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Residential Tenancies Act 1986

Tenancy agreements - Key money, bonds, and rents

19: Duties of landlord on receipt of bond

You could also call this:

"What landlords must do when you pay a bond"

Illustration for Residential Tenancies Act 1986

When you pay a bond to a landlord, they must give you a written receipt. The receipt must show the address of the place you are renting, the type of bond and the amount you paid, the date of the payment, and your name if the landlord knows it. The landlord must also send the bond money to the chief executive within 23 working days. If you pay a bond of one week's rent or less for a boarding house, the landlord does not have to follow these rules, and you should look at section 66D instead. The landlord must follow these rules, or it is an unlawful act. If the landlord does not follow these rules, they can get a fine or an infringement fee, which is listed in Schedule 1B.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM95043.

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Part 2Tenancy agreements
Key money, bonds, and rents

19Duties of landlord on receipt of bond

  1. Where any person pays to the landlord, or to any other person on behalf of the landlord, any amount by way of bond (whether the amount is for the whole or part of the bond), the following provisions shall apply:

  2. as soon as practicable after receiving the payment, the person who receives it must give to the payer a written receipt, signed by that person, showing—
    1. the address of the premises to which the payment relates; and
      1. the type of bond and the amount paid; and
        1. the date of the payment; and
          1. the name of the payer (if known to the person who receives the payment):
          2. the landlord shall, within 23 working days after the payment is made, forward the amount received to the chief executive, together with a statement of particulars in the approved form.

            1. Subsection (1) does not apply if a bond of 1 week’s rent or less is paid in respect of a boarding house tenancy. In that case, section 66D applies instead.

            2. Failure to issue a receipt, or to forward any amount received, in accordance with this section is hereby declared to be an unlawful act.

            3. A landlord who fails to comply with subsection (1) commits an infringement offence and is liable to a fine or an infringement fee specified in Schedule 1B.

            Compare
            • Residential Tenancies Act 1978–1981 s 32(2) (SA)
            Notes
            • Section 19(1): amended, on , by section 16(1) of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2010 (2010 No 95).
            • Section 19(1)(a): amended, on , by section 11(1) of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 52).
            • Section 19(1)(a)(ii): replaced, on , by section 11(2) of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 52).
            • Section 19(1)(b): replaced, on , by section 8(1) of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 1996 (1996 No 7).
            • Section 19(1)(b): amended, on , by section 11(3) of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 52).
            • Section 19(1)(b): amended, on , by section 16(2) of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2010 (2010 No 95).
            • Section 19(1A): inserted, on , by section 16(3) of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2010 (2010 No 95).
            • Section 19(3): inserted, on , by section 16 of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 59).