There are a few must have’s that you will need to put in your notice to terminate a tenancy and to ensure it meets the Residential Tenancy’s Act:

The notice must be in writing

Include the address of the tenancy

Include the date the tenant has to move out

Be signed either by you, your agent or property manager

From 1 July 2019 it will be compulsory for all New Zealand rental properties to have ceiling and underfloor insulation where it is reasonably practicable to install.

In 2016 changes to the Residential Tenancies Act means that all owners now have a legal requirement to disclose whether there is insulation in the property, where it is, what type it is and what condition it’s in.

We ask you to complete these details on the Letting Authority so that we in turn can transfer them to the Tenancy Agreement

At the beginning of each tenancy it’s the owner’s responsibility to ensure that all smoke alarms are in working order.

It’s also a good idea when completing inspections to check with the tenants that the smoke alarms are in working order and to note it on the inspection form.

During the tenancy it’s a tenant’s responsibility to replace dead batteries if there are older style smoke alarms with replaceable batteries.

The tenant also has a responsibility to not damage, remove or disconnect a smoke alarm and to let the owner know if there are any problems with the smoke alarms.

Smoke alarms must be installed:

Within 3 meters of each bedroom door, or in every room where a person sleeps

In each level or story of a multi-story or multi-level home

In all rental homes, boarding houses, rental caravans and self-contained sleep outs

Yes, they are. From 1 July 2016 smoke alarms in all properties are compulsory.

What sort of alarms do I need to install?
If you are installing new smoke alarms, they have to be photoelectric alarms with long life batteries that have a life span of at least 8 years or be hard wired.

If there are currently smoke alarms at the property and they are placed in the required locations you don’t have to replace them with photoelectric smoke alarms until either:

They pass their recommended replacement date OR they stop operating.

The replacement date should be listed on the alarm, if it’s not or if the alarm is more than 8 years old, we recommend replacing the alarm to be certain you are complying with current laws.

In our opinion – yes, it is.

Many insurance companies now are stipulating that a meth test must be completed between each tenancy.

What this does is to establish a base line reading for the property that establishes the meth levels prior to a tenant moving in.

Renthub doesn’t carry out meth tests on properties as we have been advised that this could be seen as a conflict of interest and wouldn’t stand up in court.

We can however recommend a company that specialises in meth testing.

The maximum bond allowed under Tenancy Law is four weeks.

We always recommend obtaining four weeks bond from tenants whether or not they have a pet.

If the tenants have a pet unfortunately you can’t ask for any more bond above the four weeks.

Before appointing Renthub as your property manager we will make a time to meet with you either in person or over the internet to discuss what you are looking and to see if we are a good fit for each other.

Our aim is to protect your property and give you the highest possible returns, to do this we ask that you have a ‘hands off’ approach with the knowledge that we have robust systems and processes to keep you informed and updated.

If Renthub is completing the paperwork it is our usual practice to sign the tenancy agreement on your behalf.

We will send you a signed copy of the agreement for your records.

We send the bond form to you to sign as getting a bond refund at the end of the tenancy is a lot easier if it has your signature on it.

Once signed we ask you to send the signed bond form back to us so that we can submit the bond to Tenancy Services on your behalf.

The differences between a fixed term tenancy and periodic tenancy are:

Fixed term tenancy:

Has a specified start and expiry date

Only lasts for a set period of time (usually 6 or 12 months) and must be written on the tenancy agreement

Gives both parties security of the tenancy for a set period of time

Gives you as the owner certainty of what the income for the property will be for a fixed period of time

Periodic tenancy:

Has a set commencement date but no expiry date

Gives both parties flexibility in giving notice.

Tenants must give 21 days’ written notice to end the tenancy and owners have to give either 42 days written notice if they or a family member are going to move into the property or they have an unconditional sales and purchase agreement or a minimum of 90 days written notice and no reason has to be given.

If you as the owner are not sure what your plans are with the property e.g. considering selling then a periodic tenancy could be a good option

Fixed term tenancies are generally the preferred option by both owners and tenants. Sometimes from an owners’ perspective it’s better to offer a varied term (e.g. 5, 7, or 10 months) to avoid the property being available at a time of year when it’s harder to find tenants e.g. in the middle of winter.

Rent payments are checked daily and our tracking system allows us to produce a report that shows all tenants that haven’t paid rent.

We follow a strict process which includes text messages, emails and phone calls to ensure the tenants pay their rent.

If these reminders aren’t adhered to, we serve them a formal warning letter explaining that if they fail to pay a tenancy tribunal application will be lodged.

In our experience owners who have allowed their tenants to chalk up rent arrears tend to be ones who have wanted to give their tenants the benefit of the doubt.

However, the key to success in managing rent arrears is to follow a methodical, frequent approach in spite of what the tenants may say.

Whilst we aren’t able to offer our full tenant finder service if your property is outside the Auckland area, we are able to help with Reference and credit checking and completing all the paperwork including a tenancy agreement for your new tenants.

If you are interested in having your property managed and it’s outside the Auckland area consider our personalised management service.

Give us a call on 09 630 2655 to find out more.

Check out similar properties that are for rent in the area and make sure you are comparing like for like.

Things to consider are the quality of the fixtures and fittings, has the property been maintained or is it a little on the tired side, is there a garage, have the gardens and lawns been maintained or are they scruffy and overgrown, is the property being presented in a clean and tidy condition.

All these things reflect on the rent you will be able to achieve for your property.

We offer free rental appraisals, click here for more info: Rental Appraisals 

Something else to consider is the time of year that you are renting out your property.  In New Zealand the most popular time to secure new tenants and achieve maximum rent is between January-April.

Be aware also that it’s the market that sets the rent and if you set the rent too high your property may well sit vacant longer than necessary.

Keep in mind also that for every week that your property remains vacant you are losing 2% of your annual return.

Some of our owners check what other properties are renting for in the area and advertise theirs for slightly less ($10-$15 for example).

Our suggestion is to start advertising as soon as possible at the upper end and if after the first week of advertising you are not getting many enquiries then consider adjusting the rent.

Renthub will send you feedback every week so that you are kept in the loop with enquiries and comments from prospective tenants.

The property you are renting is your house but while they are paying rent it will be the tenant’s home.

By maintaining your property and ensuring it looks good for when prospective tenants come to view the property, we’ve put together some questions to ask yourself:

Is my property decorated in neutral tones? Walls and flooring in neutral tones is much more attractive to potential tenants as chances are their belongings will then fit in a lot easier. You may think that a bright orange wall looks good but will the tenants?

Are the lawns mowed and grounds well presented?

Is my property well maintained? Have a look around and see the property through the eyes of a tenant, is the interior tidy? Are the walls clean and paint/paper in good condition?

This depends on market fluctuations and the time of the year however rest assured we are very proactive.

We begin marketing your property the day it is listed and have an automated booking system which allows tenants to book viewings 24/7.

As soon as we list the property it is automatically matched to tenants on our database.

Our letting agents do viewings both after hours and at weekends to ensure we maximise the opportunity for prospective tenants to come and view.

We also offer a video walk through so that tenants that aren’t able to view the property due to work or personal constraints are able to do a ‘virtual’ walk through.

As we specialise in letting properties and don’t sell property, we can focus on finding you a qualified tenant in the quickest possible time.

We attract tenants in many different ways (mostly digitally) which means we don’t need to have an office near your property.

The majority of tenants tend to look for a property on the internet so we will list your property on trademe.co.nz, realestate.co.nz and renthub.nz.

Realestate.co.nz is a site that only real estate agents and property management companies can list on so by listing with us you will have access to this site.

We have an excellent booking system which enables tenants to book a viewing 24/7 and maximises your opportunity to find your next tenant.

We have a database of prospective tenants who receive notifications whenever a new property is listed.

We offer a tenant finder service (sometimes called a casual letting service).

If you are considering having your property managed, we offer a competitive flat fee which includes the tenant finder service.

Find out more here: Tenant Finding Service

Property management is what we do, people is who we are.

At Renthub you will find out that our systems and processes and personalised approach produce better tenants and less vacancy time which results in higher rental rentals for you the owner.

We offer simplicity, transparency, personalised options and guarantees to give you peace of mind.

Read our guarantees here.