Ashley Church: Government to ban landlords from ending tenancies without reason

Landlords will no longer be able to get rid of tenants without reason, under law changes due to be announced today. At present, landlords can give a tenant 90 days' notice without having to provide a reason and 42 days' notice in some circumstances, such as landlords or their family wanting to move in, or if the property has been sold. Tenants have to give only 21 days' notice. The Government plans to remove the right of landlords to end a tenancy for no cause and to increase notice periods for some specified reasons. Landlords will have to give tenants 63 days' notice if the property is to be vacated for family use, and 90 days if the property has been sold – both an increase on the current 42 days' notice. Anti-social behavior and rent arrears will still be cause for eviction notices but the Government is proposing to require the landlord to apply to the Tenancy Tribunal in such cases with three notices of such behaviour or arrears within a 90-day period. Landlords will also be limited to one rent increase a year instead of the current law which allows rents to rise every six months. Associate Housing Minister Kris Faafoi is planning to hold a press conference this afternoon to announce a raft of changes to the Residential Tenancies Act. The changes are being promoted as giving tenants greater security as the number of households renting increases – about 32 per cent now compared with 25 per cent about 20 years ago. Former Housing Minister Phil Twyford pushed through a ban on letting fees. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.