Rules & rights
The New Zealand laws, rules, and standards that govern real-estate transactions — in plain language, with verbatim quotes, practical interpretation, and the places they are commonly misinvoked.
Every guide on this site that cites a law links here. This is the reference layer. Use it to check the source yourself.
This is general information, not legal advice
These pages describe New Zealand law and how it is applied in practice. They are not legal advice under the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, and they are not financial advice under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. For advice on your specific situation, consult a lawyer or other licensed professional.
Every page has a "last verified" date against legislation.govt.nz and links to the authoritative primary source. If you find a page that is out of date, please tell us.
By topic
Real estate regulation
The Act, the Rules, the regulator. What governs agent conduct in New Zealand.
Consumer protection
The general-purpose consumer laws that sit behind every real-estate transaction.
Privacy
What agents and inspectors can and cannot do with your information, your home, and your family's presence in it.
Housing and tenancy
Unit titles, building consents, Healthy Homes standards. The overlapping frameworks specific to homes.
Contracts and property
The ADLS Agreement for Sale and Purchase, the Evidence Act, and the LIM regime.
Competition and markets
When the structure of the industry itself is in question, this is the framework.
Standards
Not statutes, but the documents that define what a competent inspection, a compliant build, or an acceptable report looks like.
Financial advice boundary
The Act that defines where general information ends and regulated financial advice begins. Relevant for every page on this site.
How these pages are structured
1. What it is
The Act or rule in one or two sentences.
2. What it covers
Scope, parties bound, commencement date.
3. What it gives you
Your rights and protections, plainly stated.
4. Key sections
The important provisions, quoted verbatim and explained.
5. How it is applied
Where practice lands, including where it has drifted from the statute's original intent.
6. Common misuses
Where the law is invoked incorrectly, and how to respond.
7. When you might cite it
Two to four practical scenarios.
8. Sources & related rules
Links to the primary source, related rules, and our guides that use this rule.