While the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA) generally applies to all residential tenancies, section 5 of the Act lists a significant number of situations where the Act is specifically excluded. Of particular relevance to family rental situations is s.5(1)(n), which excludes rentals where a rental property is used as a residence by the landlord, the owner of the premises, or a member of the landlord’s or owner’s family.

Changes to the Healthy Homes Standards (HHS) came into effect on 12 May 2022. In addition to the changes to heating (described in my previous blog), there are minor changes to the ventilation, and moisture ingress and drainage standards.

In response to feedback from the rental industry, the Government is to introduce a number of changes to the Healthy Homes Standards (HHS) for heating, ventilation, and moisture ingress and drainage.

There is some confusion about the differences between subletting and assigning. Both describe passing on a tenancy to another party but there are some significant differences.

While it seems tempting to make some additional money by letting your home as a holiday rental or a short-term rental, you should be aware of the differences between the two types of rentals and the issues around letting your home on a short-term basis.

With just under 5 weeks to go, it is countdown to Christmas and the summer holiday break. So now is a good time to discuss rental issues and considerations during this period.

All rental properties must comply with the minimum standards set out in the Healthy Homes Standards by 1 July 2024 but implementation is being introduced in stages.

If the media reporting is representational of widespread views, the changes to the property market announced by the Government this week have not made renters happy. They claim the changes do nothing to help them. In this they are quite correct – the changes were not intended to help them. They were specifically intended to deter investors from purchasing properties in an attempt to tip the balance in favour of first home buyers. The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act (RTAA) 2020, introduced in August last year, made the changes intended to help renters.

The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2020, passed in August 2020, introduces a number of changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 that take effect from 11 February 2021.