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Residential Tenancies Act 1986

Tenancy agreements - Key money, bonds, and rents

18A: Landlord must not require security other than permitted bond

You could also call this:

"Landlords can only ask for a bond as security, nothing else."

Illustration for Residential Tenancies Act 1986

You cannot be asked to give a landlord any kind of security except a permitted bond. A landlord who breaks this rule does something unlawful and can be fined or given an infringement fee as stated in Schedule 1B. Security means having an interest in property or the power to take money from you, but it does not include a permitted bond as described in section 18 or 18AA, or a guarantee.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM3295058.

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Housing and property > RentingMoney and consumer rights > Consumer protection
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Part 2Tenancy agreements
Key money, bonds, and rents

18ALandlord must not require security other than permitted bond

  1. A landlord may not require a tenant to provide the landlord with any form of security to secure any payment or performance arising out of, or in connection with, the tenancy.

  2. A landlord who contravenes this section—

  3. commits an unlawful act; and
    1. commits an infringement offence and is liable to a fine or an infringement fee specified in Schedule 1B.

      1. In this section, security—

      2. means—
        1. any interest in real or personal property; or
          1. the power to exercise a right of the tenant, including the authority to cause an account to be debited (for example, without limitation, by reference to a card, such as the imprint of a credit card or a PIN number) or the means to obtain money from a third party; but
          2. does not include—
            1. a payment by way of bond that is permitted under section 18 or 18AA; or
              1. any guarantee.

              Notes
              • Section 18A: inserted, on , by section 15 of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2010 (2010 No 95).
              • Section 18A(2): replaced, on , by section 15 of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 59).
              • Section 18A(3)(b)(i): amended, on , by section 10 of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 52).