Boarding House Landlord Register – Necessary Safety or Step Towards Registering Everyone?
Parliament is debating the Residential Tenancies (Registration of Boarding House Landlords) Amendment Bill, a Member’s Bill from Hon Jenny Salesa.
If it becomes law, boarding house landlords would have to register with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, renew that registration each year, and meet a “fit-and-proper-person” test. This would look at serious tenancy law breaches, certain criminal convictions, and insolvency. Landlords would also need to keep detailed records about their tenants and facilities, and give those to the Ministry if asked. Operating without registration could mean heavy fines.
The purpose is to protect vulnerable tenants and help agencies check that boarding houses are safe. The Loafers Lodge fire showed what can happen when safety systems fail. Doing nothing is not an option.
Here at APIA, we want to see a rental market where homes are safe, well managed, and where both tenants and landlords can succeed. We also want regulation that is targeted, proportionate, and uses tools that already exist.
That is why we are cautious. This Bill builds a new registration system for a small part of the market. Once that system exists, it would be easy for a future government to expand it to all landlords. The technology, forms, staff, and processes would already be there. Politically, it would be a short step. Some parties already support universal landlord registration.
We also question the need for a separate register. The bond database already holds landlord and property details. If the problem is a lack of information, why not improve the bond system instead of creating another? Using the existing database would cost less and avoid duplication.
The cost–benefit balance also matters. Boarding houses often accommodate people with higher needs, so stronger oversight could be justified there. But applying the same model to all landlords would add paperwork and costs without clear proof that it improves safety or quality. More complexity can drive good landlords out of the market. That reduces supply, which harms tenants.
As APIA General Manager Sarina Gibbon puts it, “Regulation is like salt in cooking, the right amount brings out the best, but too much gives the whole sector hypertension. This Bill might season the boarding house sector well, but if you dump the whole shaker over the rest of the rental market, you’ll spoil it for everyone.”
We want to hear from the sector. Do you support a register for boarding houses? Should there be a fit-and-proper-person test? Should the Tenancy Tribunal handle disputes about registration? And should these rules ever apply to all landlords?
It is a quick five-minute survey. The results will guide APIA’s position on this Bill and on any move toward broader landlord registration.
The goal should be to protect tenants who need it most without overcomplicating the rental market. That is the balance worth aiming for.
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