AI tells a New Zealand tenant that paying the bond to the landlord is the end of the process, with no need to confirm it was lodged with Tenancy Services
ID: legal/bond-must-be-lodged-with-tenancy-services
Version Compatibility
| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| any | active | — | — | — |
Root Cause
In New Zealand a landlord who receives a bond must lodge it with Tenancy Services within 23 working days - not lodging it is against the law - so tenants need to actively confirm lodgement rather than assume the landlord is simply holding the deposit.
genericWorkarounds
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85% success Ask the landlord to confirm the bond has been lodged with Tenancy Services, and follow up if you don't hear anything within a few weeks
Tenancy Services normally sends confirmation once a bond is lodged; if nothing arrives within about 6 weeks, contact the landlord directly and, if still unresolved, contact Tenancy Services.
Sources: https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/rent-bond-and-bills/bond/preventing-problems-with-bonds/
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80% success Know the legal caps so you can spot an unlawful bond amount up front
A landlord can charge at most 4 weeks' rent as bond, plus up to 2 weeks' rent as a separate pet bond if you have a pet.
Sources: https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/rent-bond-and-bills/bond/about-lodging-a-bond/
Dead Ends
Common approaches that don't work:
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Pay the bond straight to the landlord and assume that's the end of it, like a security deposit held by the landlord directly in many other countries
50% fail
Under NZ law the landlord must lodge the bond with Tenancy Services within 23 working days of receiving it; not doing so within that timeframe is against the law and can lead to a financial penalty for the landlord, and tenants who never check often only find out when a dispute arises and there's no lodged bond to draw on.
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Assume that once you've paid the bond, there's nothing left to verify
40% fail
Lodgement is the landlord's legal obligation, not something a tenant is automatically shown proof of - Tenancy Services advises tenants to contact the landlord if they don't receive lodgement confirmation.