Before you move in

Your tenancy agreement

A tenancy agreement is a contract between a landlord and a tenant. It records all the key things that a landlord and a tenant have agreed to about the tenancy.

You will be asked to sign a tenancy agreement before you move into your new home. This is the agreement between you (the tenant) and Accessible Properties (the landlord) and is signed by both parties.

The agreement will be written up by Accessible Properties.

Landlord: Accessible Properties NZ Ltd
Tenant: Person(s) who will live in the house
Address: Property address

Our responsibilities

If we enter into a tenancy agreement with you, we will:

• Make sure your house or flat is in good condition and that the locks and fastenings are adequate
• Make sure your house meets building codes and health and safety standards
• Arrange for essential repairs to be done as quickly as possible
• Give you 24 hours’ notice before doing any planned maintenance work
• Give you 48 hours’ notice before an inspection
• Make sure there are working smoke alarms in your property and replace, where applicable, with smoke alarms with long-life batteries
• Inform you of what insulation is in your property and ensure that we meet all requirements as a social housing landlord
• Accessible Properties will test for methamphetamine before your tenancy commences, may test on inspection and will test when your tenancy ends

Your responsibilities

By signing the tenancy agreement, you agree that you will:

• Pay your rent on time
• Keep your house and garden tidy and not damage the property – if friends, family or visitors damage the property, you need to pay for the repairs
• Call us when repairs are needed
• Pay your phone and power bills, and for light bulbs and water rates if applicable
• Let us know immediately if your income, your partner’s income or the number of people living in your house or unit changes – if you’re paying income-related rent
• Leave the property clean and tidy, remove all your possessions, and return all sets of keys when you move out
• Consider your neighbours
• Not let anyone else rent your house or let anyone other than you and your family live there without our permission
• Not use the property for an unlawful purpose or let anyone else use it for unlawful purposes
• Not change the locks on your house or flat without our agreement

Breach of responsibilities

If you break the conditions of your agreement and it is something that can be fixed, we will ask you to fix the problem within 14 days. If you don’t fix the problem, we will ask for mediation or go direct to the Tenancy Tribunal to end your tenancy and get you to pay any money owed to us.

If you are having difficulty paying your rent, let us know immediately as we may be able to help you with other subsidies such as:

• More suitable arrangements to pay money you owe
• Offer suggestions to help you get budget advice.

If you break the conditions of your agreement, and it has a serious impact on us or any other person, we will ask the Tenancy Tribunal to end your tenancy immediately.

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