Flexible leasing blends short-term stays, three to six-month corporate mid-term lets, and standard fixed-term tenancies to match shifting Wellington tenant demand. Wellington City Council’s proposed 2.6x short-term accommodation rates differential is reshaping the maths towards mid-term corporate lets, while the Residential Tenancies Act still governs every agreement over 90 days. The Evolution of Leasing in […]
Category Archives: Landlords
Wellington landlords can minimise vacancy by reading rapid market feedback (enquiry volume in the first 7-10 days), pricing against live comparable stock rather than last year’s rent, presenting the property professionally, and using tenant incentives instead of blanket price cuts. Multi-channel marketing and fast, RTA-compliant screening then convert that interest into a signed tenancy before […]
Wellington landlords should set rent by triangulating three data points: MBIE bond lodgement medians (what tenants actually pay), live Trade Me listing activity (what competing properties ask right now), and a vacancy cost calculation (what a price cut saves versus an empty property). In today’s softer, more balanced market, disciplined pricing beats guesswork or ego-driven […]
A strategic property maintenance schedule is one of the highest-return activities a Wellington landlord can undertake. Property Brokers’ analysis of $15.3 million in maintenance spend across 8,750 NZ rental properties found the average property required $1,746 in maintenance per year, with repairs and maintenance (33%), plumbing and gas (23%), and electrical work (11%) accounting for […]
The Wellington rental market is in early recovery after a difficult 2025. Median rents, which fell from $650 to around $595 per week in the year to November 2025, showed signs of stabilising by early 2026, with a 16% increase in rental demand recorded in January 2026. Supply is beginning to ease from its peak […]
Tenant retention is the most cost-effective strategy available to a Wellington landlord. Every time a good tenant leaves, an investor faces lost rent during vacancy, re-letting costs, and the risk of a lower-quality replacement. In a Wellington market where rental listings peaked at over 1,700 in mid-2025, the highest in a decade, keeping a reliable, […]
Landlord insurance is a specialist policy designed for rental property owners that covers risks standard home insurance does not, including tenant-related damage, loss of rent, malicious damage, methamphetamine contamination, and landlord liability. As of late 2024, obtaining landlord insurance in Wellington has become significantly more challenging, with many insurers limiting new policies or declining cover […]
Wellington landlords and property investors must declare all rental income in an annual IR3 tax return. Allowable deductions include mortgage interest (now 100% deductible from 1 April 2025), rates, insurance, property management fees, repairs, and maintenance. The Bright-line test taxes profits on residential property sold within two years of purchase (for sales from 1 July […]
If your landlord won’t fix something in your rental, you have clear legal rights under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. Start by reporting the issue in writing and keeping records of all communication. If there is no response, issue a formal 14-day Notice to Remedy. If the problem remains unresolved, apply to the Tenancy Tribunal, […]









