Checking in to your New Home
Moving in and paying your rent:
Your rent is always payable weekly in advance by Automatic Payment. When you sign your Tenancy Agreement, we will ask you to complete an Automatic Payment form, which we give to your bank to set up your weekly payment. If, for any reason, you are not able to make your rent payment by the due date, contact our office immediately. If you get behind in your rent, we will issue a breach notice to you, and if the breach is not rectified within 10 days, we may have no alternative but to take action to terminate your tenancy.
Contents Insurance:
For your own protection, we strongly recommend you take out individual contents insurance. Check with the insurer that this includes a component for tenant liability. Insurance companies will sue you for any damage caused (fire etc) even though the property owner has house insurance. Take a look at the Department of Building and Housing suggestions:
What Insurance Do I need? Department of Building & Housing Form: T115 12/07
It is up to a landlord to insure their rental property against any damage, either through accident or
otherwise. That insurance will usually be for the benefit of the landlord only. A tenant should
arrange insurance to protect their contents and liability for damage to the landlord’s property.
Advice for landlords
• Make sure your insurance covers the premises and that the cover is for a rental property. The
Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA) requires you to pay the insurance premiums charged for
that insurance.
• Check exactly what it is covered by your policy. Some insurers offer special landlord insurance
cover that includes issues to do with the tenancy (eg, vacancy periods, damage by the tenant, etc)
• Talk to your insurance company about their requirements for making claims. Some insurers
require landlords to prove they have conducted a thorough tenancy selection process before
honouring damage claims.
• You may also choose to insure any chattels in the property that you own and that are listed in the
tenancy agreement. Any damage to them will not be covered by the tenant’s contents insurance.
Advice for tenants
You need insurance. Your landlord’s insurance policy does not protect your belongings.
Under the RTA, tenants are liable for any damage they, or their invited guests, cause intentionally or
carelessly. Even if you are not named on the tenancy agreement, you should have a:
• contents insurance policy to protect your belongings
• personal liability policy to protect you from any careless damage you or your invited guests may
cause to the property.
If an insurance company pays out a landlord for damage and believes that a tenant is liable for that
damage, the insurance company may seek compensation from the tenant. Personal liability insurance
may protect you in this situation.
Where can I find more information?
Speak to insurance companies for details on their policies. For tenancy information visit www.dbh.govt.nz or call 0800 TENANCY (0800 83 62 62).
Services & Utilities:At the beginning of your tenancy, it’s up to you to have the electricity, gas and telephone connected and transferred to your name. When you leave, it is your responsibility to arrange final meter readings and disconnection of these services as well as a having your mail re-directed to your new address.
Lawn & Garden Maintenance
Unless stated as a special condition in your Tenancy Agreement, all lawns and gardens are your responsibility. We have some preferred contractors that we can recommend if you want to employ a helping hand.
Routine Inspections
We inspect all the rental properties under our management every 3 months during a tenancy. Tenants are given 24 hours verbal notice before a routine inspection and it is important that we are able to contact you in order to be able to do this.
- some of the items we check include:
Your rent is always payable weekly in advance by Automatic Payment. When you sign your Tenancy Agreement, we will ask you to complete an Automatic Payment form, which we give to your bank to set up your weekly payment. If, for any reason, you are not able to make your rent payment by the due date, contact our office immediately. If you get behind in your rent, we will issue a breach notice to you, and if the breach is not rectified within 10 days, we may have no alternative but to take action to terminate your tenancy.
Contents Insurance:
For your own protection, we strongly recommend you take out individual contents insurance. Check with the insurer that this includes a component for tenant liability. Insurance companies will sue you for any damage caused (fire etc) even though the property owner has house insurance. Take a look at the Department of Building and Housing suggestions:
What Insurance Do I need? Department of Building & Housing Form: T115 12/07
It is up to a landlord to insure their rental property against any damage, either through accident or
otherwise. That insurance will usually be for the benefit of the landlord only. A tenant should
arrange insurance to protect their contents and liability for damage to the landlord’s property.
Advice for landlords
• Make sure your insurance covers the premises and that the cover is for a rental property. The
Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA) requires you to pay the insurance premiums charged for
that insurance.
• Check exactly what it is covered by your policy. Some insurers offer special landlord insurance
cover that includes issues to do with the tenancy (eg, vacancy periods, damage by the tenant, etc)
• Talk to your insurance company about their requirements for making claims. Some insurers
require landlords to prove they have conducted a thorough tenancy selection process before
honouring damage claims.
• You may also choose to insure any chattels in the property that you own and that are listed in the
tenancy agreement. Any damage to them will not be covered by the tenant’s contents insurance.
Advice for tenants
You need insurance. Your landlord’s insurance policy does not protect your belongings.
Under the RTA, tenants are liable for any damage they, or their invited guests, cause intentionally or
carelessly. Even if you are not named on the tenancy agreement, you should have a:
• contents insurance policy to protect your belongings
• personal liability policy to protect you from any careless damage you or your invited guests may
cause to the property.
If an insurance company pays out a landlord for damage and believes that a tenant is liable for that
damage, the insurance company may seek compensation from the tenant. Personal liability insurance
may protect you in this situation.
Where can I find more information?
Speak to insurance companies for details on their policies. For tenancy information visit www.dbh.govt.nz or call 0800 TENANCY (0800 83 62 62).
Services & Utilities:At the beginning of your tenancy, it’s up to you to have the electricity, gas and telephone connected and transferred to your name. When you leave, it is your responsibility to arrange final meter readings and disconnection of these services as well as a having your mail re-directed to your new address.
Lawn & Garden Maintenance
Unless stated as a special condition in your Tenancy Agreement, all lawns and gardens are your responsibility. We have some preferred contractors that we can recommend if you want to employ a helping hand.
Routine Inspections
We inspect all the rental properties under our management every 3 months during a tenancy. Tenants are given 24 hours verbal notice before a routine inspection and it is important that we are able to contact you in order to be able to do this.
- some of the items we check include:
- Lawn and garden maintenance.
- The general appearance and tidiness of the interior and exterior of the property.
- How clean you have kept the oven and grill, bathrooms, toilets, carpets/floor coverings, light fittings, bench tops and surfaces, exhaust fans, mirrors, curtains, windows etc.
