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Q: I plan to fire my property manager, and I am going to manage the property myself. I want to know what happens to the bond, the 2-weeks rent in advance paid to the property manager and the money held by the Tenancy Services.

It is a common scenario for a new person (usually someone's new partner) to want to move into the property mid-tenancy.

Landlords have no requirement to perform meth tests for each tenancy, but landlords have the legal requirement to provide a clean and habitable property.

This is a common situation. A landlord needs their place filled for a specific "long-ish" period (longer than a standard short-term tenancy of fewer than 90 days). They found a tenant who is happy to rent the place under these terms. Now the lease is ending, but the tenant's circumstances change, and now they wish to stay for longer. Does the tenancy end as both parties agreed at the start of the term?

While there may be some crossover between landlord and house insurance, they have some important differences. Our friends from Initio insurance help us understand the differences between the two policies.

With the Government earthquake levy increasing by 60% on 1 October, escalating rebuild values, and insurers adjusting their premiums, it’s a good time to check your house insurance. Here's the low down from Initio insurance and some tools to help you.

Have you ever experienced indecision with rent increases? Getting the increase amount right is challenging, and you only have one chance per year to do it.

Can you still keep up with all the recent legal and tax changes? We're struggling. But here we've been introduced to yet another one.

Nothing in the Residential Tenancies Act gives a clear definition of "fair wear and tear". Although there is no official list of what's included in "normal" wear and tear and what would classify as unreasonable damage, we thought to create some basic guidelines for both landlords and tenants to help you make the distinction.

In a bid to encourage more long-term affordable rentals to be built, the Government introduced another exemption to the interest limitation rules.

The thought of bringing a property up to Healthy Homes Standards can be daunting, especially with only a 90-day window after a tenancy is renewed or a new one is started.

Tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment at their house. This includes having people over, family visiting and friends staying with them occasionally. However, some guests may overstay their welcome, which begs the question: where is the line? When does a guest become a permanent occupant?

When renting out a property, it's very common to have multiple occupants. We're often asked whether all potential occupants should become named tenants on the agreement, or should an agreement be signed with one "head tenant" only.

Generally, a tenant and a landlord are both bound to the tenancy for the whole duration of the fixed term. But there are several reasons why a tenant might want to end their tenancy part way through a fixed-term lease. The article will go over your legal rights, obligations, and costs you can reasonably recoup.

Understanding how boarding establishments are defined can help landlords determine whether they qualify for interest deductibility under current tax rules.

For some landlords, meeting the new Healthy Homes Standards (HHS) by the 1 July 2025 deadline will require significant expenditure—whether it’s purchasing and installing compliant items, conducting repairs, or undertaking upgrades. But which of these costs can be claimed as tax deductions?

One of the most controversial tax policies, phasing out interest deductibility for residential properties, is finally becoming law.

Residential property managers look after over 40% of rental properties in NZ. While many abide by appropriate industry standards, some lack professionalism, entry knowledge and reasonable practice requirements to assure property owners that their properties are not being mismanaged.

Property investors can claim deductions for several expenses while their property is rented or available for rent. Knowing what you can claim will help not only to maximise your return but to avoid issues with the IRD.

This is a very common situation. A landlord has a place that they want to fill for long-ish fixed-term but want to make sure the fixed-term tenancy doesn't become periodic upon expiry as they may want to use it themselves or as an Airbnb during a busy period. The question is always can this be done and how to go about it.

COVID-19, the lockdowns, amendments to the RTA, the implementation of the HHS, the phasing out of interest deductibility, the changes to the bright-line test, new CCCFA rules and updated Privacy guidelines.. 2021 was a LOT. So what should we expect from 2022?

The Government joined forces with the opposition to pass changes to the Resource Management Act in favour of housing densification.

There are many Government incentives available at the moment, which makes building new houses or buying new builds an increasingly attractive offer. These incentives are put in place to increase the national housing pool to support NZ growing population, and stimulate activity in the construction industry to assist economic recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. But is buying a new build a good investment for you?

The law around lending money to consumers in New Zealand changed on December 1 2021, and it's already having a significant effect on property owners.