Tenant’s Responsibilities:
Do
- Always pay rent on time
- Pay the bills (unless they are included in the rent)
- Use the premises for residential purposes
- Keep the place clean and tidy
- Make sure your smoke alarms are working
- Notify the landlord ASAP of damages or repairs needed
- Be respectful to the property, other tenants and neighbours
- Ventilate each room regularly this is especially important in dark, damp Dunedin homes to prevent mould and mildew
Don’t
- Intentionally or carelessly cause damage
- Sublet without the landlord’s permission
- Block any fire escape points or disable smoke alarms
- Let anything illegal happen on the property
- Interfere with other tenants’ or neighbours’ peace, comfort or privacy
- Exceed the maximum occupancy in the tenancy agreement (partners can stay over but cannot move in)
- Interfere with any locks
- Sign a bond refund form where the refund amount has been left blank
Landlord/Property Manager’s responsibilities:
Do
- Make sure the flat is clean before tenants move in
- Provide receipts (unless tenants pay using online banking)
- Make sure the flat is secure
- Give tenants the house insurance details in their tenancy agreement
- Provide and maintain the property in a reasonable state of repair
- Provide working smoke alarms
- Meet all building, health, and safety standards under the laws that apply
- Provide a water supply
- Meet Healthy Homes Standards
- Compensate tenants if they have to pay for a serious or urgent repair and they couldn’t contact the landlord/property manager prior
- Make sure that other people (not on the contract) don’t interfere with the tenants’ reasonable peace, comfort, or privacy
- Lodge the bond within 23 working days after receiving it
Don’t
- Interfere with supply of gas, electricity, water, telephone services, or other services, except where it’s necessary to avoid danger or for maintenance
- Interfere with any existing locks
- Increase rent during a fixed-term tenancy (unless it is in the contract) or without the correct notice period. The minimum period between rent increases is twelve months.
- Ask for more rent until rent in advance has been used up
- Give tenants’ personal information to any external party without consent
- Breach the tenants’ right to quiet enjoyment of the property
- Decide to sell without giving proper notice
- Enter the property (inside) without the correct notice period
- Charge the tenant a letting fee or key money