today) and over the years has bought, managed and on-sold various properties in Queenstown – we understand our owners
• Is a member of Queenstown Chamber of Commerce and Destination Queenstown, and has affiliations with many other local tourism and hospitality operators
• Our property owners trust us implicitly to have their best interests at heart - reflected by owners asking us to represent them via proxy at their Body Corporate’s AGM
• Staysouth is selective in which properties it takes on – we are not for all, we know our niche and we specialize in +4 star “centrally located” multi-unit apartment or villa complexes
• We provide our owners with a complete property file including an annual video walk through recording the current presentation of the property in detail highlighting all furniture and fittings, chattels and appliances, walls and doors etc.
• Staysouth offers advice on how to best set up your property for short term visitor accommodation to improve your property’s rental potential
• Staysouth has an exceptional credit rating
• We have worked hard and over many years to create a group of loyal and like-minded and respected team of tradesmen and companies – this ensures Staysouth is always at the front of their schedule, that each job is well and professionally completed, and fairly charged for.
• We place great importance on being transparent, communicating with and regularly updating our owners on all matters to do with their property
• We are friendly and down to earth, we go to great efforts to treat our staff like family, we acknowledge our mistakes and we are always available to chat with our owners about all things Queenstown