NZ Tenancy Law Changes 2025: What Landlords Need to Know
The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 received Royal Assent on 6 November 2024 and came into force on 30 January 2025. If you have been hearing vague things about "tenancy law changes" and are not sure what actually changed, this guide covers the specifics - including three common misconceptions that could cost you money or a Tribunal case.
The Main Changes (in plain language)
1. No-cause termination of periodic tenancies is back
The biggest change: landlords can again end a periodic tenancy with 90 days' written notice, without giving a reason. This was removed by Labour's 2020 Amendment Act, which required landlords to have a specified reason to end any tenancy. The 2024 Amendment Act, passed under the coalition government, brought it back.
What this means in practice: if you have a tenant on a periodic tenancy and you want to end it - to sell with vacant possession, to move a family member in, or simply because the tenancy is not working out - you can give 90 days' written notice without needing to justify it to the Tribunal.
The notice must still be in writing, specify the termination date, and be served properly. It does not change the prohibition on retaliatory termination. If the tenant has recently exercised a legal right (like requesting repairs or applying to the Tribunal), and you issue a 90-day notice shortly afterwards, a Tribunal could still find it was retaliatory.
2. Fixed-term tenancies can be ended at the conclusion of the term again
Under Labour's 2020 changes, a fixed-term tenancy that reached its end date automatically converted to a periodic tenancy unless the landlord had specified grounds to end it. This meant a six-month fixed-term could continue indefinitely if the landlord did not give formal notice.
From 30 January 2025, landlords can choose not to renew a fixed-term tenancy when it expires. You must give the tenant at least 28 days' notice before the end date that the tenancy will not continue. If you give less than 28 days or no notice, the tenancy converts to periodic for the balance of the notice period required.
This restores the pre-2021 position where "fixed-term" actually meant fixed.
3. Pet bond provisions (effective 1 December 2025)
A separate set of provisions in the 2024 Amendment deals with pets. From 1 December 2025, landlords who allow pets can charge a pet bond of up to two weeks' rent. Only one pet bond is payable at a time regardless of the number of pets. The pet bond is held by Tenancy Services like a normal bond and refunded at the end of the tenancy, subject to any pet-related damage.
Landlords cannot refuse a tenant's request to keep a pet without reasonable grounds. What counts as reasonable grounds is not exhaustively defined, but the legislation gives examples: the property is not suitable for the pet, the tenancy agreement prohibits pets for legitimate reasons, or the pet poses a risk to health or safety. Body corporate rules prohibiting pets on the premises are reasonable grounds.
What Did Not Change (common misconceptions)
Misconception 1: Rent increases are now 90 days' notice
No. Rent increases still require 60 days' written notice. This has not changed. The source of the confusion is that 90-day periodic termination is back in the legislation, and some people conflated the two.
Section 24 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 still requires 60 days' notice for a rent increase, and rent can only be increased once every 12 months. Tenancy Services confirms this. Giving only 28 or 30 days' notice for a rent increase is unlawful and the increase will be ineffective.
Misconception 2: Landlords can now evict a tenant themselves
No. The process for physically recovering a property from a tenant who refuses to leave has not changed. You still need a Tenancy Tribunal possession order, and if the tenant still does not leave, a District Court Warrant of Possession executed by a court bailiff. Landlords who change locks, remove belongings, or cut utilities without a warrant are still committing an unlawful act worth up to $7,200 in exemplary damages.
Misconception 3: You can now decline a pet without any reason
No. The pet provisions require landlords to have reasonable grounds to refuse a pet request. You cannot simply say "no pets" without basis if the tenant requests permission to keep one. You must consider the request, and if you refuse, the tenant can apply to the Tribunal, which will assess whether your refusal was reasonable given the circumstances.
The Short Notice Periods: What They Are For
Alongside the 90-day and 28-day notice periods, the 2024 Amendment preserves shorter notice periods for specific situations:
- 42 days - unconditional sale with vacant possession, owner or family moving in as principal residence (must stay for at least 90 days), or property needed for an employee named in the tenancy agreement
- 14 days - persistent rent arrears (three overdue-rent notices under s.55 in 90 days) or serious anti-social behaviour, both requiring a Tribunal order
- 72 hours - serious property damage or physical assault
What This Means for Landlords Practically
If you have a periodic tenancy that is not working well, you now have more options. The 90-day no-cause notice is a genuine tool again. But use it carefully: serve it in writing, state the correct termination date, and keep a record of service.
If you have a fixed-term tenancy expiring and you do not want to continue, give at least 28 days' notice before the end date. If you miss the 28-day window, the tenancy continues as periodic for the notice period you owe.
The pet provisions are new enough that Tribunal case law is still developing. If you receive a pet request, take it seriously, respond in writing, and document your reasoning if you decline.
Official Sources
- Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 (full text)
- Tenancy Services: increasing rent (60-day notice confirmed)
- Tenancy Services: how landlords end a tenancy
- Tenancy Services: pets in rental properties
IRD's rental property tax rules have not changed in this amendment - see our landlord record-keeping guide for tax compliance.