Health & Housing - Housing - Renting - Wellington

Island Bay beach on Wellington's south coast

It is probably a sensible move to rent a home when you first arrive, and many new residents do just that. This gives them a chance to look around and get a feel for different areas before deciding on where to buy.

Most rental properties are listed in the To Let columns of the Dominion Post newspaper, in its Wednesday and Saturday editions. Many real estate companies also list rental homes on their websites.

Your Rights as a Tenant

There are rights and obligations to which both the tenant and the landlord are expected to adhere. They include:

A landlord cannot ask for more than two weeks rent in advance
Landlords must give tenants 48 hours notice before making an inspection, and 24 hours notice before entering to make a repair
Landlords are responsible for adequate locks and most repairs to property
It is the tenant's responsibility to pay for expenses such as electricity, phone connection and gas (in Wellington the cost of water is paid for in the rates, which are paid for by the landlord)
The landlord must pay for expenses including insurance, rates, maintenance and repairs (not caused by tenants through intentional or careless acts).

Rental Contracts

The two common types of rental contract are fixed term and periodic.

Fixed Term Tenancy - When you sign a fixed term tenancy, you agree to rent the property for a fixed length of time, say, six months or a year. The advantage of a fixed tenancy is that the rent cannot be increased unless there is a clause in the lease allowing it.
Periodic Tenancy - A periodic tenancy is the most common type of tenancy and has no fixed timescale. To end it, you must give three weeks notice to the landlord. The landlord needs to give you six weeks notice to end your tenancy.

People who have newly arrived often opt for a periodic tenancy in case you need to move to another house, district or even city, perhaps to follow a job offer. The periodic tenancy gives you the flexibility of a few weeks' notice rather than having to wait for several months. Think carefully before signing a long, fixed-term tenancy.

Tenancy Agreement, Bonds & Disputes

Tenancy Services is a government agency that provides detailed information on your rights and obligations when you are renting or flatting. They have information on:

the importance of having a written tenancy agreement with your landlord/lady
paying a bond before you move in
giving notice when you want to leave
the differences between being a tenant or a flatmate
how to manage any dispute between you and your landlord/lady.

It is a good idea to find out your legal rights and responsibilities before committing to a lease. Tenancy Services can help you with this. For free advice and information on renting, call 0800 836 262, or check the website.

Settling In

Fully furnished properties are available in Wellington but usually for short-term rental only (less than six months). Most rental properties tend to be unfurnished.

Furniture, bedding and appliance stores are conveniently clustered together to make shopping and comparing prices easy. Popular places to try are: Tory Street and Thorndon Quay in Wellington city, and MegaCentre in Porirua. Delivery of furniture within the Wellington region is usually free of charge.

Jargon

Below are some definitions of terms commonly used in the local rental property market.

Bond - This is a sum of money paid to a landlord to act as a security for any damage that may be made to a rental property.

Landlord/lady - The owner of the property who rents it to tenants.

Rental period - The length of time that the tenant will live in the property and pay rent to the landlord. This will be for a fixed term or for a casual/periodic time that is not fixed.