Tax & Legal Tips - Smart Property Investment

Tax and legal strategies are a key component of a strong, successful investment portfolio. Smart Property Investment provides investors with the latest updates, insights, tips and traps for maintaining these vital functions of a property portfolio.

Tax & Legal • 12 Feb 2026

Don’t lose your deposit: How to protect yourself against real estate scams

More buyers have been losing deposits to real estate scams, risking their dream of home ownership and facing serious financial fallout. Here are key tips to spot and...

Tax & Legal • 09 Feb 2026

Misrepresentation and defects: Watchdog powers extended to protect consumers

Landlords have been given more security regarding the quality of their builds, with government regulators being given more power to suspend or cancel licences.

Tax & Legal • 09 Feb 2026

CGT shake-up could push 1 in 3 investors out

The proposed changes to capital gains tax could spark a surge in investor sell-offs, further tightening an already strained rental market, an industry body has warned.

Tax & Legal • 05 Feb 2026

Who let the dogs in? Tasmania to remove pet restrictions

Tasmanian landlords will not be able to deny pets in rental properties without valid reasons, with the government set to remove the ability to impose blanket no-pets...

Tax & Legal • 05 Feb 2026

$20k gone: WA tradie in hot water

Consumer Protection WA has issued a third warning to a tradie who allegedly took more than $20,000 in deposits and failed to complete the jobs he was paid for.

Tax & Legal • 04 Feb 2026

Deposit disaster: First home buyer loses $50k in email scam

A British expat, learning the hard way that scammers can quite convincingly intercept property transactions, loses his deposit and dream of home ownership.

Tax & Legal • 03 Feb 2026

Open inspection: Real estate leasing platforms at major data leak risk, investigation reveals

New findings have revealed that popular platforms used by real estate agents may be putting millions of files containing personal data at risk of being leaked.

Tax & Legal • 02 Feb 2026

Scammers target renters in tight WA market

A tight rental market in Western Australia has seen scammers posing as landlords on social media, with renters losing more than $50,000 to fraudulent listings last...

Tax & Legal • 30 Jan 2026

Triple offender: Shady tradie hit with $15k fine

A tradie has been fined over offences at three South‑East Queensland properties, including unlicensed building work and taking excessive deposit amounts.

Tax & Legal • 29 Jan 2026

From elder exploitation to million-dollar theft: Meet the agents on the NSW ‘Name and Shame’ list

From accusations of serial underquoting and theft to taking advantage of the elderly, here are some of the acts that landed agents on the NSW Fair Trading’s new...