Tenant help and support
Get quick answers on your home, maintenance, rent and everyday information in one place.
Your top questions
Get something fixed (log a repair)
In MyKāingaOra,(external link)you can ask for any non-urgent repair or maintenance job any time. Just login and select 'Maintenance' from the left-hand menu, then follow the steps.
Here's some examples of what you might want fixed:
- Fixing a door or kitchen cupboards that don't close properly
- An element on your stove or the oven light not working
- A light fitting not working
- Your heat pump is blowing cold air
- A leak coming from inside a tap, pipe, shower mixer, or toilet bowl
- Water is pooling around a surface
- Water damage, swelling, soft timber, or mould behind a join
If you can't access MyKāingaOra, you can complete the Tenant enquiry form, but you won't be able to track your request's progress.
You can check the status of all your repair jobs anytime in MyKāingaOra(external link). Login and go to the 'Maintenance' section to see:
- information about your repair
- its current status - whether it’s ‘received’, ‘with tradesperson’, ‘completed’ or ‘cancelled’
- options to upload photos to help us understand the repair or provide extra detail if needed.
If you can’t find the information you need, or you don’t have access to MyKāingaOra, you can complete the Tenant enquiry form and we’ll be in touch.
Here's an example of a repair status in MyKāingaOra:
Most of the things your Housing Support Manager (HSM) can help you with are also available in MyKāingaOra:
- Your Tenancy – help with understanding your tenancy agreement, and anything else you need to live safely in your home, can be found by choosing Wellbeing in the panel menu.
- Changes in your household or circumstances – you can tell us about new family members, people moving in or out, or any other changes that may impact your needs by going to the Contact us section, choosing Account query, then Changes to household composition or income and letting us know what’s changed.
- Help connecting with services – the Wellbeing and Government Online sections can help you find things like financial and budgeting support, health advice and other government services
- Updates about repairs – these can be found in the Maintenance section.
If you need to contact your HSM about something else, you can:
- also do that in MyKāingaOra. Just head to the Contact us section and let us know what you’d like to talk about.
- complete the Tenant enquiry form and ask for your HSM to call you back.
In MyKāingaOra(external link), under 'My account summary', you can find out your:
- rent balance
- last and next payment date
- view transactions - select 'View details'
- maintenance balance, if you have a payment arrangement setup.
You can also:
- Export a PDF to use as proof of rent when required (e.g., Work and Income or budgeting services).
- See your next rent review date.
If you have any questions, you can either complete the contact form in MyKāingaOra or the Tenant enquiry form.
Rent must be paid in advance. Because of this, a balance on your rent account might appear as a credit but isn’t actually considered credit.
You can only request a refund if your balance is more than the amount of rent you are required to keep paid in advance, based on how often you pay rent (weekly or fortnightly).
If your rent is $154 per week and your balance is $154, this is your rent in advance. This amount is not available for a refund. The same applies if you pay rent fortnightly.
If your account is more than a few weeks in advance you may be able to request some of it back, or put it towards another debt, for example a maintenance debt if you have one.
You can request some of it back by either completing the:
- contact form in MyKāingaOra(external link)
- Tenant enquiry form.
To avoid delays, please ensure your bank account details are up to date in MyKāingaOra(external link) under the Profile section. Your bank account number must be a valid New Zealand registered bank number, and the account must be in your name.
Repairs and maintenance
Get something fixed (log a repair)
In MyKāingaOra,(external link)you can ask for any non-urgent repair or maintenance job any time. Just login and select 'Maintenance' from the left-hand menu, then follow the steps.
Here's some examples of what you might want fixed:
- A door or kitchen cupboards that don't close properly
- An element on your stove or the oven light not working
- A light fitting not working
- Your heat pump is blowing cold air
- A leak coming from inside a tap, pipe, shower mixer, or toilet bowl
- Water is pooling around a surface
- Water damage, swelling, soft timber, or mould behind a join
If you can't access MyKāingaOra, you can complete the Tenant enquiry form, but you won't be able to track your request's progress.
You can check the status of all your repair jobs anytime in MyKāingaOra(external link). Login and go to the 'Maintenance' section to see:
- information about your repair
- its current status - whether it’s ‘received’, ‘with tradesperson’, ‘completed’ or ‘cancelled’
- options to upload photos to help us understand the repair or provide extra detail if needed.
If you can’t find the information you need, or you don’t have access to MyKāingaOra, you can complete the Tenant enquiry form and we’ll be in touch.
Here's an example of a repair status in MyKāingaOra:
Blocked drains, toilets or sewage are problems that affect your health and safety and are considered urgent.
We'll fix these within 4 hours, wherever possible. Call us on 0800 801 601 and select 'option 4 - repairs and maintenance', anytime.
In an emergency, always call 111 first.
If a blockage is caused by you or someone living in your home you might be charged for the repair.
You can request all other repairs through MyKāingaOra(external link) . Its quick, easy, and lets you track the progress at any time.
No power or hot water, gas and bad water leaks at your home are problems that affect your health and safety and are considered urgent.
No power - Before you call us, check that it's not a power outage in your street.
Hot water - If you have no hot water, you should check the wall switch hasn't been accidentally turned off. If it has, turn it back on, wait 30-60mins then test a hot water tap. If you still have no hot water then call us.
We'll fix these within 4 hours, wherever possible. Call us on 0800 801 601 and select 'option 4 - repairs and maintenance', anytime.
In an emergency, always call 111 first.
You can request all other repairs through MyKāingaOra(external link) . Its quick, easy, and lets you track the progress at any time.
It’s your responsibility to keep your home clean, tidy and free of rubbish, and your local council’s collection services can help you manage this.
Council usually collect rubbish weekly or fortnightly, and they’ll either provide free kerbside collection bins or you can buy prepaid bags from your local supermarket.
Most councils will have their collection days and other information listed on their website. Find your local council’s website by visiting Local Government New Zealand(external link).
If you find:
- rubbish has built up to a level you cannot safely clear
- there are pests, smells, or health concerns linked to rubbish
- access issues (mobility, health, weather events) mean you cannot move waste yourself
You can contact your Housing Support Manager using the Tenant enquiry form
Skip bins: we do not provide skip bins for tenants to use. If you want one you'll need to organise this yourself.
If you notice a few bugs or pests round your home, you can buy things like sprays, bombs or bait to remove them from your local supermarket or hardware store.
You can find more helpful tips for this on the Mould and pest control page.
You'll need to organise a professional to come in if you:
- notice a large numbers of insects or repeated infestations
- see rodents like rats or mice inside your home
- find holes, cracks, leaks, or gaps that allow pests to enter
- see pests appear to be in your home structurally like the walls, not because of food or hygiene.
Mould can be common in New Zealand homes, especially during autumn and winter, but a few simple tricks can help you keep your home safe and healthy:
- wipe away condensation each morning
- ventilate your home daily
- clean small mould patches as soon as they appear
- reduce moisture from inside your home by drying your washing outside, keep furniture away from walls and keep the shower curtain inside the shower.
You can also find more helpful information on the Mould and pest control page.
If you've tried all the above but notice:
- mould returns quickly or in large patches, despite good ventilation
- mould caused by water leaks, plumbing issues, or roof problems
- mould on the ceiling, behind walls, or spreading beyond small areas
- your extractor fans are not working, or the home cannot be ventilated properly
You need to get in touch using the Tenant enquiry form, and your HSM will work through some options with you.
In MyKāingaOra(external link) under 'My account summary', you can find out your:
- rent balance
- last and next payment date
- view transactions - select 'View details'
- maintenance balance, if you have a payment arrangement setup.
You can also:
- Export a PDF to use as proof of rent when required (e.g., Work and Income or budgeting services).
- See your next rent review date.
If you have any questions, you can either complete the contact form in MyKāingaOra or the Tenant enquiry form.
Rent must be paid in advance. Because of this, a balance on your rent account might appear as a credit but isn’t actually considered credit.
You can only request a refund if your balance is more than the amount of rent you are required to keep paid in advance, based on how often you pay rent (weekly or fortnightly).
If your rent is $154 per week and your balance is $154, this is your rent in advance. This amount is not available for a refund. The same applies if you pay rent fortnightly.
If your account is more than a few weeks in advance you may be able to request some of it back, or put it towards another debt, for example a maintenance debt if you have one.
You can request some of it back by either completing the:
- contact form in MyKāingaOra(external link)
- Tenant enquiry form.
To avoid delays, please ensure your bank account details are up to date in MyKāingaOra(external link) under the Profile section. Your bank account number must be a valid New Zealand registered bank number, and the account must be in your name.
You can see if you're in credit or debt in MyKāingaOra(external link)
If your rent balance shows a negative number, it means you have overdue rent or are in arrears.
In MyKāingaOra, you can set up an extra payments, see transactions, and view your account history.
If you have any questions you can either complete the contact form in MyKāingaOra(external link) or the Tenant enquiry form.
If you owe money for rent or maintenance work, and don't already have an arrangement in place, you'll get a message when you login to MyKāingaOra(external link) asking if you want to create an arrangement to pay it off. You can either follow the prompts, or set it up later by:
- Logging into MyKāingaOra(external link)
- Go to 'Accounts'
- Click 'Create a Payment Arrangement'
- The payment needs to be a minimum amount of $10 or 10% of your weekly rent charge
- Choose the frequency of the amount to be paid to weekly or fortnightly
- Confirm the arrangement
If you want to pay a different amount, or make changes to your current arrangement, you can either complete the contact form in MyKāingaOra or the Tenant enquiry form and we'll be in touch.
- Login to MyKāingaOra(external link)
- Choose Profile from the menu panel on the left
- Select Bank Details, then Add or Edit
- Enter your bank account number, this must be a valid New Zealand registered bank number, and the account must be in your name.
If you have any questions, you can either complete the contact form in MyKāingaOra or the Tenant enquiry form.
Most of the things your Housing Support Manager (HSM) can help you with are also available in MyKāingaOra:
- Your Tenancy – help with understanding your tenancy agreement, and anything else you need to live safely in your home, can be found by choosing Wellbeing in the panel menu.
- Changes in your household or circumstances – you can tell us about new family members, people moving in or out, or any other changes that may impact your needs by going to the Contact us section, choosing Account query, then Changes to household composition or income and letting us know what’s changed.
- Help connecting with services – the Wellbeing and Government Online sections can help you find things like financial and budgeting support, health advice and other government services
- Updates about repairs – these can be found in the Maintenance section.
If you need to contact your HSM about something else, you can:
- also do that in MyKāingaOra. Just head to the Contact us section and let us know what you’d like to talk about.
- complete the Tenant enquiry form and ask for your HSM to call you back.
You can view all your visits and inspections you currently have booked in MyKāingaOra(external link) under the 'Appointments' section.
If you need to change one, complete the contact form in MyKāingaOra(external link) letting us know which appointment you’d like to change. If you don't have access to MyKāingaOra you can use the Tenant enquiry form.
You need to update your HSM if you need to be away from your home for at least 30 days, whether for travel or other reasons.
Things you must include are:
- reason you will be away
- where you're going
- when you're leaving and coming back
- confirm you've set up your rent to be paid while you're away
- who is looking after your home while you're away, their contact details and that they understand their obligations regarding any damages to property while you're away.
If your plans change, and you'll be away for longer than you thought, you need to let us know.
You can do this by completing the Tenant enquiry form, and we'll pass the information to your HSM and update your file.
If you want to talk to someone about your HSM, you can complete the Tenant enquiry form. Make sure to put all the details you can in the form, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
If need to make a complaint about something, you can either complete the contact form in MyKāingaOra(external link) or the Tenant enquiry form.
Make sure to put all the details you can in the form and include your contact details in case we need you to make a formal written statement.
If you are moving out of your Kāinga Ora home and into a private rental, you can request a tenancy reference from us.
A tenancy reference is a letter that includes things like:
- how long you have been a Kāinga Ora tenant.
- whether you kept the property in a clean and tidy condition.
- whether you have any outstanding rent debt with us.
Here’s how to request a tenancy reference:
- Go to our ‘Tenant enquiry form
- Under ‘What do you need help with’ select ‘My tenancy’
- Then select ‘Tenancy Reference Letter’
- Be sure to include your full name, Kāinga Ora address, and a mailing address or email address that we can send to the tenancy reference letter to.
Third party requests to discuss a tenancy reference
If a third party (such as your landlord or property manager) would like to discuss your tenancy reference letter with us, they first need your consent.
To arrange to give your consent to a third party, follow these steps:
- Go to our ‘Tenant enquiry form
- Under ‘What do you need help with’ select ‘My tenancy’
- Then select ‘Tenancy Reference Letter’
- In the text box, let us know that you ‘would like to provide your consent for a third party to discuss your tenancy reference letter with Kāinga Ora’. Remember to include your phone number or email address so we can get in touch and help you arrange this.
You can find more information and a helpful checklist on our Moving out page.
You need to get consent from us to own a pet. It means we can check that your home is suitable for the type of pet you’d like to keep and that everything complies with council bylaws and other rules.
Complete the application to have a pet form [DOCX, 72 KB] and send it back to us.
You can find more information on our Having a pet page.
If you moved into a Kāinga Ora home before 7 April 2019 and paid a bond, it is held by Tenancy Services which is part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
If you’re moving out and want to apply for a refund, complete a Bond refund form and email or post it to Tenancy Services.
For more information
- Read 'how to apply for a bond refund'(external link) on the Tenancy Services website.
- Call the Bond Centre on 0800 836 262.
Kuo fakafo‘ou ‘a e peesí: 26 Mē 2026