With the end of the financial year just around the corner, now is a great time to evaluate if there are any minor repairs or maintenance needed at your investment property.

This may include tasks that you have been putting off that may need doing annually. Some of these tasks include general repairs, painting, pest treatments, gutter cleaning, or annual yard maintenance.

These are things that landlords may be able to claim on tax and will also be beneficial for your maintaining property and ensuring its value in the long run.

Are you claiming depreciation on your investment property? If not, now may also be a good time to have an assessment done from a tax depreciation specialist. Depreciation is the natural wear and tear of a building and its assets over time. The Australian Tax Office allows owners of income producing properties to claim this depreciation as a tax deduction. Century 21 Central West can arrange this service on your behalf.

At Century 21 Central West, we suggest these tasks to landlords throughout the year, usually after a routine inspection of an investment property has been done. For landlords who wish to have an assessment from a tax deduction specialist, it is as simple as letting Century 21 Central West know when, so that Tara Kelly and her team can do all of the hard work for you!

If you would like to find out more on how we can manage your investment property to its full potential, please contact the Century 21 Central West team today – 02 6852 3793 or Tara Kelly 0418 465 407.

Parkes Christian School runs a bus service for their wonderful students from Forbes.

For those thinking about moving schools, Parkes Christian School (PCS) has all the benefits of a small school while still providing all the opportunities of bigger institutions. The staff at PCS pride themselves on getting to know every student individually in order to understand their goals and help students achieve them. School Principal Glen Westcott said, that for staff to be able to achieve this, it is vital that PCS retains its small-school culture.

“We are committed to remaining a small school despite the fact that we are continually growing,” Glen said.

There are currently 30 students enrolled in Year 7, which is the normal size of a class in a bigger school, however PCS has split the class into two streams of 15 students.

“Having these smaller class sizes allows us to work with the students more closely, and really understand their learning needs, which allows us to focus on helping them achieve their goals, rather than aiming for a mark in a test,” Glen said.

The other benefit of being a smaller school is one that many people don’t expect, Glen explains: “We often get asked about extra-curricular activities, and people assume that we can’t provide the same opportunities as bigger schools, however, our students are involved in all the same activities as other schools – from academic competitions to school musicals, sporting teams and charity events.”

“And because we are a smaller school, all our kids can get involved. Our kids leave school with very impressive resumes because they can be involved in so many activities. This serves them extremely well when they apply for jobs or university.”

PCS is enrolling now for 2021 but only has limited spaces available in Kindergarten and Year 7. If you would like to book a tour of the school, call 6862 4164.

Forbes Librarian, Bronwyn Clark assures the public that the library is open and welcome for borrowing and returning books.

Central West Libraries is asking members to respond to an online survey about what they “missed most” while libraries were closed due to Government COVID-19 shutdown.

The first 500 responses to the nationwide survey of library users has shown that, after book borrowing, social interaction has been the biggest loss felt by the community during the COVID-19 lockdown of public libraries.

The survey, run by the Australian Library and Information Association and Australian Public Library Alliance, found that while 87% of respondents missed being able to borrow print books, 44% missed having expert, friendly help from library staff. 40% of respondents simply missed being around other people and 36% missed participating in events and activities for adults.

Sue McKerracher, CEO of the Australian Library and Information Association, explained, “The role of libraries as places of books, study and learning has always been understood, but the role of public libraries as places where people feel connected continues to emerge. Even before the pandemic, governments were concerned about the mental health problems linked to loneliness. These concerns have been heightened over the last three months during the lockdown. Libraries clearly have an important part to play in promoting a greater sense of belonging.”

“As this was an online survey, we weren’t expecting a lot of people to tick “using the internet”, but we know that the loss of access to PCs and high speed broadband connection has caused hardship for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in our communities, including homeless people, who rely on the internet through libraries to access Centrelink, MyGov and essential health information,” Sue said.

Public libraries were identified as an important service that could be reopened as part of Step 1 of the National Cabinet’s COVID-19 plan, when it was announced on 8 May. This is evidence of the government recognising the importance of libraries in both cities and regional areas and understanding the loss that people felt in losing access to print books, including larger print books for those with limited vision, free internet, library spaces, face-to-face storytime, rhymetime and craft activities. These services are essential across the Forbes Shire for people of all ages and abilities.

The My Library Survey can be found online; www.cwl.nsw.gov.au