Renting in New Zealand: the rules

Almost every private letting of a home is covered by the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA), most recently amended by the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024, whose changes came in stages between 18 December 2024 and 1 December 2025. A tenancy is either periodic (no end date, it runs until one side gives written notice) or fixed-term (a set length of more than 90 days, with no maximum). A fixed term can only be ended early if everyone agrees, so be sure before you sign. A short fixed-term tenancy of 90 days or less ends on its expiry date without notice, but becomes periodic on day 91 if it is extended past 90 days in total (Tenancy Services, as of 2026-10).

Since 30 January 2025 a fixed-term tenancy automatically becomes periodic when it ends, unless the landlord or tenant gives written notice in the 'effective period' between 90 and 21 days before the expiry date; no reason is needed. This applies to fixed terms expiring on or after 1 May 2025. A tenant with a right of renewal in the agreement must use it in writing at least 21 days before the end (Tenancy Services, law changes page, as of 2026-10).

The agreement must be in writing, and the landlord must give the tenant a copy before the tenancy starts, although the Act applies even without one. It must include the names, contact addresses and an address for service for both sides (an email or mobile number can be added as an electronic address for service since 20 March 2025), the property address, start date, the amount of any general bond and pet bond, the rent and how and how often it is paid, a list of chattels, the end date for a fixed term, and signed statements on insurance (whether the home is insured and the excess the tenant could have to pay) and on insulation and current compliance with the healthy homes standards. Tenancy Services publishes a template and an online agreement builder. Clauses that take away rights under the Act are of no effect. Flatmates, boarders, holiday lets, hotels, most student halls and arrangements with family members of the landlord are outside the Act.

The deposit is called the bond. A landlord can charge a general bond of no more than four weeks' rent (for example, NZ$2,000 on a rent of NZ$500 a week) and must lodge it with Tenancy Services within 23 working days of receiving it; the landlord does not keep it (RTA s18; Tenancy Services, as of 2026-10). Lodging is now online only, through Bond Hub or property-management software. Once it is lodged you get a confirmation by email or letter with the bond number and your Tenant Number; if that never arrives, contact Tenancy Services (0800 836 262). Boarding-house bonds of one week's rent or less need not be lodged. Only money can be a bond: a landlord cannot ask for your credit card details, access to your bank account or goods as security, but may ask for a guarantor, often for first-time renters with no credit history or rental references.

Since 1 December 2025 a landlord who agrees to a pet may also charge one pet bond of up to two weeks' rent per tenancy, however many pets, and it must be lodged and named as a pet bond in the paperwork (Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024; Tenancy Services, as of 2026-10). It cannot be charged for disability assist dogs or for pets a tenant already lawfully had before 1 December 2025. A landlord can only ask for 1 or 2 weeks' rent in advance, and cannot ask for the next payment until the rent already paid has been used up. Letting fees have been banned since 12 December 2018, and key money is banned too; the only exception is an option fee of up to one week's rent to hold a property while you decide, which must be refunded or put towards rent if you take it. In practice the most you can be asked for before moving in is four weeks' bond plus up to two weeks' rent in advance, plus a pet bond if you have a pet.

At the end, the landlord asks for the refund in Bond Hub and every tenant agrees or disagrees; tenants have 12 working days to respond, and Tenancy Services pays out within 10 working days of a completed application. Deductions are limited to unpaid rent or bills and damage beyond fair wear and tear. If you cannot agree, either side can go to mediation or the Tenancy Tribunal. Do a written, photographed inspection with the landlord at the start and the end.

There is no rent control in New Zealand: the law does not cap the amount a landlord can ask or how much rent can rise (Tenancy Services, as of 2026-10). Since 11 February 2021 a landlord must state the rent in every advert, and cannot invite or encourage rent bidding or auction a rental. A prospective tenant may still offer more on their own initiative and the landlord may accept it. The market itself has turned: after 18 months of flat or falling rents, Trade Me's national median asking rent rose year on year in August 2026, as new listings fell 4% and demand rose 3% (Trade Me, 2026-09), and net migration recovered from 9,600 in the year to July 2025 to 20,300 in the year to July 2026 (Stats NZ).

Rent can only go up once every 12 months, counted from the start of the tenancy and from the last increase (rule in force since 12 August 2020), and in a fixed-term tenancy only if the agreement allows increases. The landlord must give at least 60 days' written notice saying the new rent and the date it starts (28 days in a boarding house). Outside the 12-month cycle a tenant can agree to pay more after a real improvement, such as a new garage or added facilities; ordinary repairs do not count. The landlord can also ask the Tenancy Tribunal for an increase after unforeseen costs. When rent goes up, the landlord may ask for a bond top-up to keep the bond at up to four weeks' rent.

If your rent is well above what similar homes nearby cost, gather evidence (Tenancy Services publishes a free market-rent tool based on bond data), ask the landlord to lower it and, if they refuse, apply to the Tenancy Tribunal. In a fixed-term tenancy you can only apply within three months of the start or of the last rent review. Since 20 March 2025 a Tribunal order fixing the market rent lasts up to 12 months. Low-income renters may qualify for Work and Income's Accommodation Supplement, but only citizens and permanent residents who normally live in New Zealand can get it.

A tenant can end a periodic tenancy with at least 21 days' written notice, signed, with the address and end date (28 days before 30 January 2025). If several tenants are on one agreement, notice from one of them ends the tenancy for all. A landlord can end a periodic tenancy with 90 days' written notice without giving a reason, as long as the notice is not retaliation for the tenant using their rights. The notice period is 42 days if the owner or a family member will move in within 90 days and stay at least 90 days, if the home has been sold under an unconditional contract that requires vacant possession, or if the home is used for the landlord's employees or contractors and the agreement says so; the reason must then be in the notice (Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024, in force 30 January 2025; Tenancy Services, as of 2026-10). Served notices count from when they are deemed received: four working days after posting, two working days after delivery to the letterbox.

A fixed-term tenancy cannot be ended early by notice. You can agree an early exit with the landlord (who may charge only actual and reasonable costs, such as advertising), ask to assign the tenancy to someone new (since 11 February 2021 the landlord must not unreasonably refuse), or apply to the Tenancy Tribunal on severe hardship, which may order compensation. A tenant who is a victim of family violence, or whose child or dependant is, can withdraw from any tenancy with two days' written notice on the approved form with qualifying evidence, without penalty and without the landlord's agreement.

Other endings go through the Tribunal: the landlord can apply to end a tenancy when rent is 21 days in arrears, after three notices of overdue rent (rent unpaid for at least five working days) or three notices of anti-social behaviour within 90 days, or after a 14-day notice to remedy is ignored. A landlord can give 14 days' notice if the tenant has assaulted them and the police have filed a charge. A tenant can ask the Tribunal to declare a notice retaliatory within 12 months, and to cancel it if they apply within 28 working days. Landlords may not change locks or remove a tenant themselves; only a Tribunal possession order, enforced by the court, can do that.

The landlord must provide the home in a reasonable state of cleanliness and repair, keep it that way, and meet the healthy homes standards. Since 1 July 2025 every private rental must comply with all five: a fixed heater able to heat the main living room to the required capacity, ceiling and underfloor insulation to the standard, opening windows in living spaces and extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms, proper drainage and a ground moisture barrier under enclosed floors, and no unreasonable draughts (Tenancy Services, as of 2026-10). Penalties go up to NZ$7,200, and a tenant can ask for the compliance records, which must be supplied within 21 days. Working smoke alarms are required within 3 metres of every bedroom door and on each level; new ones must be photoelectric with a long-life battery or hard-wired. Since 16 April 2026 meth contamination has a legal limit (15 µg/100cm²) and set rules for testing and clean-up. The tenant must keep the home reasonably clean and tidy, report damage, and change batteries in older alarms. If something is not fixed, either side can serve a 14-day notice to remedy and then apply to the Tribunal.

The landlord can inspect at most once every four weeks with 48 hours' notice, and enter for repairs with 24 hours' notice, between 8am and 7pm. Showing the home to buyers or new tenants needs the tenant's consent, which cannot be unreasonably refused. Entry without notice is only allowed in an emergency or with the tenant's agreement.

Costs that exist whether anyone lives there or not are the landlord's: council rates, building insurance, gas bottle hire and fixed water charges. Costs of living there are the tenant's: electricity, gas used, phone and internet, and metered water where the home has its own meter. The water account stays in the landlord's name and the tenant pays back their share. Tenants are liable for careless damage by them or their guests up to the lower of four weeks' rent or the landlord's insurance excess, which is why the insurance statement matters, and tenants should get their own contents and liability insurance. Since 1 December 2025, tenants are fully liable for pet damage beyond fair wear and tear.

New Zealand has no system for registering your address with the authorities, and tenancy law does not require any tax or ID number to rent. The number you will need for work, a bank account and tax is an IRD number from Inland Revenue. New arrivals on a work, student or resident visa can apply online using their Immigration New Zealand application number by the 'arrive by' date on their visa (Australians within roughly 4 to 6 weeks of arriving), and usually get the number within two days (Inland Revenue, as of 2026-10). A RealMe login (the government's online ID) is needed for some services, including Tenancy Tribunal applications made online.

Landlords and agents usually ask for a pre-tenancy application with photo ID, rental history, references and consent to a credit check, and may ask for proof of income. They must follow the Privacy Act 2020, collect only what they need and do credit checks only on their preferred applicant (Tenancy Services). Newcomers often have no credit file and no local references; an employer letter, references from previous landlords abroad or a guarantor can make up for that.

It is unlawful to refuse a tenant, or treat them worse, because of nationality or citizenship, ethnicity, religion, sex, disability, age, family status or employment status, including being on a benefit (Tenancy Services, applying the Human Rights Act 1993). You can complain to the Human Rights Commission or apply to the Tenancy Tribunal, but not both. Before you commit, you can search the Tenancy Tribunal's published orders by landlord name or address.

Flatting, sharing a rented house, is common, and the law depends on whose name is on the agreement. Everyone who signs the tenancy agreement is a tenant, covered by the Act and jointly responsible for all the rent and damage, not just their share. Someone who moves in with the tenant or homeowner without signing is a flatmate: the Act does not cover them, their rights depend on their agreement with the head tenant, and disputes go to the Disputes Tribunal, not the Tenancy Tribunal (Tenancy Services, as of 2026-10). Put a flat-sharing agreement in writing (Tenancy Services publishes a template), and ask whether your bond is lodged or simply held by the head tenant.

Subletting means the tenant moves out and lets the home, or part of it with exclusive use, to someone else while staying responsible to the landlord. It needs the landlord's written consent, and is not allowed at all if the agreement forbids it. Where it is allowed, consent must not be unreasonably refused or given with unreasonable conditions. Subletting without consent is an unlawful act with a penalty of up to NZ$1,000. The sub-tenancy needs its own written agreement, and the original tenant becomes a landlord with all a landlord's duties. Listing a room or the home on a holiday platform can count as subletting and can void insurance.

Assignment hands the whole tenancy to a new tenant on the same terms. The landlord must consider every written request and not refuse unreasonably (a ban in the agreement has no effect for tenancies from 11 February 2021), may set reasonable conditions and recover reasonable, invoiced costs. Boarding houses, with at least six tenants each renting a room and sharing facilities, have their own rules: tenancies cannot be assigned and the landlord can set house rules.

To let legally: use a written agreement with the required insurance, insulation and healthy homes statements, lodge every bond with Tenancy Services within 23 working days, meet the healthy homes standards and smoke alarm rules, give receipts and keep rent records, and keep the agreement, inspection reports, maintenance records, adverts and correspondence for the tenancy and 12 months after. State the rent in every advert, never invite rent bidding and never charge letting fees or key money. Since 1 December 2025 a tenant's request to keep a pet must be answered within 21 days, and can only be refused on reasonable grounds, such as an unsuitable property, a body corporate rule or bylaw, or an unsuitable animal; penalties go up to NZ$1,500. A landlord who is out of the country for more than 21 days in a row must appoint an agent. Tenancy Services' Compliance and Investigations team enforces the Act with warnings, improvement and infringement notices and Tribunal proceedings (Tenancy Services, as of 2026-10).

Rental profit is added to your other income and taxed at individual rates: 10.5% up to NZ$15,600, 17.5% to NZ$53,500, 30% to NZ$78,100, 33% to NZ$180,000 and 39% above, for tax years from 1 April 2025 (Inland Revenue, as of 2026-10). The tax year runs from 1 April to 31 March, and non-residents pay New Zealand tax on rent from New Zealand property. Rates, insurance, repairs, agent and accounting fees and mortgage interest are deductible. Interest deductions were phased out from 1 October 2021, 80% was allowed for the 2024–25 tax year, and 100% has been allowed again from 1 April 2025. Losses are ring-fenced: rental deductions can only be set against residential rental income and are carried forward, not set against salary. Under the bright-line test, profit on a residential property sold on or after 1 July 2024 is taxable if it is sold within two years of buying it, unless it was your main home or another exclusion applies. Long-term residential rent is exempt from GST.

There is no national register or licence for short-stay letting: rules and rates are set council by council, so check with your council before listing. Auckland, for example, has no licence or cap on nights, but charges part business rates on homes booked for more than 28 nights a year (Auckland Council, 2026/27). Since 1 April 2024, platforms such as Airbnb and Bookabach collect GST on short-stay bookings, and short-stay homes that are not your main home fall under the ring-fencing rules. Property managers are not licensed yet. In March 2026 Cabinet agreed a 'light-touch' scheme with a public register, minimum education, separate client accounts and a disciplinary tribunal. This is pending: Tenancy Services says the proposals still have to be turned into law, subject to the government's legislative priorities; as of 2026-10 it is not law (Tenancy Services, 24 March 2026; Ministry of Housing and Urban Development).

Start by talking it through and, if needed, serving a 14-day notice to remedy. If that fails, apply to Tenancy Services online (you need a RealMe login): one application costing NZ$29 (as of 2026-10) leads to free mediation by a Tenancy Services mediator, FastTrack Resolution to make an agreement binding, or a hearing at the Tenancy Tribunal. The fee is not refunded if you withdraw, but the Tribunal can order the other side to pay it back if you win (Tenancy Services, as of 2026-10). The Tribunal is part of the Ministry of Justice and hears landlord–tenant disputes worth up to NZ$100,000: bonds, repairs, rent, notices, healthy homes breaches and unlawful acts. Hearings are held at a District Court, by phone or by video, and can lead to work orders, compensation, exemplary damages and possession orders. If you disagree with the decision, you can apply for a rehearing or appeal to the District Court.

Hearings are normally public, and most Tribunal orders are published online and stay searchable for at least three years, which is why tenants and landlords check each other. Since 11 February 2021 a party who wins wholly or substantially can ask for a suppression order to remove their name and identifying details. Serious or repeated landlord breaches can be reported to the Tenancy Services Compliance and Investigations team. Discrimination can go to the Human Rights Commission or the Tribunal, not both. Disputes between flatmates go to the Disputes Tribunal.

Free help: Tenancy Services answers questions on 0800 836 262 (0800 TENANCY). Citizens Advice Bureau gives free, confidential information on 0800 367 222 and at local offices. Community Law Centres give free legal advice across the country and publish the Community Law Manual, with a full tenancy chapter. Tenant advocacy services in several regions help tenants prepare and attend Tribunal cases; Renters United keeps a directory of them.