As your property management specialists, our job at Ray White Taupō is to keep you informed of significant changes to tenancy law. A major update is coming into effect on December 1, 2025, which will fundamentally change how pets are managed in rental properties.
This change, part of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act, aims to make it easier for New Zealanders to find a home for their entire family.
This is not a minor suggestion; it’s a legal change to your obligations and rights. We’ve broken down the new rules to ensure you are fully informed and prepared.
The most critical change is this: landlords can no longer have a blanket “no pets” clause in their tenancy agreements.
From December 1, you must have “reasonable grounds” to refuse a tenant’s request to keep a pet.
Refusing a pet will now require justification. The Act outlines “reasonable grounds” such as:
You cannot refuse a pet simply because you “don’t like pets.”
To balance these new rules, the legislation introduces a separate “pet bond.”
The new law makes it clear: tenants are fully liable for any accidental or deliberate damage caused by their pet. This new pet bond provides a specific financial pool to cover this, separate from the main bond.
If you have your investment properties managed by Ray White Taupō you can rest assured that we will make all necessary adjustments, however, if you have any questions or are unsure on any of the new legislation we welcome you to contact us.
This is great news, but it comes with clear responsibilities. We’ve broken this down for new and existing tenants.
If you are a current tenant and your landlord has already approved your pet (before December 1, 2025), your existing agreement remains valid.
A landlord cannot retroactively charge a “pet bond” for a pet that was already approved under your current tenancy agreement.
The new rules are complex, but we’re here to make compliance simple.
For any further questions, please contact your property manager directly.
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