The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 passed on 17 December 2024 and this act introduces several changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. These changes will impact tenants going forward and we provide an overview of the current changes below:

1) Bond Lodgement:

• Bonds must now be lodged and paid online. Signatures are no longer required, and manual lodgements via email or post are no longer available.

2) Termination of Periodic Tenancies:

• Effective from January 30, 2025:

i. Landlords can now terminate periodic tenancies with 'no cause' by providing 90 days’ notice;

ii. Landlords can now end a periodic tenancy with 42 days’ notice for specific reasons, such as the owner or their family needing the property for their own residence, the property being sold unconditionally, or the property being required for employees or contractors of the landlord.

iii. Tenants can now end a periodic tenancy with 21 days’ notice.

• Please note that if you received a termination notice before 30 January 2025, that notice remains valid and cannot be replaced with a new or different notice.
• Additionally, landlords cannot issue a termination notice in retaliation for a tenant exercising one of their rights. If a landlord attempts to do so, the notice may be set aside by the Tenancy Tribunal and damages may be awarded to the tenant.

3) Fixed-Term Tenancies:

• If a tenancy started on or after 11 February 2021 and expires on or before 30 April 2025, the previous law will still apply. For fixed term tenancies that expire on or after 1 May 2025, the new law will apply.
• Fixed-term tenancies will now automatically convert to periodic tenancies at the end of the fixed-term unless either party gives notice between 90 and 21 days before the term ends, or both parties agree on an alternative.
• Neither party needs to provide a specific reason for ending a fixed-term tenancy.

4) Upcoming Changes:

• In March 2025, further changes will include modernising how notices and documents are given, enforcing no-smoking clauses in tenancy agreements, and allowing email addresses to be used for Tenancy Tribunal applications.
• Look forward to a further update from us as we look to keep you apprised of any future changes.

If you have any specific questions about these changes, feel free to contact us at property@qcl.co.nz.