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Rental inspection and entry notice template (NZ)

For a routine inspection in NZ, give the tenant written notice at least 48 hours and no more than 14 days ahead, visit between 8am and 7pm, and inspect no more than once every 4 weeks. Fill in the form to print a notice that states the right rule for your reason for entry.

This letter is from the landlord or property manager to the tenant. Nothing you type is sent anywhere: it stays in this browser so you can come back to it.

Fields marked with a star are needed for the letter.

So the tenant can ask questions or suggest another time.

Each reason has its own notice rule, printed in the letter. Showing the property to buyers, new tenants or valuers needs the tenant's consent, not just notice.

Count from when the notice is treated as received, not when you send it. Inspection: at least 48 hours and no more than 14 days later. Repairs or healthy homes work: at least 24 hours later.

Inspections and repairs must be between 8am and 7pm.

No later than 7pm.

For repairs and healthy homes work the notice must give the reason for entry, so describe the job here.

Delivery time is added before the notice period starts. Email only counts if it is the electronic address for service in the tenancy agreement.

Your letter

To: [Tenant name or names]

Property: [Rental property address]

Date this notice is given: [Date this notice is given]

Entry to the rental property

Dear [Tenant name or names],

I would like to enter the property on [Date of entry] between [Arriving from] and [Finished by], [Reason for entry]

Attending: [Who will attend]

This notice was [How you are giving this notice]

If you would like to be there, or the time does not suit, please contact me on [Your phone number or email] and we can talk about another time.

Kind regards,

Signature

[Landlord or property manager name]

The rules in New Zealand

How much notice a landlord must give depends on why they are coming in. The Residential Tenancies Act sets a separate rule for each reason, and the notice counts from when the tenant is treated as receiving it.

Notice and hours for each reason

  • Routine inspection: written notice at least 48 hours and no more than 14 days before the visit, naming the day. Entry between 8am and 7pm, and no more than one inspection in any 4 week period.
  • Checking that the tenant has finished work they agreed to do, or were asked to do to fix a breach: the same 48 hours to 14 days' notice and 8am to 7pm hours, after the deadline for the work has passed.
  • Necessary repairs or maintenance: at least 24 hours' notice that says why you are coming. Entry between 8am and 7pm on any day.
  • Work to meet, or prepare for, the healthy homes standards or the smoke alarm rules: at least 24 hours' notice giving the reason, and entry between 8am and 7pm.
  • Showing the home to prospective tenants, buyers, a registered valuer, a real estate agent or another expert: you need the tenant's consent first, and the visit must be at a reasonable time. The tenant cannot unreasonably refuse, and can set reasonable conditions.
  • Cosmetic work or improvements that are not necessary: only at a time you and the tenant agree.
  • An emergency, such as a fire or flooding: no notice is needed.

Allow for delivery time

A notice is not received the moment you send it. Tenancy Services sets out when each delivery method counts as received:

  • Handed to the tenant in person: straight away.
  • Left in the letterbox or attached clearly to the door: 2 working days after delivery.
  • Posted: the fourth working day after posting.
  • Sent to the electronic address for service in the tenancy agreement: the same day if sent before 5pm, or the next working day if sent after 5pm.

Add the delivery time first, then the 48 or 24 hours. Weekends, national public holidays, your regional anniversary day, Good Friday to the Tuesday after Easter, and 24 December to 3 January are not working days, so a posted notice can need a week or more of lead time. Handing the notice over, or emailing it before 5pm, keeps the count simple.

Other rules worth knowing

  • The tenant can agree to let you in on the day. Consent freely given at, or just before, the time of entry makes the entry lawful without notice.
  • Entering without the right notice or consent is an unlawful act. Using force, or threatening it, to get in while the tenant or their visitor is inside is a criminal offence.
  • A tenant who refuses, without reasonable excuse, to allow entry the law permits also commits an unlawful act.
  • Boarding houses have different notice periods and hours. This template is for ordinary residential tenancies.

Keep a copy of every notice and a note of how and when you gave it. That record is your proof if a date is ever questioned. For what to look at on the day, use the rental inspection checklist.

Rules checked 23 September 2026 against the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (version as at 1 December 2025) and Tenancy Services guidance.

Common questions

Can I send the notice by text message?

Tenancy Services lists the ways to serve a notice as handing it over, the letterbox or door, post, and the electronic address for service written in the tenancy agreement, for example an email address. Text messages are not on that list, so give the notice one of those ways and send a text as a friendly reminder if you like.

Does the tenant have to be home for an inspection?

No. Tenancy Services suggests asking whether they want to be there, and if they will be out, inviting them to leave a note of anything they want you to look at.

Can I inspect more often than every 4 weeks?

Not for routine inspections: the limit is one in any 4 week period. Entry for necessary repairs, or with the tenant's consent given at the time, is a different ground with its own rules, so a repair visit does not use up the inspection.

What if the tenant will not let me in?

Talk first, because the time may simply not suit. If the entry is lawful and the tenant refuses without a reasonable excuse, that is an unlawful act, and the disputes process through Tenancy Services, including mediation and the Tenancy Tribunal, is the route. Never force entry.

How often should I inspect?

The law sets a maximum, not a minimum. Many landlords inspect every few months, and Tenancy Services notes that some insurers require proof of regular inspections, so check your policy wording.

Related guides

More free tools

Official sources

Rules checked against official sources on 23 September 2026. This is general information for NZ landlords and tenants, not legal advice. For the current rules, see tenancy.govt.nz.