NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Ardern: Labour would end right to give tenants 90-day notice without cause

Audrey Young
By Audrey Young
Senior Political Correspondent·NZ Herald·
2 Sep, 2017 11:06 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Labour leader Jacinda Ardern talks Labour housing policy regarding tenancy laws at the home of the Lipsham family.

Key points:
• Abolish no-cause terminations of tenancies.
• Abolish all 42-day notice periods (allowed in limited cases) for 90 days.
• Limit rent increases to once a year, with a formula for increases included in tenancy agreement.
• Ban letting fees.
• Offer $2000 grants to landlords for insulation and heating.

It's not every father that would open up his home to the country's news media, on Father's Day of all days, and Ed Lipsham didn't look all that relaxed doing so.

But he and his wife, Amanda, and two children, Jahvaan and Nevada, have a housing story to tell.

So they agreed to MP Phil Twyford's request to share it on the day Labour announced a new policy strengthening tenants' rights - and to host Labour leader Jacinda Ardern for morning tea.

The Lipshams have moved rental houses four times in the past three years, mainly because the landlord has sold up in a rising market. They have moved eight times in the past 12 years.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Amanda says it sets them back $2000 or $3000 each time and made it harder to save for their own home.

Home ownership is still a goal for them, says Ed, but it's a long way off.

"At the moment it is pretty hard to get ahead.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's pretty frustrating. I feel like I'm letting my family down, you know."

Amanda says that moving the kids around has been the hardest part.

"Nevaeh, the youngest, she's only nine, she has attended four primary schools now and she has still got another year to go."

Not only did the children have to get to a new house, they had to get used to a new school and new friends and new uniforms and stationery.

Discover more

Opinion

Jacindamania: Real or media invention?

04 Sep 04:33 AM
Business

Renters get poor deal with property managers: Consumer NZ

03 Apr 11:55 PM

Ardern said Labour did not want to stop people selling their own properties "but what we can do is give a bit more notice to families affected by that".

At present, if a landlord sells a house with vacant possession or wants to move into the property, the minimum notice is 42 days.

That would be changed to 90 days under Labour's proposed changes to tenancy laws.

Labour would abolish the right of landlords to evict renters for no cause under changes leader Jacinda Ardern is promising to make to tenancy laws.

Landlords will still be able to terminate tenancies for just cause, such as rent arrears or damage to the property.

At present, the standard notice period is 90 days and landlords can give that without having to provide a reason.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Labour would also abolish the lesser 42-day notice period which is allowed under some circumstances, such as selling a property with vacant possession, or if the landlord wants to move in, and require all terminations of tenancies to be at least 90 days.

"Labour is committed to restoring the Kiwi dream of owning your own place," she said.

"We also recognise that long-term renting has become a reality for more families, but the current law creates instability and insecurity for many.

'We are going to fix this," she said.

"We want our rental system to be fair and take away stress for both tenants and landlords."

Abolishing the 42-days notice period for 90 days when a tenant property was being sold would ensure renters had the time to move their lives.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Rent increases would be limited to once a year instead of the current six months and the formula for rent increases would need to be set in tenancy agreements so that tenants knew what to expect.

Letting fees would also be abolished under law changes.

Ardern, who was accompanied by Twyford, said Labour would also change the law to allow tenants to "make a house a home".

They would allow an option of tenants paying double the bond in exchange for the ability to make minor alterations, such as painting a wall or putting up shelving, so long as the tenant returned the property to the state it was in at the start of the tenancy. The option would need to be agreed between the tenant and landlord.

She said Labour would also require all rental properties to be warm, dry and healthy to live in. It would offer landlords a grant of $2000 for insulation and heating work.

"These measures will help stop our kids get sick and dying of preventable diseases that have no place in a country like New Zealand.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's time to make renting a stable, healthy option for families."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Thunderstorms, heavy downpours tipped for Auckland and North Island during rush-hour

09 May 03:30 AM
New Zealand

'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

09 May 03:08 AM
New Zealand

'Scene of utter devastation': Shopkeeper had only just moved in when Winz fire destroyed shop

09 May 03:00 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Thunderstorms, heavy downpours tipped for Auckland and North Island during rush-hour

Thunderstorms, heavy downpours tipped for Auckland and North Island during rush-hour

09 May 03:30 AM

Motorists are being warned to expect hazardous driving conditions.

'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

'Prime focus': Avocado industry targets global markets

09 May 03:08 AM
'Scene of utter devastation': Shopkeeper had only just moved in when Winz fire destroyed shop

'Scene of utter devastation': Shopkeeper had only just moved in when Winz fire destroyed shop

09 May 03:00 AM
Premium
Nine fires in five years: Environment Court rules on scrap metal dealer

Nine fires in five years: Environment Court rules on scrap metal dealer

09 May 03:00 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP