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Residential Tenancies Act 1986

Tenancy agreements - Rights and obligations of parties

46: Locks

You could also call this:

“Landlords must keep the house safe with good locks, and neither landlords nor tenants can change locks without asking first.”

Your landlord must provide and keep up locks and similar devices to make sure your home is reasonably secure. This means your home should be safe from unwanted entry.

You and your landlord can’t change, add, or remove any locks or similar devices without each other’s permission. You need to get this permission at the time of the change or a reasonable time before.

If your landlord doesn’t provide and maintain locks to keep your home secure, they’re breaking the law. Also, if you or your landlord change, add, or remove locks without permission and don’t have a good reason, that’s against the law too.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM95501.

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Part 2 Tenancy agreements
Rights and obligations of parties

46Locks

  1. The landlord shall provide and maintain such locks and other similar devices as are necessary to ensure that the premises are reasonably secure.

  2. Neither the landlord nor the tenant shall alter any existing lock or similar device, or add to or remove from the premises any lock or similar device, without the consent of the other given at the time that, or a reasonable time before, the alteration, removal, or addition is carried out.

  3. Failure to comply with subsection (1), and contravention of subsection (2), without reasonable excuse, is each hereby declared to be an unlawful act.

Compare
  • Residential Tenancies Act 1978–1981 s 48 (SA)