Disclosing tenant information
Question from Ash updated on 15th June 2020:
I have signed up my property with a management company. On requesting a copy of tenancy agreement they were reluctant to provide me with one. On insisting they sent me one where they had crossed out all tenants’ information.
As a landlord I do have a right to know who is staying in my property. Secondly, this was not disclosed nor have been written anywhere in my agreement with the management company. I have also not been involved in the selection procedure of the tenant which is very frustrating. Could you please advise if there is a remedy for this?
Our expert Bernard Parker responded:
Your management agreement presumably gives your property manager the authority to start and end tenancies. With that in mind, there is no need for you to know the names of the tenants, nor to have a copy of the tenancy agreement. An inexperienced landlord may find it tempting to establish a side communication channel with the tenant, thereby undermining the work that the property manager has done. It is understandable, therefore, that your property manager doesn’t want you and the tenant to start talking with each other.
As long as the manager is doing their job properly you don’t necessarily have a right to know who is living in your property. You have signed that right over to the property manager when you appointed them with the authority to manage the start and end of tenancies. I suggest that you talk with your property manager and try to get an understanding of each other’s position and concerns. This communication should have been established at the start of your relationship.
Bernard is principal of Quinovic – Kapiti-Mana. Quinovic's outstanding people and systems provide the most professional, effective and reliable residential property management service in the NZ market for over 30 years.
Search the Ask an Expert archive
Browse all questions in the Ask An Expert Archive »