How to prepare a property portfolio for another rate rise
2 min
A property portfolio can look comfortable until several small pressures arrive together: a rate increase, a vacancy, higher insurance and an unexpected repair. The correct time to model that combination is before it occurs.
Start by recalculating every loan at 0.25, 0.50 and one percentage point above its current rate. Include principal-and-interest repayments even where a loan is temporarily interest-only, because the eventual step-up may be larger than the next RBA move.
Then calculate true net rent. Deduct management, council and water charges, strata, insurance, maintenance, land tax where applicable and a vacancy allowance. A property advertised with an attractive gross yield can produce a very different result after these costs.
Third, review the portfolio’s liquidity. An offset account can reduce interest while keeping cash accessible, but investors should obtain tax advice before moving funds between loans. The distinction between investment and private debt affects deductibility, and poorly structured redraws can create lasting complexity.
Fourth, examine refinancing risk rather than just today’s rate. A highly leveraged investor may be unable to refinance on the same terms because the new lender tests total debt at a higher assessment rate. Credit-card limits, owner-occupied debt and shaded rental income can all reduce capacity.
Fifth, rank properties by resilience. Consider net yield, vacancy risk, near-term capital expenditure, tenant demand, debt attached and the cost of selling. This is not an instruction to sell the weakest performer automatically; transaction costs and tax consequences matter. It is a way to identify where pressure would emerge first.
Investors should also review fixed-rate and interest-only expiry dates. A portfolio with several facilities resetting in the same quarter carries concentration risk even when each loan appears manageable individually.
The goal is not to predict the RBA perfectly. It is to ensure that one policy decision does not force a rushed refinancing, sale or reduction in essential maintenance. A portfolio that can absorb higher rates and temporary income interruptions gives its owner time to make deliberate decisions.
Read more: What mortgage holders should do before the next RBA decision
Portfolio checklist
Stress test: Current rate plus 0.25, 0.50 and one percentage point.
Model: Net rent after every recurring cost and vacancy.
Check: Fixed-rate expiries, interest-only expiries and loan maturity.
Preserve: An accessible emergency buffer.
Review: Insurance, land tax, strata works and major maintenance.
Seek advice: Licensed credit, financial and tax advice before restructuring.
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3 min
Buyers of Aston Martin’s 1,079PS Valhalla can commission one of two bespoke Breitling Super Chronomat watches, with colours and personalised details inspired by their individual car.
The relationship between cars and watches has produced countless branded chronographs, racing editions and logo-bearing collaborations. Breitling and Aston Martin are taking a more personal route with a new watch program reserved exclusively for owners of the Valhalla supercar.
Rather than offering every customer the same limited-edition watch, Breitling is opening part of its Super Chronomat design process to Valhalla owners. A dedicated configurator will allow each buyer to commission a timepiece inspired by the specification of their car and their individual tastes.
Two Super Chronomat models are available: a technically ambitious 44mm perpetual-calendar chronograph and a more compact 38mm automatic watch.
The flagship is the Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. Presented in a 44mm titanium case with Breitling’s distinctive Rouleaux bracelet, it combines a carbon-fibre dial with one of mechanical watchmaking’s most sophisticated complications.
Its automatic perpetual calendar accounts for months of different lengths, leap years and the phases of the moon. Provided it continues running, the calendar will not require manual correction until 2100—the next centurial year that will not be recognised as a leap year.
The B19 movement also provides a 96-hour power reserve, allowing the watch to be left unworn for four days without stopping. A display caseback exposes the movement and black rotor.
Valhalla owners can customise the colour of the inner bezel, seconds hand and chronograph counter hands. The rotor can also be engraved, creating a more permanent connection between the watch and its owner.
The second option, the Super Chronomat Automatic 38, offers a less complicated and more restrained interpretation.
Its 38mm stainless-steel case is paired with a textured carbon-fibre dial, a titanium crown and a diamond-set bezel. The automatic three-hand display incorporates a date window at six o’clock, while customisation extends to the colours used for the inner bezel and hands, together with a personalised caseback engraving.
The combination of carbon fibre and diamonds might appear contradictory, but it captures the dual character of the Valhalla: a car built around highly technical performance that remains unmistakably positioned as a luxury object.
The watch program draws directly from Aston Martin’s first series-production, mid-engined plug-in hybrid supercar.
Valhalla combines a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with three electric motors to produce 1,079PS. Aston Martin claims it can accelerate from zero to 62mph—approximately 100km/h—in 2.5 seconds and reach 217mph, or about 349km/h.
Production is limited to 999 examples worldwide.
Formula One-derived technology and aerodynamic development have played central roles in the car’s engineering, but customisation is equally important to its ownership proposition. Breitling’s configurator extends that process from the Aston Martin specification studio to the wrist.
Each car will be produced at Aston Martin’s headquarters in Gaydon, England, while the watches will be made at Breitling’s Chronometrie in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
The program also reflects a broader change in the luxury market. Exclusivity is increasingly being defined by access rather than the simple production of another numbered edition. These watches cannot be purchased merely by joining a waiting list or paying a premium on the secondary market; the commission begins with ownership of the corresponding car.
That restriction gives the project greater authenticity than a conventional co-branded release. The strongest configurations should be those that use colour and engraving to create a subtle relationship with a particular Valhalla, rather than attempting to reproduce the car too literally.
For Valhalla buyers, the choice ultimately comes down to two very different expressions of the same idea. The 44mm B19 is the serious collector’s proposition, built around a rare combination of perpetual calendar and chronograph. The Automatic 38 is simpler, smaller and likely more versatile as an everyday watch.
Both turn the usual automotive-watch collaboration into something more individual: a timepiece configured alongside one of Aston Martin’s most significant new cars.
Watch summary
Program: Bespoke Breitling Super Chronomat watches for Aston Martin Valhalla owners
Available models: Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph and Super Chronomat Automatic 38
B19 case: 44mm titanium
B19 power reserve: Approximately 96 hours
B19 complication: Automatic perpetual calendar chronograph
Automatic 38 case: 38mm stainless steel
Shared design element: Textured carbon-fibre dial
Customisation: Selected colours and personalised engraving
Availability: Exclusively for Aston Martin Valhalla owners
Valhalla production: Limited to 999 cars worldwide
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