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To gift or not to gift?

To gift or not to gift?

Do you offer gifts to your tenants? Or is good property management a gift in itself? Shadi Salehpour from Let’s Rent ponders the question.

By: Shadi Salehpour

2 February 2025

It was just a few days before Christmas when one of my clients wanted to meet in person. Don’t get me wrong – I was happy to see her, but the timing wasn’t ideal with the chaos of the silly season.

I braved the Auckland traffic to meet her in a city-fringe suburb. We chose a cafe that was convenient for her and not far from the properties I manage for her.

Over coffee, we discussed her properties, a minor issue with one of her tenants, and upcoming rent reviews. The truth is, no great property manager really remembers rent review dates off the top of their head–we rely on system reports, records and reminders. I had prepped the night before, but there was nothing urgent that required an in-person meeting. I figured she might be selling or considering self-managing now that she was retired and had more time on her hands.

We sat across from each other in the busy café. She leaned in, resting both elbows on the table. Glancing left at the sun-faded plastic plants and right at the group of people nearby, she lowered her voice to almost a whisper.

“My husband can’t know about these.”

She placed a few gift bags on the table – one for me, the others for her tenants.

“My husband has a different opinion on gifts,” she added. “For tenants, and for you too.”

I thanked her. But my mind was still processing – how was I supposed to respond appropriately to this?

Few thoughts crossed my mind. First, was the gift to me appropriate? And second, would I have kept it a secret if it were the other way around – a male client hiding it from his female partner?

This also brought me to a question I often see landlords ask online – should they give tenants gifts at Christmas?

The gesture is lovely – but will you be thanked for it?

Hardly.

And I say this with honesty. Each year, we offer the service because it’s our job, most of our landlord clients choose to gift their tenants a supermarket voucher, and we deliver it. Yet, the response rate from tenants – a thank you or even an acknowledgment – is very minimal. Not that this is the reason landlords’ gift, of course. A good tenant is a good tenant, with or without a Christmas gift.

However, I truly believe that being available, attending to maintenance, and issuing proper notice for inspections are far greater gifts than a supermarket voucher. It also reinforces that being a good tenant is the norm, not part of a reward system.

While there’s still time to think about tenant gifts, what’s more important right now is understanding the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 – particularly the changes to periodic tenancy terminations, which commenced on January 30, 2025.

Landlord notice to tenants – 42 days

A landlord can give 42 days’ notice if:

  • they require the property for their own principal place of residence or for a family member
  • the property has been sold with vacant possession
  • the property is needed for employees or contractors of the landlord.

Return of the no-cause 90-day termination clause

Landlords can now issue a 90-day notice to end a periodic tenancy without providing a specific reason. However, this must be used with caution – not in retaliation against tenants exercising their rights.

Tenant notice

Tenants can now end a periodic tenancy by giving 21 days’ written notice.

And as for my client, I braved the Christmas chaos once more to deliver gifts to her tenants. I regifted the chocolates and I kept the rosé as a reminder that gift–giving often brings more joy to the giver than receiver.

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