Review of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986
The Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) sets out the rights and obligations of people who rent their homes and of the people they rent from. The Act covers aspects such as payment of rent, bonds, property repairs and giving notice.
New Zealand has changed significantly since 1986 – from the technology we use, to the cars we drive, the way we live and our view of our place in the world.
People are renting for longer, and the demographics of renters have changed over time. This led to a review of the RTA so it continues to work well both now and in the future.
The review includes providing a good balance between the needs of tenants for a decent home, and the needs of landlords to effectively manage their rental properties.
Review Update - May 2008
On 29 May 2008 the Minister for Building and Construction introduced the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill (No 2) into Parliament. The Bill is based on policy decisions made by Cabinet in 2006 and 2007. Read the Minister's announcement
The purpose of the Bill is to:
- encourage the development of a rental market that provides stable, quality housing to those who rent their homes
- enable landlords to manage their properties more effectively
- clarify and appropriately balance tenant and landlord rights and obligations.
The key provisions in the Bill:
- extend the protection of the Residential Tenancies Act to boarding houses
- limit a tenant's liability for damage
- clarify responsibility for outgoings
- introduce clearer and fairer processes for terminating and renewing tenancies
- encourage landlords and tenants to complywith their obligation
- provide for the majority of tenancy disputes to be resolved quickly, fairly and cost effectively
- improve the enforceability of Tenancy tribunal orders
- prohibit tenants being charged letting fees.
Please continue for a summary of the benefits of the proposals so far »
You can download a copy of the Bill and track it's progress on Parliament's website Alternatively you can obtain a hard copy from Bennetts bookstores or Legislation Direct at www.legislationdirect.co.nz
Next steps
The next step is for the Bill to receive its first reading debate in Parliament. The timing of the first reading debate depends on whether there is enough time in Parliament's sitting programme. If the Bill passes its first reading it will be sent to a select committee for consideration. The select committee will usually invite public submissions by advertising in major daily newspapers and on Parliament's website
You can find out more about the Parliamentary stages a Bill needs to go through to become law here: http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/HowPWorks/Laws/7/5/6/75639197bdff4a15b57eaaade358509e.htm
Earlier public consultation
Between November 2004 and February 2005 we asked landlords, tenants, property managers and other people with an interest in rental housing to come along to public meetings on the review and to make written submissions.
The public consultation period was supported by a discussion document, Getting the Balance Right that set out what we saw as the key themes and issues around the RTA. The document was produced in a long form and a short form.
Although the submission period has now closed, you can still print a copy of the long or short document:
Summary of submissions
We received written submissions from nearly 600 people, and more than 350 people attended public meetings. You can find out what people had to say by viewing the following documents:
Thank you to everyone who came to a meeting or sent us a written submission. Your comments and suggestions are providing valuable input to the next stage of the review.