Alternatives to a myRent Subscription for NZ Rent Increases

myRent is a self-management platform for New Zealand landlords that automates rent increase notices, bond tracking, and tenant communication at $20 NZD per month plus GST. If you manage multiple properties and want a centralised dashboard for all your tenancy admin, it earns the subscription. But if you need one rent increase on one property once a year, paying $240+ annually for a subscription platform is solving the wrong problem.

Here are the alternatives, from free to purpose-built.

Option 1: Free Tenancy Services Form T190 (Free, Minimal)

MBIE's Form T190 is a free official template for a rent increase notice. Section 24 requires specific information in the written notice but does not require a rigid form. You can use the template, with or without a guide; the template leaves you to calculate the dates and check the tenancy requirements.

What it covers: The official notice template itself. What it does not cover: The 12-month frequency check, the 60-day notice calculation, the service delivery buffer for your posting method, the fixed-term clause verification, the bond top-up formula, or market rent evidence for a Tribunal challenge. You bring the dates; the form holds them.

Best for: Experienced landlords who have done this before and know the calculations. If you have never served a rent increase, the form alone leaves too many gaps.

Option 2: Step-by-Step Compliance Guide (One-Time, Purpose-Built)

A compliance guide walks you through every calculation the form leaves out: the 12-month audit, the notice period, the delivery buffer for each service method, the fixed-term clause check, and the bond top-up. It includes standalone worksheets you fill in alongside the official form.

The Rent Increases in New Zealand guide includes a Rent Increase History Log, a Service Buffer Calculator, a Fixed-Term Decision Tree, a Bond Top-Up Worksheet, a Market Rent Evidence Log, and a Notice Field Verification Checklist.

Cost: One-time purchase, under $40 NZD. No subscription, no account, no cloud storage. Best for: Self-managing landlords with one or two properties who want to get the notice right the first time without signing up for a platform.

Option 3: NZPIF Membership (Broad, Portfolio-Oriented)

The New Zealand Property Investors' Federation offers educational resources, notice templates, and regional market data through local association membership at $150–$300 NZD per year.

What it covers: Broad landlord education — legal updates, market analysis, networking events, template libraries. What it does not cover: A step-by-step rent increase workflow. The resources assume portfolio-level knowledge and are not structured as a compliance walkthrough for a single notice.

Best for: Active property investors who want ongoing industry engagement. Overkill for one rent increase.

Option 4: One-Off Property Manager Consultation (Expensive, Comprehensive)

Some property management agencies offer one-off rent review consultations. They pull comparable market data, calculate the notice period, and either serve the notice or advise you on service. Expect to pay $100–$250 NZD for a standalone consultation, or you could sign a full management agreement at 7%–10% of gross rent.

What it covers: Someone else does the calculations and may serve the notice for you. What it does not cover: Your understanding of the process. Next year, you are back to square one unless you pay again.

Best for: Landlords who want the increase handled for them once without committing to ongoing management. More expensive than a guide, less expensive than full management.

Option 5: Community Law Centre or Citizens Advice (Free, Limited)

Community Law Centres and Citizens Advice Bureau offer free legal information. They can explain the statutory requirements and point you to the right forms. However, they are primarily tenant-focused and do not provide landlord-oriented worksheets, date calculators, or compliance templates.

What it covers: General legal information about rent increase rules. What it does not cover: Landlord-specific workflows, document preparation, or market rent evidence compilation.

Best for: A starting point if you have questions about the law but do not want to pay for anything. Not a replacement for a structured compliance process.

How They Compare

Who This Is For

• Landlords who looked at myRent, decided a monthly subscription was too much for one annual task, and want a targeted alternative
• Self-managing landlords with one or two properties in New Zealand
• Accidental landlords renting out a former home who want a standalone compliance tool, not a platform
• Anyone who prefers offline, PDF-based reference materials over storing tenancy data in a third-party cloud service

Who This Is NOT For

• Landlords managing three or more properties who genuinely benefit from centralised tenant management, rent tracking, and automated communications — myRent is designed for you
• Anyone who already has myRent and is happy with it — if the subscription is earning its cost, keep it
• Landlords who want full delegation — that is a property manager, not a guide or a platform

Frequently Asked Questions

Does myRent generate a rent increase notice automatically?

myRent generates a rent increase notice from the tenancy data stored in the platform. The generated notice includes the required statutory fields. You still need to serve the notice using an approved method — the platform does not physically deliver it for you.

Can I subscribe to myRent for one month, do the rent increase, and cancel?

Yes — myRent operates on a month-to-month basis with no long-term contract. A one-month subscription costs $20 NZD plus GST ($23 NZD total). You would need to input your full tenancy data — property details, tenant details, bond amounts, tenancy dates — to use the rent increase tool. For a single increase, a one-time compliance guide achieves the same outcome without the data entry.

Is the free form from Tenancy Services really not enough?

If you already know how to calculate the deemed service date for your delivery method, verify the 12-month rule against the effective date (not the service date) of the last increase, and check whether your fixed-term agreement contains a rent review clause — then the form is sufficient. If any of that was new information, the form alone leaves gaps that can invalidate your notice.

What if I need help with other tenancy tasks, not just rent increases?

If you need bond management, inspection scheduling, maintenance tracking, and rent collection alongside the rent increase, a platform like myRent or a property manager starts making financial sense. The alternatives listed here are for the rent increase specifically. If your needs are broader, weigh the cost of the platform against the cost of your time managing each task separately.

Does a compliance guide update when the law changes?

The guide states the rules as at its publication date. New Zealand tenancy law changes in discrete legislative phases — the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 introduced staged reforms through 2025, but the core rent increase mechanics (Section 24, 60-day notice, 12-month rule) have not changed. If a future amendment alters the rent increase process, the guide would need updating, while a platform like myRent would update its automated tools.

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