Labour’s renter package landed yesterday, and it’s the biggest change since our last blog went up. Here’s how each party stacks up for landlords and tenants.
Where things sit now
No-cause evictions were reinstated at the end of 2024 under the current Government, and notice periods were adjusted to end a periodic tenancy with 90 days’ written notice, or 42 days for specific reasons such as the owner or their family moving in or the property being sold. interest
National
Nothing new on renting. Its election housing list covers first-home loans, parking rules, solar financing and granny flats, but no tenancy changes. Its policies include widening 5% deposit home loans, abolishing the blanket ban on minimum car parking, a Home Energy Fund, and enabling electrification in the planning system. A National-led government means today’s rules stay, including no-cause terminations.
Labour (announced 28 October)
This is the one you wanna be aware of!
Landlords would need a valid reason to end a tenancy, plus a duty of care to address serious hazards, and proper curtains or blinds added to the Healthy Homes Standards.
63 days’ notice when a landlord or their family wants to move in, and 90 days for sale, renovation or change of use. Insurers would be stopped from requiring routine inspections more often than every six months.
Labour would keep the limit of one rent increase every 12 months, and require landlords, including Kāinga Ora, to act on serious anti-social behaviour affecting neighbours.
Clear rules for property managers.
No rent cap, and interest deductibility stays.
Greens
The toughest on landlords. Cap rent increases at no more than 2% a year, get rid of no-cause evictions, an independently certified Rental Warrant of Fitness, and a national register of all landlords, property managers and boarding houses. They’d also require all rental tenancies to be offered as long-term or permanent tenancies and strengthen the Healthy Homes Standards. On top of that, they plan to remove interest deductibility for residential rentals and restore the bright-line test to 10 years.
ACT
The most landlord-friendly new policy. ACT would abolish loss ring-fencing, so residential rental losses from the day the policy takes effect could be offset against other taxable income, for existing homes and new builds. Losses already ring-fenced stay under the existing rules. That helps cash flow on negatively geared properties. No tenancy law changes announced this time.
NZ First
Nothing on tenancy rules. Its housing policies focus on social housing for citizens first, a 30-year population plan, and tighter infrastructure requirements for fast-track developers.
Opportunity
Focused on standards and supply, not tenancy rights. It would expand Warmer Kiwi Homes to cover eligible rentals, including double glazing, solar and electrification, and raise the minimum Healthy Homes Standards. Renters United said it was disappointed there’s no mention of repealing no-cause evictions. The land value tax still applies to rentals.
What it means for you!
The real fault line is now tenancy law. NZPIF’s Matt Ball says there’s a clear left/right divide on tax and the Residential Tenancies Act that looks hard to bridge, and sees the Greens and Te Pāti Māori as the wild cards.
For our clients, the practical takeaway is reassuring. Under Labour, the cost is mostly in admin and notice periods, not cash flow, and a good property manager handles that. If no-cause terminations go, tenant selection at the start matters even more, which is exactly what our handover with a property manager in place is built for. The Greens’ 2% cap and deductibility removal is the scenario that genuinely hits returns.
The fine print
This article is general information as at 29 October 2026, not financial, tax or legal advice. Party policies can change during the campaign and in coalition negotiations. Talk to a qualified adviser about your own situation. Property investing carries risk. We don't guarantee outcomes.
Sources
Party policy documents
Green Party housing policy 2026, Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Affordable Housing Policy, The Opportunity Party
Labour’s renting policy (announced 28 October 2026)
‘Renters deserve a fair deal’: Labour promises to ban no-cause evictions, RNZ, 28 October 2026
Labour vows no-cause evictions ban, to make rentals warmer, safer, 1News, 28 October 2026
Labour rental policy overhaul: no-cause eviction reversal, caps on insurance inspections, The Post, 28 October 2026
Labour promises no-cause eviction ban, change of notice period, reduction of inspections and landlord duty of care, interest.co.nz
Labour pledges to ban no-cause evictions and strengthen rental standards, Chris Lynch Media, 29 October 2026
Labour rules out interest deductibility changes for landlords, 1News, 21 September 2026
Greens
Greens promise to cap rent rises at 2 percent a year, Otago Daily Times / RNZ
Greens pledge tax cuts for most, Otago Daily Times / RNZ
ACT
ACT leader David Seymour pledges to abolish loss ring-fencing for rental properties, interest.co.nz
All parties
Housing policies: a capital gains tax to solar roll outs, rent controls and offsetting residential rental losses, interest.co.nz, 19 October 2026
Rent, supply, red tape: the housing gaps political parties haven’t filled, interest.co.nz, 23 October 2026
NZ election 2026: what every party plans for housing, ranked, realestate.co.nz, 14 October 2026
