Before you move into a rental property, you will be asked to pay a Bond as a part of the tenancy agreement. It can be used to cover any tenancy debt for unpaid rent, or to cover costs for cleaning, gardening, the repair of any damages you cause, or to pay for any other end of tenancy costs arising at the end of the tenancy.

The Bond is normally three weeks rent for unfurnished properties. If you are looking to rent a furnished property, or if there is agreement for you to have pets at the property, then you may need to pay four weeks rent as your Bond – the maximum allowed under the Residential Tenancies Act.

The Bond will be included on the Tenancy Agreement as part of the total sum required to be paid to our office before we give you the keys to the property.

If you are currently renting a property from us, and the Property Manager for that tenancy approves the transfer of the Bond from that tenancy, then this may be possible. If you are not currently renting from us, we do not accept Bond Transfers under any circumstances. You will need to pay the new Bond to us before the tenancy begins.

The law requires that all Bonds are to be paid by the Landlord to the Bond Centre, which is part of the Department of Building and Housing.

The Bond Centre will process the Bond that they receive and post you a receipt showing the Bond Number and amount, and giving you a form to use to claim the Bond back once the tenancy ends. You should keep this notice with your tenancy agreement, and should quote the Bond Number when querying any Bond related matter.

The Bond Centre telephone: 0800-737-666

Prior to you moving out, we will post you a letter confirming the end of your tenancy. We will include an End of Tenancy Checklist: 18 Things To Do to get your Bond back - CLICK HERE

Getting your Bond back requires two things to happen:

1. Once the check-list items are completed to our satisfaction, then we will send via facsimile an authorisation to the Bond Centre to release it; and
   
2. The Bond Centre needs to be sure that they are paying it to the right person. For this reason, we recommend that you complete the Bond form, enter bank account numbers and have EVERY tenant sign the form.

The Bond Centre will only refund Bonds by direct credit, so you need to have a New Zealand bank account open to receive the funds.

If the items on the End of Tenancy Checklist: 18 Things To Do to get your Bond back - CLICK HERE are not done, then we will arrange for them to be completed and claim the costs from the Bond.