Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Plain Language Law homepage
13C: Tenancy agreements not unenforceable on grounds not in writing
or “A spoken tenancy agreement is just as valid as a written one.”

You could also call this:

“Some agreements don't need to follow all the rules about how they should be written.”

Sections 13 to 13B (and section 66C for boarding house tenancies) don’t apply to certain types of tenancy agreements. You don’t need to follow these rules if you have a tenancy at will that was created right after another tenancy ended or expired. The rules also don’t apply if your tenancy agreement was already in place before this Act started. Lastly, if the Tenancy Tribunal makes changes to your tenancy agreement or tells someone else to make changes, those changes don’t have to follow these rules either.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.


Next up: 14: Minors

or “Rules about young people renting houses and what happens when they grow up”

Part 2 Tenancy agreements
Preliminary matters

13DExceptions to requirements relating to tenancy agreements

  1. Sections 13 to 13B (and, in the case of a boarding house tenancy, section 66C) do not apply to any of the following:

  2. a tenancy at will created on or immediately after the determination or expiry of a tenancy:
    1. a tenancy agreement that was in force immediately before the date of commencement of this Act:
      1. any variation of a tenancy agreement made by, or at the direction of, the Tribunal.
        Notes
        • Section 13D: inserted, on , by section 6(1) of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 1996 (1996 No 7).
        • Section 13D: amended, on , by section 11 of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2010 (2010 No 95).