Pets in Rentals NZ: What Landlords Need to Know in 2026

The New Framework at a Glance

Since 1 December 2025, the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 has required landlords to follow a formal consent process when a tenant asks to keep a pet. The default position flipped: you must grant consent unless you have reasonable grounds to refuse under Section 42F of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.

That change affects pet-consent requests across existing tenancies, along with bonds and damage liability. Here is what matters for a self-managing landlord.

The Pet Consent Process

When your tenant submits a written pet request, you have 21 calendar days to respond in writing. The clock starts the day after deemed service (add working-day buffers for post or letterbox delivery under Sections 136 and 136A). Silence is not deemed consent — it is an unlawful act carrying exemplary damages of up to $1,500.

Your written response must either grant consent (with or without conditions) or refuse with specific reasonable grounds. A refusal that does not cite evidence-based grounds is itself an unlawful act, also up to $1,500.

Pet Bonds

If you approve a pet, you may require a pet bond of up to two weeks' rent, in addition to any general bond of up to four weeks' rent. The pet bond is per tenancy, not per pet — you cannot charge a separate bond for each animal. Lodge it online through the MBIE Bond Hub within 23 working days of collection, and issue the tenant a written receipt specifying "pet bond."

Pets that were lawfully present before 1 December 2025 are grandfathered. You cannot retrospectively require a pet bond or consent application for them.

Reasonable Grounds for Refusal

Section 42F lists the grounds you may rely on. They include: the property is physically unsuitable (no secure fencing for a dog, for example), a body corporate operational rule prohibits the animal, the tenant has not met council bylaw requirements such as dog registration, the animal poses a genuine safety or nuisance risk, or the tenant refuses your reasonable conditions.

A general dislike of animals, fear of wear, or a blanket "no pets" policy is not a reasonable ground. Each request must be assessed on its individual merits.

Pet Damage Liability

Under Section 49B, pet damage is explicitly carved out of the four-week careless-damage cap. That means tenants are liable for the full actual cost of pet damage beyond fair wear and tear — the liability is uncapped. Both the pet bond and the general bond can be applied against verified damage, and if the total security is insufficient you can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal for the balance.

Document everything: dated entry and exit photos, professional cleaning or repair invoices, and condition reports. The Tribunal applies depreciation (IRD useful-life tables), so you recover the depreciated value, not new-for-old replacement cost.

What Changed for Existing Tenancy Agreements

Section 42D(1) and (2) apply only to tenancy agreements made on or after 1 December 2025. An earlier agreement's existing "no pets" clause remains part of that agreement, but it does not let you bypass the written consent process or refuse a request without reasonable grounds. Assess a request under Sections 42E and 42F.

Penalties for Getting It Wrong

The penalty regime is symmetrical. Landlords face up to $1,500 in exemplary damages for failing to respond on time, refusing without grounds, demanding an unlawful fee, or requiring a pet bond for a disability assist dog. Tenants face up to $750 for keeping a pet without written consent or a tenancy-agreement provision allowing it.

Where to Start

The 21-day deadline is the most common trap — property managers handle it automatically, but self-managing landlords need their own system for logging receipt dates, service calculations, and written responses. A structured process protects you from both the $1,500 penalty and the cost of an undocumented damage claim.

Our Pets in Rentals NZ guide walks through each step from request intake to bond lodgement, with dated worksheets for every stage. If you just need the compliance checklist, grab the free download to see the process at a glance.

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