Tenancy Bonds in NZ: How to Charge, Lodge and Refund a Bond Correctly

Updated September 2026. The bond is the part of a New Zealand tenancy with the most rules and the least room for improvisation. It is the tenant's money, held by the government, and the landlord's job is to move it in and out correctly and on time. Here is the full lifecycle, with the numbers that matter.

How much you can ask for

Up to four weeks' rent for the general bond. Not a month, and nothing extra "for cleaning" or "for keys". If the rent later goes up, you can ask the tenant to top the bond up to four weeks of the new rent, but you cannot demand it before the increase takes effect.

Pet bonds (from 1 December 2025)

Since 1 December 2025 a landlord can also take a pet bond of up to two weeks' rent where the tenant keeps a pet with the landlord's consent (or the agreement allows pets). Only one pet bond can be held at a time, however many pets there are, and it is lodged with Tenancy Services in the same way as the general bond. Disability assist dogs are exempt from both consent and pet bonds, and a pet that was already lawfully in the property before 1 December 2025 cannot have a pet bond or new conditions added retrospectively. Tenants are responsible for all pet-related damage beyond fair wear and tear, so the pet bond is on top of, not instead of, that liability.

Receipting it

Give the tenant a written receipt the day you receive the money, showing the amount, date, address and what it is for. Bank transfers with a clear reference are acceptable evidence, but a receipt removes any argument later.

Lodging it

You must lodge the bond with Tenancy Services within 23 working days of receiving it. Working days exclude weekends and public holidays, so in practice it is about a month (our working days calculator counts it for you). Lodgement is free and, since December 2024, is done online — signatures on paper forms are no longer used. If you don't have property-management software that lodges bonds for you, use Bond Hub, the Tenancy Services self-service portal: you verify your identity once (RealMe, Microsoft or Google), then lodge general bonds, add a pet bond to an existing tenancy, and process top-ups from one dashboard. The tenant gets an email link to confirm and doesn't need their own account. Both parties get confirmation with the bond number — save it.

Not lodging on time is an unlawful act, and the Tenancy Tribunal can award exemplary damages to the tenant on top of ordering the bond lodged. Put the deadline in your calendar the day the money arrives; it is the single easiest compliance failure to avoid and the one most often penalised.

During the tenancy

The bond just sits there. You cannot use it for rent arrears mid-tenancy, and the tenant cannot use it as the last few weeks' rent (an agreement to do so is unlawful). If the tenant changes — a flatmate moves out and another moves in — the bond can be transferred between named tenants with a change-of-tenant form, which is far simpler than refunding and re-lodging.

At the end

Do the exit inspection against the entry report, ideally with the tenant present, and agree in writing what, if anything, is to be deducted. Legitimate deductions are unpaid rent, damage beyond fair wear and tear (with evidence and quotes), and cleaning or rubbish removal needed to return the property to its starting condition. Fair wear and tear — worn carpet in a hallway, small nail holes, faded paint — is not deductible.

Then one of two things happens:

  • Agreement. Both parties confirm the bond refund, which states how much goes to each. Tenancy Services pays out, usually within a few working days. Refunds are moving onto Bond Hub during 2026.
  • Disagreement. Either party applies to the Tenancy Tribunal. The bond stays lodged until the Tribunal orders how it is split. The party claiming a deduction has to prove it, which is where the entry inspection report and dated photographs decide the outcome.

Do not sit on the refund. A landlord who delays a refund without a claim is exposed to a Tribunal application and costs.

Records to keep

The receipt, lodgement confirmation, entry and exit inspection reports, any change-of-tenant forms and the refund confirmation. Keep them for at least the length of time a claim could be brought, and for seven years if any amount was treated as income (retained bond for damage is taxable income in the year you receive it).

Checklist

  1. General bond no more than four weeks' rent; pet bond (if any) no more than two weeks' rent, one per tenancy.
  2. Receipt given same day.
  3. Lodged online (Bond Hub or your software) within 23 working days; confirmation and bond number saved.
  4. Never used for rent during the tenancy.
  5. Exit inspection against entry report; deductions itemised with evidence.
  6. Refund confirmed promptly, or Tribunal application filed.

The bond register in our Landlord Compliance Kit tracks receipt date, lodgement deadline, confirmation number and refund status per tenancy, but a single spreadsheet row with those five columns does the job too.

Related: what must be in an NZ tenancy agreement · periodic vs fixed-term tenancy · rental inspection checklist.

General information only, not legal advice. Bond rules are set by the Residential Tenancies Act and administered by Tenancy Services; confirm current requirements at tenancy.govt.nz.

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