NZ Paper Bond Forms Discontinued 2026: What Landlords Need to Know

Tenancy Services stopped accepting paper bond forms on 29 June 2026. If you still mail printed forms to Porirua when a tenancy ends or a flatmate changes, that process has ended.

Which Paper Forms Were Retired

Three paper forms used for refunds and changes were retired on 29 June 2026:

• Bond Refund Form (Form T2) — used to release bond money at the end of a tenancy
• Change of Tenant Form — used when a flatmate leaves and a new tenant moves in
• Change of Landlord/Agent Form — used when a property sells or management transfers

Bond lodgements and top-ups were already available online. Since 29 June 2026, landlords must use Bond Hub or connected property management software for bond lodgements, refunds, tenant changes, and landlord changes; paper forms are no longer accepted. Tenancy Services lists limited non-digital options for specific situations.

What You Need to Do Now

The first thing to sort out is a working Bond Hub account. You can register using RealMe, Microsoft, or Google. If you have a bond currently lodged with Tenancy Services, you will need your Landlord ID to register; landlords without an active bond can register without one.

Once registered, you can use Bond Hub to submit refund requests, process tenant changes, and update landlord details. Tenants receive an electronic notification and have 12 working days to agree or disagree with a refund request.

What Stays the Same

The underlying rules did not change. General bonds still cap at four weeks' rent. A pet bond can be up to two weeks' rent when the tenant started keeping the pet on or after 1 December 2025 and the bond is a condition of the landlord's consent. The 23-working-day lodgement deadline still applies. Once all tenants agree to a Bond Hub refund request, the refund is paid the following day; a completed application can take up to 10 working days to process.

The shift is administrative — paper to digital — and did not change your legal obligations.

Why This Matters for Self-Managing Landlords

Property management companies may use software that connects directly to Tenancy Services. The landlords most affected are self-managers who relied on printing forms, getting physical signatures, and posting paperwork. If that describes you, register for Bond Hub now so you can manage transactions digitally when a tenancy ends.

For a complete walkthrough of the digital lodgement process, including the Bond Hub workflow and a dated compliance checklist, see the NZ Bond Lodgement Guide.

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