Renting
This page contains different parts of laws about Renting, within the topic of Housing and property.
Related Plain Language Law
Sentencing Act 2002
If your rented car is taken, you can ask to get it back if it's not being destroyed.
140: Lessor may apply to Registrar
Sentencing Act 2002
What happens to the money if a leased car is sold and the lessor didn't apply to the court first?
140A: What happens if lessor does not apply to Registrar before motor vehicle sold or disposed of
Local Government Act 2002
Who can vote about changes to small water services
132: Eligibility to vote in referendum
Local Government Act 2002
Renters can fix things if the landlord doesn't, with council approval
185: Occupier may act if owner of premises makes default
Local Government Act 2002
Council can step in and do property work if owners or renters don't
186: Local authority may execute works if owner or occupier defaults
Local Government Act 2002
People living in or using a property can be fined for breaking rules
230: Offences by occupiers
Income Tax Act 2007
Money received when tenant breaches repair agreement
CC 2: Non-compliance with covenant for repair
Income Tax Act 2007
Rules for selling or re-leasing property after a special lease ends
CZ 20: Disposal of personal property lease asset under specified lease
Income Tax Act 2007
You can claim deductions for costs of preparing and registering leases
DB 18: Transaction costs: leases
Income Tax Act 2007
Tax deductions for repair payments due to broken lease agreements
DB 21: Amounts paid for non-compliance with covenant for repair
Income Tax Act 2007
Money back for landlords who repair property after receiving income for non-compliance
DB 22: Amounts paid for non-compliance and change in use
Income Tax Act 2007
Renters are treated as owners of improvements they make to rented land
EE 4: Ownership of lessee’s improvements: lessee
Income Tax Act 2007
Passing on ownership of improvements when a lease changes hands
EE 5: Ownership of lessee’s improvements: other person
Income Tax Act 2007
Spreading repair money from tenants who break lease agreements
EI 5: Amount paid to lessor for non-compliance with covenant for repair
Income Tax Act 2007
Tax deductions for tenants paying repair costs
EJ 11: Amount paid by lessee for non-compliance with covenant for repair
Income Tax Act 2007
Rules for deducting expenses from residential rental properties
EL 2: Outline of subpart: specific provisions
Income Tax Act 2007
Choosing to manage rental property expenses individually
EL 6: Choosing to apply rules on property-by-property basis
Income Tax Act 2007
Rules for employee housing don't apply to some work-related accommodation
EL 13: Exclusion for property provided as employee accommodation
Fencing Act 1978
This law allows people to make their own fence agreements
4: Act not to interfere with agreements
Fencing Act 1978
Crown tenants can pay interest instead of full cost for certain fences
20: Crown tenant's option
Resource Management Act 1991
Some lease rules don't apply to cross leases, company leases, and retirement village leases
226A: Savings in respect of cross leases, company leases, and retirement village leases
Resource Management Act 1991
Rules that tell certain local councils to update their building plans to help with housing shortages
80I: Regulations requiring tier 2 territorial authority to change district plan
Building Act 2004
When a note is made on land records, you can't sell or rent parts of the land separately.
79: Effect of entry recorded on record of title
Public Works Act 1981
Money for renters who have to move because of government projects
75: Compensation for tenants of residential and business premises
Public Works Act 1981
Rent might change if part of your rented home is used for public works
101: Land on which rent payable
Employment Relations Act 2000
A place where someone lives is not counted as a workplace when it comes to certain rules.
19: Workplace does not include dwellinghouse
Social Security Act 2018
MSD can give you money to help with housing costs if you qualify
65: Accommodation supplement: discretionary grant
Social Security Act 2018
You can't get extra money for housing if you live in certain government or community homes
66: Social housing exclusion
Social Security Act 2018
Reasons you can't get extra money for housing costs
67: Other funding exclusion
Social Security Act 2018
Special rules for couples sharing a home with others when getting housing cost help
68: Accommodation supplement: special rules for joint tenants who are in relationship
Social Security Act 2018
When the government can say no or change your housing cost help
69: Accommodation supplement: refusal, reduction, or cancellation of grant in certain circumstances
Social Security Act 2018
What happens to your housing help when your youth payment stops
272: Effect of cancellation of youth payment on accommodation supplement or temporary additional support
Social Security Act 2018
What happens to your housing help when your young parent money stops
283: Effect of cancellation of young parent payment on accommodation supplement or temporary additional support
Social Security Act 2018
Rules for getting help with housing costs
423: Regulations: accommodation supplement
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Some long-term rental agreements made before 2008 still follow old rules about renting houses.
5A: Certain excluded long fixed-term tenancies remain subject to repealed sections of Property Law Act 1952
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
List of old renting rules that are no longer used
Schedule 3: Regulations revoked
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
List of other laws changed by this act
Schedule 4: Enactments amended
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Special rules for places where only students live, with extra services and house rules
5B: Exempt student accommodation
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
How landlords and tenants tell each other where to send important papers about their rental agreement
13AB: Address for service
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
When a person living alone in a rented home dies, the rental agreement ends within 21 days or on a date agreed by everyone involved.
50A: Termination following death of sole tenant
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
When a long-term rental agreement ends, it keeps going unless someone says they want to stop.
60A: Fixed-term tenancy becomes periodic unless contrary notice given
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
If you want to stay in your home longer, you need to tell your landlord in writing at least 28 days before your time there is supposed to end.
60B: Tenant must exercise right to renew or extend tenancy not later than 28 days before expiry
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Rules about rent and other notices keep working when your tenancy is renewed or made longer.
60C: Notices and orders continue to apply to renewed or extended tenancies
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
A landlord can sell or get rid of things left behind by a tenant after checking how much they're worth.
62A: Disposal of abandoned goods following assessment of market value
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Rules for what happens to things left behind by tenants when they move out
62B: Disposal of abandoned goods in accordance with Tribunal order
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
How the money from selling a tenant's left-behind things is used and how the landlord can get back what they're owed
62C: Application of proceeds of sale and recovery of amount owing
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
You can ask for money from your sold stuff within a year if your landlord sold it after you left
62D: Tenant may claim proceeds of sale
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Tenants must still remove their belongings when they move out, even if the landlord can dispose of some items.
62E: Responsibility of tenant unaffected
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
This law keeps landlords and buyers safe from getting in trouble when they sell or buy a tenant's things, as long as they follow the rules and act honestly.
62F: Protection from liability
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Rules for living in a shared house with other people and a landlord who owns it
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
This part explains the special rules for people living in boarding houses, and which normal tenancy rules don't apply to them.
66A: Application of Part
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
This section explains important words and ideas used in the rules about boarding houses.
66B: Interpretation for this Part
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
What must be included in a boarding house rental agreement
66C: Content of boarding house tenancy agreements
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
If you pay a small bond for your boarding house room, the landlord must give you a receipt and return your money when you leave, unless you owe them something.
66D: Bond of 1 week’s rent or less
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The landlord pays for shared costs, while you pay for what you use in your own room.
66E: Outgoings
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
You can't give your boarding house room to someone else to live in.
66F: Tenancy not assignable by tenant
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Tenants have the right to enjoy their home peacefully without others bothering them.
66G: Quiet enjoyment
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Landlords must give tenants important information and a clean room when they move into a boarding house.
66H: Landlord’s obligations at start of tenancy
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Landlords must keep boarding houses clean, safe, and in good repair, following rules to protect tenants.
66I: Landlord’s ongoing obligations
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The landlord must follow rules to protect tenants, like keeping services working and telling tenants about changes or sales.
66J: Other obligations of landlord
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Things you need to do and not do when you rent a room in a boarding house
66K: Obligations of tenant
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
A tenant is responsible for damage caused by their guests in a boarding house, unless they can prove otherwise.
66L: Tenant’s liability for damage caused by others
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
When you move out of a boarding house, you must leave, take your stuff, clean up, give back keys, and leave the landlord's things behind.
66M: Tenant’s obligations at end of tenancy
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
If someone breaks the rules, you need to try your best to stop things from getting worse.
66N: Mitigation of damage or loss
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The owner of a boarding house can make and change rules about how to use the house and its services, as long as the rules are fair and legal.
66O: Landlord may make house rules
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
A tenant can ask a special court to change or remove unfair house rules.
66P: What tenant may do if he or she objects to house rules
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The person who owns the boarding house can go inside whenever they want, but they can't use the house stuff unless they live there too.
66Q: Landlord has right to enter premises at any time
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The landlord can only go into your room in special cases or with your permission.
66R: Landlord’s right to enter boarding room is limited
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The landlord must tell you when and why they want to come into your room
66S: Notice of entry
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
If you break the rules about entering a tenant's room, you could get in trouble with the law or be stopped from entering again.
66T: Consequence of abuse, or refusal, of right of entry
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The landlord can end the tenancy for different reasons with different notice periods, depending on how serious the situation is.
66U: Termination of tenancy by landlord
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
A tenant in a boarding house can end their stay by telling the landlord they're leaving, with just two days' notice.
66V: When tenant may terminate tenancy
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
What happens to a boarding house room when the only person living there dies?
66W: Termination of tenancy on death of sole tenant
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
What happens when a tenant leaves their boarding house room without telling anyone and stops paying rent
66X: Abandonment by tenant
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
A landlord can ask a special group to make the tenant leave if they don't move out when told to.
66Y: Possession orders
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The Tribunal can talk to and send complaints to the Health and Disability Commissioner if a landlord who provides health services does something wrong.
83A: Referral of complaints to Health and Disability Commissioner
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
How the landlord tells the tenant about a case after they've moved out
91A: Service on tenants following application
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
How to tell someone about important papers when you can't give them to them directly
91B: Substituted service, etc
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The court can stop someone from doing bad things again for up to 6 years if they break the rules.
109A: Tribunal may restrain further commissions of unlawful acts
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
This explains what important words mean in the rules about finding people who owe money.
112A: Interpretation
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
How to ask for a person's contact details when they owe you money from a court decision
112B: Application for contact information
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
When the boss sends a request to find someone's contact details to help enforce a decision
112C: Application referred to specified agency
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The chief executive tells you what happened with your request for information about the person who owes you money.
112D: Response to applicant
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
How contact details are sent to the court to help with legal actions
112E: Specified information sent to District Court
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Keeping private information secret when enforcing court orders
112F: Non-disclosure of contact information
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
How to count days when the law says you have to wait
136A: Calculation of periods
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Fines for breaking renting rules
Schedule 1A: Amounts for unlawful acts
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
How to ask for your bond money back when the other person doesn't agree
22A: Applications to chief executive for payment of bond without agreement of other party
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The Tenancy Tribunal can decide who gets the bond money if there's a disagreement between the landlord and tenant.
22B: Applications to, and orders by, Tribunal
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The government can try to give back money that was kept safe for renters if no one claims it after a long time.
22D: Chief executive may take steps to refund bonds
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The Tenancy Tribunal can allow landlords to raise the rent if they have surprise costs they couldn't predict.
28A: Increase of rent by order in case of unforeseen expenses
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
When a rented home becomes unsafe to live in because someone broke the rules
59A: Termination where breach renders premises uninhabitable
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Rules for ending student housing agreements when a student is no longer eligible to live there
53A: Special provisions for notice terminating certain student tenancies
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
If a landlord leaves New Zealand for more than 21 days in a row, they need to choose someone to look after their property.
16A: Landlord must have agent if out of New Zealand for longer than 21 consecutive days
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Landlords can only ask for a bond and nothing else to make sure tenants pay rent or follow the rules.
18A: Landlord must not require security other than permitted bond
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The rules for apartment buildings become part of your rental agreement and must be shared with you.
16B: Body corporate rules part of tenancy agreement
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The government uses a special account to give back bond money to tenants and landlords.
22C: Payments of bond to be made out of Residential Tenancies Trust Account
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The government can share your address to give back your rental bond money if they can't find you.
22E: MSD may disclose address information for bond refund purposes
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
When a temporary rent discount ends, the original rent comes back without counting as a rent increase.
24A: Expiry of temporary rent reduction
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Rent increases agreed or ordered under special rules don't change when you can normally raise the rent.
28B: Effect of rent increases under section 28 or 28A
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
This part explains how special rules help with changes in the law
2A: Transitional, savings, and related provisions
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
How changes to tenancy rules affect existing agreements
Schedule 1AA: Transitional, savings, and related provisions
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Rules about smoke alarms in rental homes can be made by the government to keep people safe
138A: Regulations in respect of smoke alarms
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Rules about making homes healthy and safe for people to live in
138B: Healthy homes standards
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
How the court quickly decides if a tenant has left their home without telling anyone
91AA: Process for determining abandonment applications within 10 working days without hearing
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Landlords must keep important papers about the rental and show them to the boss if asked.
123A: Documents to be retained by landlord and produced to chief executive if required
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The boss can ask you to show them certain papers about your rental home, if they need to see them.
123B: Documents to be produced by tenant to chief executive if required
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The Tenancy Tribunal can allow someone to check a rental property if there's a good reason to do so.
123E: Tribunal may authorise inspection
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
A special person can go into a rented house to check it if they have permission and tell everyone first.
123D: Power of entry to inspect premises
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The boss can step in and handle legal stuff for renters or landlords if it's important for everyone.
124A: Chief executive may take proceedings in place of tenant or landlord
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The boss can look at, write notes about, and make copies of papers people give them.
123C: Chief executive’s powers in relation to produced documents
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Extra rules for when the boss steps in to help with legal problems
124B: Supplementary provision to section 124A
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
This part tells us the name of the law and when it starts working.
1: Short Title and commencement
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
This section explains the meaning of important words and terms used in the law about renting homes.
2: Interpretation
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The law applies to everyone, including the government.
3: Act to bind the Crown
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
This law covers almost all cases where someone rents a home to live in.
4: Act generally to apply to all residential tenancies
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The law doesn't apply to certain types of housing, like holiday homes, prisons, or short-term stays.
5: Act excluded in certain cases
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
This law about long-term renting agreements doesn't apply anymore because it was cancelled.
6: Long fixed-term tenancies
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
This law explains the rules for short-term rental agreements that last up to 90 days.
7: Tenancies for short fixed terms
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
People can choose to follow the rules in this law, even if they normally wouldn't have to.
8: Parties to excluded tenancies may agree that Act shall apply
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
This law explains how the new rules apply to tenancies that started before the law changed.
9: Existing tenancies
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
If someone says the rules don't apply to their house rental, they have to prove it.
10: Onus of proof
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The law applies even if you make a deal that says it shouldn't, unless the law allows it or a special court says it's okay.
11: Act generally to apply despite contrary provisions
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