I do IT project management and consulting, and I am a property investor.For the contracting business, I have a company and for the property investment business there are a number of entities I work with.I was referred to Accounting North by a colleague of mine in IT project management. He had dealt with Kevin Covacich.Accounting North has prepared annual accounts for all the entities we own – a number of companies and a family trust. They prepare the tax returns as well.

Just as importantly, Stephen Johnson provides advice when I need it on particular transactions, for example, the GST implications in buying properties which could be seen as ‘going concerns’.

I am very impressed with what they do. Their output is polished and produced in a timely manner. They seem to be able to do all my year-end accounts within the space of a couple of weeks, which is quite good considering there are a number of entities involved.

What I have particularly appreciated recently is Stephen’s willingness to get back to me quickly on specific issues that I raise with him concerning potential property purchases. Often the purchasing opportunities are not there for long and I need an informed view I can rely on.

I would absolutely recommend Accounting North, particularly Stephen Johnson

We are a specialist engineering company servicing the printing industry. We have been in business for almost 10 years. There is my husband Dave and myself, and three other staff. When we started in business we used an accounting firm which we basically just mailed our material to and they mailed their reports and accounts back to us. It wasn’t what we really wanted. We needed more feedback than that, and more of a personal relationship.It was at a property investment seminar that someone recommended Accounting North to us as a firm which specialised in property and business accounting. We really appreciated the information and expertise Stephen offered us and we signed up with them straight away.We have three entities which we have set up with their help – the engineering company, an LAQC, a trading trust – and also our family trust.

Accounting North does annual accounts and also a six-monthly report so we can see where we are going and if we are paying the correct amount of tax. Over and above this they have offered us a lot of further services with our LAQC and trusts.

If we have a query about something we just phone Stephen and he’s always available with the information. If there’s something he needs to research further, he will usually get back to us on the same day.

Stephen has been quite a mentor for us. He is very easy to deal with and always easy to get hold of. If he’s not available, we will leave a message and he will get straight back to us. We consider this to be very important. We have dealt with other companies before where it is frustrating trying to get feedback on things.

We have grown since the early days and a lot of it we put down to Stephen and the honest and reliable information and recommendations he has given to us. I do all the accounts for our business, but I’m certainly not an accountant, so we have the confidence to leave that all in their hands.

All the reports that come through indicate our company is going from strength to strength and we are making good decisions with the running of the business. This comes largely through the recommendations they’ve given us. We hold them in high regard.

We have recommended Accounting North to several people. They’re very approachable and non-intimidating. Stephen has become a friend and someone who you can ask a basic question of without feeling embarrassed. We know it is a family-run business too, so they all have a good working relationship and are friendly and helpful to deal with.