$5m landlord reveals why rentvesting is dead

Buyers agent Lauren Jones purchased her first investment property in an Ascot townhouse complex. Picture: Annette Dew Lauren Jones survived on home-brand spaghetti in a five-bedroom share house to buy her first home on a $60,000 wage. The 31-year-old now has a six-property portfolio worth $5 million — but warns young buyers not to follow in her footsteps. As Canberra axes negative gearing on established homes from 2027, the Brisbane investor says the wealth ladder has been pulled up for the next generation. “The path I took is much harder now,” Ms Jones said. “I got here because the tool existed when I needed it, and it no longer exists for the person in my old position.” Negative gearing saved her from a forced sale when rate hikes pushed one of her houses $40,000 into the red. Ms Jones now advises first-time buyers to aim for an owner-occupied home. Picture: Annette Dew Under the new rules, Ms Jones warns rentvestors have zero safety net. “Nowadays that 24-year-old funds the entire shortfall out of after-tax income, on top of a borrowing capacity already cut by higher rates,” she said. “If rates move against them the way they moved against me, they’ve got no cushion.” As a buyer’...