Last chance to register

Facebook and LinkedIn workshop
Friday 22 June
This 2-hour practical workshop will show you how to use Facebook and Instagram effectively to reach buyers and sellers in the market and grow your personal brand.

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Verifiable Training

Timaru Verifiable Training LAST CHANCE
Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 June.
Registration deadline Tuesday 19 June - a $50 per person late fee will apply after this date.

Wellington Verifiable Training
Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 July.
Registration deadline Tuesday 26 June - a $50 per person late fee will apply after this date.

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Non-Verifiable Training

One Day Management Workshop
Thursday 28 June
Build on your strengths as a manager and manage your team to success!

Free Enhanced Statistics Training
Friday 6 July

Property Management Workshop
Monday 9 July
Key areas of compliance to keep you safe!

Free Monthly AML Workshops at REINZ - July
Thursday 26 July
Webinar coming soon.

Region	Dates	Location
June
Timaru	27 - 28	The Grosvenor	Book Now
July
Wellington	4 - 5	ASB Sports Centre	Book Now
Nelson	25 - 26	Trailways Hotel	Book Now
Palmerston North	25 - 26	Hotel Coachman	Book Now
August
Kerikeri	8 - 9	Kerikeri RSA	Book Now
Napier	23 - 24	Napier Conference Centre	Book Now
September
Tauranga	5 - 6	Club Mount Maunganui	Book Now
Auckland 2	19 - 20	REINZ Centre of Excellence	Book Now
October
Christchurch 2	17 - 18	The Atrium	Book Now

Upcoming REINZ Regional Meeting

Manawatu and Wanganui Regional Meeting
Wednesday 20 June, 4pm – 6pm
Come and join Mayor Grant Smith, Dame Rosanne Meo, Bindi Norwell and Richard Warner from Property Press as they share their insights into what is happening in the region.
Download the poster

Wellington Regional Meeting
Wednesday 4 July, 5pm – 7pm
Join Dame Rosanne Meo in her final year as Chairman and Mark Coffey, Regional Director to hear Bindi Norwell speak about what’s happening at REINZ and share the latest regional data. Our partner Property Press will share some relevant new research.
Download the poster

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Earlybird Conference Tickets available

Residential Property Management Conference
Friday 3 August, 8am - 5.30pm
Join us for our annual RPM Conference for 2018, held at the Pullman Auckland Hotel. Hosted by Simon McKinney and featuring keynote speaker Hon Phil Twyford.
Please register separately if you wish to attend the cocktail party where we will announce an inaugural Property Management Award.
Download the poster

Commercial & Industrial Conference
Friday 3 August, 8am - 5.30pm
Join us for our annual C&I Conference for 2018 and earn 6.0 NV hours. Hosted by Simon McKinney and featuring keynote speaker Hon Phil Twyford.
This year our conference will be held at the, Pullman Auckland Hotel. Please register separately to attend the evening cocktail party giving you the opportunity to network with colleagues.
Download the poster

Conference Cocktail Evening
Friday 3 August, 5.30pm - 8pm
Join us for our end of conference cocktail party at the Pullman Auckland Hotel. This is included in your conference registration but get in quick as there is limited space!

2018 REINZ Awards for Excellence
Tuesday 28 August, 6pm - 10pm
Entries are now open
Buy Gala Dinner Tickets or 5 Ticket discount package or 10 Ticket discount package
Download the invitation

June
NZ Auctioneering Championships Draw	17 June	5.30pm – 7.30pm	REINZ, Auckland
NZ Auctioneering Championships Heats	18 June	10am – 5pm	REINZ, Auckland
NZ Auctioneering Championships Finals	19 June	10am – 6pm	REINZ, Auckland
Manawatu & Wanganui Regional Meeting	20 June	4pm – 6pm	Manawatu Golf Club, Palmerston North
July
Wellington Regional Meeting	4 July	5pm – 7pm	The Roxy
August
REINZ Property Management Conference	3 August	8am - 5.30pm	Pullman Hotel, Auckland
REINZ C&I Conference	3 August	8am - 5.30pm	Pullman Hotel, Auckland
Conference Cocktail Evening	3 August	5.30pm - 8pm	Pullman Hotel, Auckland
REINZ Awards Evening	28 August	6pm - 10pm	Cordis, Auckland
September
Women's Breakfast	27 September	7.30am - 10am	Pullman Hotel, Auckland
October
Australasian Auctioneering Championships Draw	14 October	6pm - 7.30pm	REINZ Centre of Excellence, Auckland
Australasian Auctioneering Championships Heats	15 October	10am - 5pm	Q Theatre, Auckland
Australasian Auctioneering Championships Senior Finals	16 October	10am - 5pm	Q Theatre, Auckland
Australasian Auctioneering Championships Gala Dinner	16 October	6.30pm - 10.30pm	The Maritime Room, Auckland

Meth - Has anything changed?

A report by the Prime Minister’s Chief Scientist was recently released advising that there is no evidence that third hand exposure to meth contamination causes harm to health and that meth levels of up to 15mcg/100cm2 are safe.

MBIE has advised that regulations regarding meth levels, testing and decontamination processes will be made later this year. Until the regulations are in force, or until the Tenancy Tribunal provides guidance as to whether they will adopt the 15mcg recommendation or continue to use 1.5mcg as the benchmark for determining whether a property is “unclean” or “uninhabitable”, REINZ members may wish to adopt a cautious approach and continue to use the NZ Standard level of 1.5mcg/100cm2 as the benchmark.

Landlords and property managers may wish to continue to test for meth before and after tenancies if they are concerned as causation still needs to be established if contamination is found.

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Case Update: Rent refunded in full when landlord rented out non-residential premises

Facts: The tenant claimed that the landlord had failed to maintain the premises, and that the tenancy was a prohibited transaction.

The premises’ consented use was for communal non-residential service, and the building use was limited to church/cinema/hall. During the tenancy, the local council advised the tenant’s father by email that no change of use for the premises had been notified to the council, so the premises should not be used as a residential building.

The landlord responded that he was unaware until sometime during this tenancy that the premises weren’t approved for residential use. He said that he, his parents and other tenants had lived there previously. Furthermore, the letting agents made no mention of any issues in this regard. The landlord said once he was aware that a change of use was required, he worked with the council to obtain this, but the process had been slow and significant work was required before he could get approval.

The tenant also complained about the state of the property – in particular, an inspection by asbestos removers indicated that since the wall linings in one room were removed, it left asbestos cladding exposed and it was highly probable that asbestos in the immediate area was disturbed.

Decision: The Tribunal noted the landlord had rented out premises that were not approved for residential use. In particular, the landlord had breached section 36 of the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) because there was a “legal impediment” to the premises being occupied for residential purposes.

The Tribunal held this tenancy was a “prohibited transaction” under section 137 of the RTA as the renting out of the premises for residential purposes contravened the RTA. As such, the Tribunal found that because the premises had not at any stage been residential premises, no rent can be lawfully recovered by the landlord, and ordered the full amount of rent refunded to the tenants.

However, the Tribunal declined to award any exemplary damages against the landlord as it found the breach was not intentional – the landlord and his family had lived there before, and once he became aware that a change of use was required, he worked with the council towards obtaining this.

The tenant’s other claims concerning the landlord’s failure to maintain the premises were dismissed, because the tenancy, being non-residential premises, did not fall within the RTA (except for section 137).

Click here for the decision.

Disclaimer: The information in these case summaries is for general informational purposes only and may only discuss some, not all, aspects of a case. It does not constitute legal or other professional advice and does not replace your company’s internal policies and guidelines. Always check your company’s guidelines, policies and information first and seek legal advice if you have any queries.

REA outlines agent requirements around meth disclosure obligations

Following the recent release of the Gluckman Report on methamphetamine, the REA has now outlined its position for agents around meth disclosure obligations. The REA’s advice is that:

• Methamphetamine contamination of 15 micrograms per 100cm2 or above is considered a property defect that must be disclosed to potential buyers. (Rule 10.7 of the Professional Conduct and Client Care Rules (2012)


• You do not have to disclose test results below 15 micrograms per 100cm2 unless specifically asked by a prospective buyer or where a prospective buyer has clearly shown an interest in methamphetamine contamination. (Rule 6.4 of the Professional Conduct and Client Care Rules (2012)


• Disclosure is not required if the property has been successfully remediated back to below 15 micrograms per 100cm2 in a property where methamphetamine has only been used, or to below 1.5 micrograms per 100cm2 where methamphetamine production using highly toxic chemicals was identified


• As with any disclosure, you should discuss the issue with your vendor before making any disclosures.

If a purchaser wishes to insert a meth testing clause in an agreement for sale and purchase, until local councils confirm whether or not they are adopting the increased contamination levels in the Gluckman report, we recommend you discuss with the purchaser the level of meth they would like referenced in the clause (eg. 1.5 Mcg or 15 mcg) as each purchaser will have a personal view on what they deem to be an acceptable level of meth. 

For more information you can visit the REA’s website here.

REINZ will be updating its guidelines to be in line with this new information shortly.

Please note that an article published in the Winter 2018 edition of the REINZ magazine featured a case on disclosure of prior meth contamination. Licensees should note that the position taken by the CAC may be different now, in light of the latest advice from the REA.

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Lawyers to ID Clients for AML from 1 July 2018

From 1 July 2018, all lawyers are required to comply with anti-money laundering legislation. This means that lawyers will begin carrying out identity verification checks on their clients from this date. To ensure that vendors and purchasers are aware that the will be asked for identity verification documents from this date, the New Zealand Law Society (NZLS) has prepared an information sheet for clients.
The information sheet is available here.

NZLS has given permission for REINZ members to provide copies of the information sheet to their clients and customers (e.g. at open homes).

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Case Update: No misleading behaviour by Licensees in explaining land covenant

Facts: The crux of this complaint was the Complainants’ allegation that the Licensees misled them by incorrectly describing the covenant that would be recorded against the property’s title.

The Complainants’ evidence was that they signed a sale and purchase agreement which prohibited them from building a “dwelling” in the rear area of the property. However, after the Complainants confirmed the agreement, the vendor’s solicitor sent easement documentation which prevented the Complainants from building “any structure” in the relevant area. The Complainants were offered the option to cancel the agreement but decided to proceed with the sale as they said they had invested too much to walk away.

The Licensees provided their own version of what happened and in particular, advised that the Complainants were at all material times fully aware of the scope of the restriction, and noted the Complainants’ lawyer did not confirm the land covenant’s wording before declaring the agreement unconditional.

Decision:The CAC decided to take no further action on the complaint.

The CAC found that the Complainants had opportunities to seek clarification from their solicitor about the wording and impact of the covenant, given that the sale and purchase agreement noted there will be a covenant, but the exact wording was to be finalised between the respective solicitors for the Complainants and the vendor. Nonetheless, the Complainants (or their solicitors) confirmed the agreement without determining the matter of the covenant’s wording.

The CAC noted the Licensees ensured there were normal checks and balances in place to protect the Complainant’s interests. The Complainants were advised to seek legal advice before signing the sale and purchase agreement, and the agreement had conditions (including relating to the covenant wording) to protect both the Complainant and the vendor. The CAC concluded that the Licensees could not have reasonably expected or anticipated the situation that the Complainants have found themselves in.

Click here for the decision.

The above is intended for general information only and does not constitute legal advice and does not replace your agency’s internal policies and guidelines. Always check your agency’s guidelines, policies and information first and seek legal advice if you have any queries.

Last Call for REINZ Digital Signing 1st Phase Feedback - Sale & Purchase, Tenancy Agreement and Auction:

REINZ have included functionality within the eForm platform that provides users with the ability to request signatures digitally once an offer has been completed under the eForms platform for either the S&P, Tenancy or Auction documents.

The system at present does not include the ability to negotiate back and forth, this added functionality is being worked on an will be available to trial shortly. At present it suits relatively clean offers and to acquire the first set of purchaser/tenant signatures. The user has the option to automatically include the vendor/landlord so once the purchasers signatures are obtained the offer is sent direct to the vendor/landlord for review.

Participants will need to have time over the next one to two weeks to learn how the system works (fairly straightforward) then actively take some time to trial it across colleagues, clients or themselves.

Feedback will be requested by way of a short survey. We have acquired some great feedback already which has been implemented into the full negotiating system available shortly.

If you are familiar with how the eForm platform works and are interested in trialling the current digital signing system available please email techteam@reinz.co.nz with your interest.

Thank you to those whom have taken the time trial this recently and provide valuable feedback.

Floor Plans now available with iStaging VR Maker - no additional cost!

REINZ Member Benefits partner iStaging has recently announced the release of a brand-new feature that allows users to create floor plans right from its VR Maker App at no additional cost to users.

"The floor-plan feature is an important addition to our toolset," noted iStaging CEO Johnny Lee. "Virtual tours and floor-plans are two facets of the same experience and our real estate customers expect to be able to generate them all in one go."

REINZ Members receive 10% off the Virtual Reality Tour Maker Ultra or Ultimate subscription package with iStaging when using the discount code REINZ10

Find our more about the Floor Plan feature

REINZ works in partnership with NetYourJob recruitment to provide maximum industry coverage when you’re looking for real estate staff. NetYourJob can provide REINZ Members with competitive marketing rates for job advertising. Contact NetYourJob on 0800 638 968 to find out more or click here to view new jobs this week.