NZ Rent Increase Notice Form T190: What to Include and Where to Get It

The Official Form: MBIE Form T190

Tenancy Services (part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) publishes an official rent increase notice template called Form T190, current revision code T190 03/25. You can download it free from tenancy.govt.nz in both PDF and Word format.

Section 24 of the Residential Tenancies Act does not legally require you to use the MBIE form — it specifies what the notice must contain, not what form it takes. But using T190 is the simplest way to meet every requirement in one document.

For boarding house tenancies, the equivalent form is T190-B.

What the Notice Must Include

Whether you use Form T190 or draft your own, a valid rent increase notice must state:

1. Full names of all landlords and all named tenants on the tenancy agreement
2. Property address of the rented premises
3. Current rent amount (weekly or fortnightly, in dollars)
4. New rent amount (weekly or fortnightly, in dollars) — the exact figure, not a percentage
5. Effective date when the new rent becomes payable (day/month/year)
6. Signature of the landlord or authorised property manager
7. Landlord contact details (phone, email, physical service address)
8. Service method used to deliver the notice, with the working-day allowance noted

Missing any of these makes the notice defective. A defective notice is legally invalid — the tenant does not have to pay the higher rent.

The Dollar Amount Requirement

The notice must state the new rent as an exact dollar figure. Phrases like "market rent" or "to be confirmed" are not valid. The tenant needs to know exactly what they will pay and from when.

Both the current and new weekly (or fortnightly) rent should appear so the increase amount is clear. Form T190 has separate fields for both.

Serving the Notice

Completing the form is only half the job. You must also serve it properly under Section 136 of the RTA, giving the tenant at least 60 calendar days' notice from the deemed date of receipt. The service method you choose adds working-day buffer days:

• Hand delivery: 0 days
• Email (if the tenancy agreement allows electronic service; before 5 PM on a working day): 0 days
• Letterbox or door attachment: 2 working days
• Post: 4 working days

The service method checkbox on Form T190 exists for this reason — tick the method you used and record the date.

Common Form Mistakes

Wrong tenant names: if a tenant has been added or removed via a variation under Section 13B, the notice must list the current tenants — not the names from the original agreement.

Missing the effective date: stating "from next month" or leaving the date blank invalidates the notice.

Serving too late: filling in the form correctly but posting it with less than 60 days + service buffer before the effective date.

Wrong rent period: if the tenancy agreement specifies weekly rent, the notice should state the new weekly amount. Switching to fortnightly on the notice alone creates ambiguity.

If You Made a Mistake

You have three options:

1. Re-serve: send a fresh Form T190 with a full new 60-day notice period from the new deemed receipt date
2. Written agreement: get the tenant's written consent to correct the effective date
3. Tribunal application: apply to the Tenancy Tribunal for an order validating or extending the notice

Re-serving is the cleanest fix. It does cost you time — the new effective date will be later — but it removes any doubt about validity.

Beyond the Form

The form is the easy part. The harder part is getting the arithmetic right: is 12 months since the last increase? Does a fixed-term agreement allow a review? How many service buffer days around the next public holiday? The Rent Increases in New Zealand guide covers the full process with a step-by-step compliance checklist and worked examples.

See more New Zealand guides →