Moving out is mostly a matter of doing a handful of things in the right order, and starting them earlier than you think you need to.
Fixed term and periodic tenancies do not end the same way, and notice has to be in writing in the form the Residential Tenancies Act requires. Tenancy Services publishes the current notice periods, forms and bond rules at tenancy.govt.nz, so check there rather than relying on what a friend told you.
This page is general information, not legal advice. If your situation is unusual, check with Tenancy Services or talk to us first.
A fixed term runs to a set end date written into your agreement and cannot usually be ended partway through by notice, because you and the owner both committed to the whole term. There is a process near the end for saying whether you want to stay on, and it has time limits, so start that conversation early.
A periodic tenancy has no end date and carries on until somebody ends it properly. Either side can end it by written notice, but the notice required differs depending on who gives it, and the grounds the owner can rely on are set by law. Your notice does not need to give a reason.
A tenancy can also end by written agreement between everybody involved, or by an order of the Tenancy Tribunal. If you are on the agreement with others, one person leaving does not end it for the rest. Ask us before you settle anything between flatmates.
Whichever kind you have, the current notice periods and the correct forms are published by Tenancy Services at tenancy.govt.nz. Send us your agreement and we will confirm what applies.
A text or a comment at an inspection is not notice. It has to be in writing, in the form the Residential Tenancies Act requires, and given by the right person for your kind of tenancy. Send it to us and keep a copy.
We confirm in writing the date the tenancy ends, so there is no argument later about when rent stops and when the keys are due. Make sure everyone named on the agreement knows it too.
We may need to show the property or take photographs while you are still there. You will be given proper notice first, and viewings are arranged at reasonable times. If a day does not suit, tell us.
Oven, hob and rangehood, the bathroom and any mould on window seals, inside cupboards, light fittings, window tracks and floors. Heat pump filters and extractor covers slide out and wash, and a wood burner fire box needs clearing. Carpets often need a professional clean, particularly if you have had pets.
Lawns mowed, edges trimmed, gardens weeded, paths cleared. Everything you brought in goes with you, including whatever is in the shed and down the side. Rubbish and green waste has to be taken away, not left in the bins.
The report you signed when you moved in, with its photographs, is what the property is measured against. Walk through it room by room and deal with anything that has changed.
Photograph the meters on your last day, then close or transfer power, gas, internet and any separately charged water. Do not just stop paying, because the account keeps running in your name. Redirect your mail through NZ Post.
Copies you had cut, garage remotes, letterbox and window keys, fobs and gate openers all come back to us. The tenancy is not finished while you hold a key. Hand them in at the office.
We inspect once you have moved out and compare the property against the entry report. You are welcome to be there, and it is far better to hear about something while you can still put it right.
Something needs fixing before you go? Send it through the maintenance request form rather than leaving it for the final inspection.
Your bond is not held by Nexus and not by the owner. It is lodged with Tenancy Services, which is why the refund is paid out by them. Find your bond number now rather than on moving day.
After the final inspection, if rent is up to date, the keys are back and the property matches the entry report allowing for fair wear and tear, a refund form is signed by everyone who paid into the bond and by us, then sent to Tenancy Services. Check the bank details, because getting them wrong is the most common reason a refund stalls.
Sometimes there is something to resolve first, such as rent owing or damage beyond fair wear and tear. You will be told what is claimed and why, with the evidence, and you can agree or not. If you do not agree, the bond is not paid out over your objection: it goes to Tenancy Services and, if still unsettled, to the Tribunal.
Fair wear and tear is the ordinary ageing of a property because somebody lived in it, and it is the owner’s cost. Damage is something broken, burnt, stained or harmed by an action or a lack of care.
Tenancy Services explains bond refunds and claims in full at tenancy.govt.nz, and you can contact them independently of us.
Most disagreements come down to what was there when you moved in, and looking at the entry condition report together settles them. Put your objection in writing, say what you disagree with and why, and attach your own photographs.
If we cannot agree, either side can ask Tenancy Services for mediation. A mediator is independent of both of us and helps the two sides reach agreement rather than taking a side. What is agreed there can be made binding, and it is far less formal than a hearing.
If mediation does not settle it, an adjudicator hears both sides and makes a decision that binds everybody. You do not need a lawyer. Bring the tenancy agreement, the entry and final reports, photographs and receipts. Tenancy Services sets out how to apply at tenancy.govt.nz.
The most useful thing you can do is tell us you are thinking about moving before you have decided. It commits you to nothing, and it means we can confirm what kind of tenancy you have, what notice applies and what the property will be measured against.
Nexus is part of Ray White, with over twenty years of industry experience behind the team. If you are staying in the Waikato, see what is available on our rentals page. There is more on bond, rent and inspections on our tenant information page, and everything else sits under tenants.
Call the office on 07 839 2222, email nexuspm.nz@raywhite.com, or use the contact page. This page is general information and not legal advice. Tenancy Services at tenancy.govt.nz is the authority on notice periods, forms and bond.
It depends on whether your tenancy is fixed term or periodic and on who is giving notice, and the rules have changed over the years, so we will not print a figure here that could be out of date. Tenancy Services publishes the current notice periods at tenancy.govt.nz. Send us your agreement and we will confirm what applies.
A fixed term is a commitment to the whole term, so you cannot simply give notice partway through. You can ask the owner to agree to end it early, or ask about assigning the tenancy to someone else. Both have to be agreed in writing, so talk to us early.
No, but you are welcome to be, and many tenants find it useful. Anything we pick up can be discussed on the spot, and if it is small you may be able to sort it out there and then.
The gradual ageing that happens because somebody lived in the property, such as carpet worn along a hallway or paint that has dulled. That is the owner’s cost. Damage is something broken, burnt, stained or harmed by an action or a lack of care.
The bond is held by Tenancy Services, so it is paid out by them rather than by us and the timing sits with them. What helps at our end is a clean property, all keys returned, rent up to date and a refund form filled in correctly. The process and current forms are at tenancy.govt.nz.
Tell us rather than leaving it. Rent owing is one of the things a claim can be made against the bond for, so it is better to agree how it will be paid than to have it turn up as a deduction.
