In New Zealand, a landlord can only increase the rent once every 12 months, and must give the tenant at least 60 days' notice in writing. The limit was six months until August 2020, so it is worth checking you are working to the current rule. Here is how the rule works, what a valid notice looks like, and how to decide on the figure.
How Often Can a Landlord Increase the Rent?
Once every 12 months. The increase can only take effect:
- at least 12 months after the tenancy started, and
- at least 12 months after the last rent increase took effect.
This applies to periodic and fixed-term tenancies. The limit used to be once every 180 days, and changed to 12 months on 12 August 2020.
How Much Notice Does a Landlord Have to Give?
At least 60 days, in writing. The notice must say what the new rent will be and the date it starts. Keep a copy.
You can send the notice before the 12 months are up, as long as the new rent does not start until the 12 months have passed. If a tenancy began on 1 March 2026, for example, the earliest the rent can go up is 1 March 2027, and the notice must reach the tenant by 31 December 2026 at the latest. Allow extra time if you post it, because a posted notice is not treated as served on the day you send it.
Boarding houses have their own rule: 28 days' notice, and still only once every 12 months.
Can Rent Go Up During a Fixed-term Tenancy?
Only if the tenancy agreement says it can. If the agreement is silent, the rent stays the same until the fixed term ends. When the agreement does allow it, the 12-month rule and the 60 days' notice still apply.
Is There a Limit on How Much the Rent Can Go Up?
No. The law does not cap the size of an increase. A tenant who thinks the new rent is well above what similar homes rent for can ask the landlord to reconsider, with evidence, and if that fails can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal to have the rent reviewed. A big jump that the market does not support is a risk to the tenancy as well as a Tribunal risk.
What If the Notice Was Wrong?
A notice with too little time, or with the wrong date or amount, does not take effect as written. The landlord can serve a fresh, correct notice, ask the tenant to agree to extend the notice period so it is correct, or apply to the Tenancy Tribunal to extend it.
Can the Rent Go Up Within 12 Months for Any Reason?
Only by agreement, in three situations: the landlord has improved the property, has improved the facilities or services, or has changed the tenancy agreement to the tenant's benefit. General or necessary repairs do not count as improvements. If the tenant will not agree, the landlord can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal. A landlord can also apply to the Tribunal for an increase if they have had unforeseen expenses since the rent last went up.
Can the Landlord Ask for More Bond When the Rent Goes Up?
Yes. The bond can be topped up to match the new rent, within the usual four-week limit. The tenant pays the extra when the increase takes effect, and the top-up is now lodged online through Tenancy Services' Bond Hub.
How Do You Decide What the New Rent Should Be?
Start with what similar homes nearby are renting for now, not what they were asking a year ago. Tenancy Services publishes a free market rent tool based on bond records, which is a good cross-check.
Weigh the figure against the cost of losing a good tenant. A vacancy of even a couple of weeks, plus letting costs, can wipe out a year of a modest increase.
How Aspire Handles Rent Reviews
We review the rent on every property we manage once a year and track each property's review date, so nothing is missed and no increase lands early. Each review comes with live comparable rents for your suburb, so you can see why we have recommended a figure before you approve it. We write and serve the notice, and arrange any bond top-up.
Want to know what your property should be renting for now? Ask us for a free rent appraisal.
This is general information based on the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 and Tenancy Services guidance as at November 2026. It is not legal advice. Check tenancy.govt.nz for the current rules.
