Just Property Management charges an all-inclusive management fee — typically a percentage of weekly rent — with no additional charges for inspections, maintenance coordination, rent reviews, tenancy renewals, or administration. This differs from many Wellington property managers who charge these as extras on top of their base management fee.

Across the Wellington market, management fees generally range from 7%–12% of weekly rent, with letting fees typically ranging from $500–$1,000 as a one-off cost when new tenants are placed.

For a personalised fee quote, request a free rental appraisal.

Yes — for most landlords, professional property management is worth the investment. A good property manager saves you time, reduces legal risk, minimises vacancy periods, and often achieves better rental returns through market expertise.

This is especially valuable if you own multiple properties, live outside Wellington, or prefer not to manage tenant relationships directly. Your property manager handles tenant screening, rent collection, maintenance, and ensures compliance with New Zealand tenancy law including the Healthy Homes Standards.

A property manager handles the day-to-day operations of your rental property on your behalf. This includes finding and screening tenants, collecting rent, coordinating maintenance and repairs, conducting regular property inspections, ensuring compliance with the Residential Tenancies Act and Healthy Homes Standards, and representing you at the Tenancy Tribunal if needed.

At Just Property Management, we manage around 500 properties across the Wellington region and focus exclusively on residential property management — it's all we do.

A property management report typically includes a summary of rent collected and any arrears, details of maintenance work completed or scheduled, results from property inspections with photos, updates on tenancy status (such as lease renewals or upcoming vacancies), and a financial summary of income and expenses. Reports are usually provided monthly and give you a clear overview of how your investment is performing.

Look for transparent fee structures with no hidden charges, local market expertise specific to the Wellington region, a strong track record of tenant placement and low vacancy rates, clear communication and regular reporting, and thorough knowledge of New Zealand tenancy law.

It's also worth asking whether the company focuses solely on property management or whether it's a side service to real estate sales. A specialist property management company is more likely to have dedicated systems and expertise for managing your investment.

Switching to Just Property Management is straightforward — we handle the entire transition process on your behalf. Simply submit a 'Make the Switch' enquiry at justproperty.co.nz/make-the-switch and our team will manage the rest.

We liaise with your current manager, manage the handover of documentation and keys, introduce ourselves to your tenants, and ensure a smooth transition — minimising disruption to your tenants and your rental income. The standard notice period is generally one month, but check your current contract for applicable terms.

Setting the right rent price requires balancing market competitiveness with your return on investment. Start by researching comparable properties on TradeMe and Realestate.co.nz, paying close attention to location, property size, condition, and amenities.

A professional property manager can provide a rental appraisal based on current Wellington market conditions and local demand trends. In a market with high listing volumes, pricing competitively to reduce vacancy periods often makes more financial sense than holding out for a higher weekly rate.

Landlords can charge a general bond of up to four weeks' rent. Since December 2025, an additional pet bond of up to two weeks' rent can also be requested if the tenant is keeping a pet with the landlord's written consent.

All bond money must be lodged with Tenancy Services within 23 working days of receipt. The bond is held by Tenancy Services for the duration of the tenancy and is refundable at the end, less any agreed deductions for damage beyond fair wear and tear or unpaid rent.

Under New Zealand law, a rental property can be inspected no more than once every four weeks, and the tenant must receive at least 48 hours' written notice before each inspection.

Most property managers conduct inspections quarterly, which balances monitoring property condition with respecting the tenant's right to quiet enjoyment. Regular inspections help identify maintenance issues early, document the property's condition, and ensure tenants are meeting their obligations.

The Healthy Homes Standards are minimum requirements that all New Zealand rental properties must meet. They cover five areas: heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture and drainage, and draught stopping.

All rental properties must now comply, and non-compliance can result in fines of up to $7,200 per tenancy. A professional property manager can help you understand your obligations, arrange a Healthy Homes assessment, and ensure your property meets the required standards.

For a periodic tenancy, landlords can give 90 days' notice without a reason, or 42 days' notice in specific circumstances — such as if the property is needed for the landlord or a family member to live in, or if the property has been sold with vacant possession.

For a fixed-term tenancy ending on or after 1 May 2025, either party can give between 21 and 90 days' notice before the fixed term expires. If no notice is given, the tenancy automatically becomes periodic. Notice must always be provided in writing.

From 1 July 2026, Tiaki Wai became responsible for drinking water, wastewater and piped stormwater services across Wellington City, Porirua, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt. 

Wellington Water was amalgamated into the new organisation, while responsibility for water assets, funding and service delivery transferred to Tiaki Wai.

For property owners, the most visible change is billing. Water services are no longer collected as part of the Wellington City Council rates bill. Instead, owners receive a separate bill directly from Tiaki Wai.

Tiaki Wai water services bills are issued every three months, for approximately one quarter of the property's annual charges.

The first Wellington bills were issued in late July and early August 2026, with the first payment due on 1 September 2026. Future invoices will continue on a quarterly cycle.

The median residential water services charge for a Wellington City property in 2026/2027 is approximately $2,417 per year, based on a median capital value of $930,000.

That compares with a median water-related charge of approximately $2,144 in 2025/2026, an increase of around $273 a year for the median Wellington residential property.

($2,417 - $2,144 = $273 per year)

Across Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua collectively, the average 2026/2027 water services bill is $2,390, 13.3% higher than the approximately $2,100 previously being collected through council rates.

The actual amount will differ between properties depending on factors including capital value and the services supplied.

For the 2026/2027 year, Tiaki Wai has largely retained the charging approach previously used by each council rather than immediately moving the whole region onto one pricing model.

For a typical unmetered Wellington residential property, charges for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater each include a fixed component plus a component based on the property's capital value.

That means most Wellington households are not currently being billed according to how many litres of water they use.

Properties that already have a recognised water meter are treated differently, with drinking-water charges including a usage-based component.

No. The water-services component has been removed from Wellington City Council's rates and is now charged separately by Tiaki Wai.

When assessing the actual impact on your property's running costs, it is therefore important to compare your new Council rates plus your Tiaki Wai charges with what you were paying previously, rather than looking at the Tiaki Wai bill in isolation.

For most Wellington rental properties at present, no, not the general Tiaki Wai water-services bill.

Under the Residential Tenancies Act, landlords are responsible for property outgoings that apply regardless of whether a tenant occupies the premises, while tenants can be responsible for water costs where the supplier charges according to consumption and those costs are exclusively attributable to the tenant.

Tenancy Services says a tenant can be responsible for metered water charges where:

• the property has a separate water meter;

• the supplier calculates the charge based on metered water use; and

• the charge can be exclusively attributed to that tenant's use.

Fixed water charges remain the landlord's responsibility.

Because most Wellington residential properties are presently charged using fixed and capital-value-based charges rather than consumption, most landlords cannot simply pass the new Tiaki Wai invoice on to their tenants.

If the property has a separate meter recognised by the water supplier and Tiaki Wai is charging for actual consumption, the consumption-based portion may be recoverable from the tenant where it is exclusively attributable to their occupation.

Fixed infrastructure or property-based portions remain the landlord's responsibility.

Tenancy Services also advises that the landlord pays the water account and then seeks reimbursement from the tenant for the tenant's applicable usage charges, rather than having the supplier's account transferred into the tenant's name.

It is sensible to clearly record responsibility for metered water and the meter reading in the tenancy documentation, particularly to avoid disputes.

However, the current Residential Tenancies Act focuses on whether a cost is exclusively attributable to the tenant and whether water is being charged on the basis of consumption. Tenancy Services likewise focuses on separate metering, metered usage and the ability to attribute the cost exclusively to the tenant.

Landlords should therefore avoid treating a tenancy-agreement clause by itself as sufficient authority to charge a tenant for fixed or non-metered Tiaki Wai costs.

There is no need to rush out and privately install a meter purely because of the new billing system. Tiaki Wai has specifically said it is not advising households to install meters individually ahead of a coordinated regional rollout.

Residential metering remains several years away, and Tiaki Wai has indicated it expects to have a clearer picture of the rollout after reviewing cost estimates towards the end of 2026.

If an owner is considering installing a private meter for billing purposes, it would be prudent to confirm with Tiaki Wai first whether the proposed meter would be recognised for its charging system before committing to the cost.

Increased ownership costs can form part of a landlord's overall consideration when reviewing rent, but normal Residential Tenancies Act rent-increase rules still apply.

For most tenancies, rent cannot be increased until at least 12 months after the tenancy began or 12 months after the previous increase took effect, and tenants must receive at least 60 days' written notice.

For a fixed-term tenancy, an increase during the fixed term must also be permitted by the tenancy agreement. Market conditions will naturally also influence whether an increase is commercially sensible.

That remains the direction of travel, but it is not happening immediately.

Tiaki Wai plans to move away from the current mix of council-specific and capital-value-based charging toward a more consistent regional pricing structure. It says harmonisation is expected to occur no later than 1 July 2031, with public consultation before final decisions are made.

A widespread residential-meter rollout could ultimately allow a greater proportion of water charges to reflect actual consumption. Tiaki Wai has also indicated that even after metering is introduced, bills are still likely to contain a fixed component to fund infrastructure.

For Wellington landlords, that means water costs, and how they are divided between owner and tenant, are likely to remain an area worth keeping an eye on over the next several years.