Friday, April 30, 2021
Landlording
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Don’t hold on to application forms longer than you have to
When a property is put on the rental market, the landlord will likely, given the current shortage, receive an abundant number of applications. These applications contain personal information the collection, storage and disposal of which are subject to both s123A of the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) and the Privacy Act (PA). The relevant provision of s123A has recently been a... read more
Thursday, April 08, 2021
Privacy and renting - a brain dump for landlords
Many of our members are aware that we have been interacting with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (“OPC”) to assist with its current examination into personal information collection practices in the rental sector. Our intention is to put forward our members’ perspective and to provide the OPC with constructive input as to why and how landlords collect certain information. We exp... read more
Wednesday, February 03, 2021
Landlords would do well not to underestimate the RTA
Mainstream commentary on the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2020 (RTAA 2020) is grossly preoccupied with the removal of the 90-day no-fault termination notice. At times, it even exaggerates the (detrimental) consequences landlords will be made to suffer post 11 February seeing as the proverbial rug is about to be pulled out from under us. We disagree and offer this reframe - That... read more
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Bond - it is the tenant’s money
We generally understand and talk about bonds as security deposits; on the one hand, they give a landlord the peace of mind to rent to a stranger and on the other hand cushion a tenant against onerous financial burden should a claim be made against him at the end of the tenancy. What we tend to be less mindful of is that ultimately, the bond is the tenant’s money and the law recog... read more
Monday, December 14, 2020
Cause and consequence are two different things
Landlords seeking compensation for damages caused by tenants should take care to prove the cause, not just the consequences, of the damage as VNG RENTALS LIMITED vs Xu [2020] NZTT Auckland 4269426 demonstrates. Facts On or about 2 May 2020, the bathroom of the apartment flooded. Water leaked into the adjoining apartment resulting in an approx $4.5K damage. In an email to... read more
Wednesday, December 09, 2020
Rent increase after substantial work: not a case of $1-in-$1-out
From time to time, investors almost flippantly assume that any expenses incurred improving the property can be directly recouped from the tenant by way of rent increase on a $1-in-$1-out basis. Monarch Realty Ltd v Alchin-Boller [2020] NZTT Hamilton 4277248 is a reminder that this is not the case. At least not quite. Facts The landlord sought the tenant’s consent to i... read more
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Termination invalidated by a mere diary entry
Re: Atkinson v Monarch Realty Ltd [2020] NZTT Hamilton 4279083 Facts 5th July 2020 - Leak discovered at the property due to lack of maintenance 11th August to 9th September 2020 - Remedial work carried out 1st September 2020 - Citing a lack of confidence that the tenant would property ventilate (and therefore look after) the property, the property manager ... read more
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Don't take legal advice from RE agents
Here is a reminder not to allow the property professional you work stray out of his lane: An APIA member recently bought a property with a tenant in situ. She did not require vacant possession and was quite prepared to keep the existing tenant on the property. Like most reasonable buyers, this member asked for a copy of the tenancy agreement, rent and management records... read more
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Claiming meth testing cost from the tenant
The recent publication of Brooking v Imrie [2020] NZTT Timaru 4216438 gives some insight, albeit sketchy, into what the Tribunal looks for when ordering a tenant to compensate the landlord for meth testing. The facts This is a cross-application case concerning a periodic tenancy from July 2017 to October 2019. The circumstance of the tenant’s exit was somewhat unusual.... read more
Upcoming Events
12-May-2021
APIA Property Mixer (New Lynn)
18-May-2021
Members Only KPM Finance Clinic
