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Problems with your landlord: What you can do

Getting information about your rights

If you have a dispute with your landlord, you can get information and a free mediation service from Tenancy Services, which is part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Early on, you should try to solve the problem by talking it through with your landlord directly. But before you do that, contact Tenancy Services to find out exactly what your legal rights and obligations are. You can phone their free advice line – 0800 TENANCY (0800 83 62 62).

If talking to your landlord doesn’t solve the problem, you can take it to mediation through Tenancy Services. There’ll be a meeting where a mediator will help you and your landlord try to agree on a solution.

If mediation doesn’t work, Tenancy Services can give notice to your landlord to solve the problem, according to the rules under your tenancy agreement or the Act.

If Tenancy Services can’t help, you can take the dispute to the Tenancy Tribunal – basically a specialist tenancy court – for it to decide the outcome.

Note: If you haven’t signed a tenancy agreement, you can’t use the Tenancy Tribunal to settle disputes. You may be able to use the Disputes Tribunal (see: “The Disputes Tribunal”).

FastTrack Resolution

FastTrack is a service provided by Tenancy Services to help landlords and tenants formalise an agreement that they’ve reached after a dispute – for example an agreement about payment of rent arrears.

A FastTrack agreement is written up as a mediation order. The mediator will call both sides to make sure they understand the agreement, and then the order is sent to the Tenancy Tribunal to be “sealed”, which makes it a legally binding court order.

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Tenancy and housing

Where to go for more support

Community Law

Your local Community Law Centre can provide you with free initial legal advice.

Find your local Community Law Centre online: www.communitylaw.org.nz/our-law-centres

Tenancy Services – Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)

MBIE’s Tenancy Services section provides information to tenants and to landlords. It also provides dispute-resolution services.

Website: www.tenancy.govt.nz
Tenancy advice: 0800 83 62 62 (0800 TENANCY). Free translation services are available.
Bond enquiries: 0800 737 666. Free translation services are available.

Ministry of Social Development – Work and Income (WINZ)

Work and Income assess eligibility for social housing provided by Kāinga Ora and other registered community housing providers. WINZ also calculates income-related rent for social housing and conducts tenancy reviews.

Website: www.workandincome.govt.nz/housing/index.html
Phone: 0800 559 009
Email: www.workandincome.govt.nz/housing/nowhere-to-stay/index.html
Email: www.workandincome.govt.nz/housing/find-a-house/who-can-get-public-housing.html
Email: www.workandincome.govt.nz/housing/find-a-house/apply-for-public-housing.html

Kāinga Ora (formerly Housing New Zealand)

Kāinga Ora manages New Zealand’s public housing and places people in public homes.  Kāinga Ora’s website provides information for existing and prospective tenants.

Website: www.kaingaora.govt.nz
Phone: 0800 801 601
Office locations: kaingaora.govt.nz/our-locations
When to contact Kāinga Ora vs Work and Income resource: kaingaora.govt.nz/tenants-and-communities/renting-a-home

Note: to apply for a Kāinga Ora home, you need to contact Work and Income – “Ministry of Social Development – Work and Income (WINZ)” above.

Tenancy Tribunal

The Tenancy Tribunal can help you if you have an issue with a tenant or landlord that you can’t solve yourself. The Tribunal will hear both sides of the argument and can issue an order that is legally binding.

Information on how to apply to the Tenancy Tribunal: www.tenancy.govt.nz/disputes/Tribunal/making-an-application

Aratohu Tenant Advocacy

The Aratohu Tenant Advocacy is a comprehensive online resource that provides support and guidance to tenants and their advocates.

Website: tenant.aratohu.nz
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/groups/genderbridge

Tenants Protection Association Auckland (TPA)

The Tenants Protection Association provides advocacy and support to renters in Auckland.

Website: tpaauckland.org.nz
Phone: 09 360 1473

Manawatū Tenants’ Union

The Manawatū Tenants’ Union provides advocacy and support to renters in the Manawatū region.

Website: www.mtu.org.nz
Email: info@mtu.org.nz
Phone: 06 357 7435

Renters United

Renters United is an organisation for renters in Wellington. They focus on organising renters and campaigning to make renting better for everyone.

Website: rentersunited.org.nz
Online contact form: rentersunited.org.nz/contact
Instagram: www.instagram.com/fairrentnow
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rentersunitednz

Community Housing Regulatory Authority

The Community Housing Regulatory Authority registers and regulates community housing providers.

Website: chra.hud.govt.nz
Email: CHRA@hud.govt.nz
Phone: 0800 141 411

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

CAB provides free, confidential and independent information and advice.  See CAB’s website for valuable information on a range of topics.

Website: www.cab.org.nz
Phone: 0800 367 222
Facebook: www.facebook.com/citizensadvicenz

Find your local CAB office: www.cab.org.nz/find-a-cab

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