Plans for legislation to better protect landlords and tenants were laid out as a consultation period for the Bill came to a close.

The Ministry of Home Affairs hosted a virtual forum on Wednesday night that broke down the Landlord and Tenant Act 2025.

Alexa Lightbourne, the minister, said that the new law was intended to repeal relevant legislature and fill in gaps.

She admitted that laws once created to help the public were now presenting challenges for landlords and tenants.

Ms Lightbourne said the Landlord and Tenant Act 1974 and the Rent Increase (Domestic Premises) Control Act 1978 were both introduced to help manage a longstanding housing shortage caused after the Second World War.

She said that the Rent Increase Control Act limited deposits to about half a month’s rent but was silent on harassment policies and had “inadequate” dispute resolution protocols.

Meanwhile, Ms Lightbourne added, the existing Landlord and Tenant Act placed a greater focus on leases.

The home affairs minister said that public feedback showed many landlords felt unprotected by the law, while tenants believed there was no enforcement and struggled with getting repairs completed.

She said that, while not many tenants reported problems with rent increases, those who did called them “sudden and unexpected”.

Ms Lightbourne said the reform would be focused on “transparency, affordability and accountability”.

She said the proposed Landlord and Tenant Act would maintain landlords’ responsibilities of fixing any problems and giving tenants privacy and freedom from harassment, while also pushing them to pay rent on time and maintain their living spaces.

The Act would call for mandatory agreements and standardised leases, while further streamlining dispute resolution.

The legislation would also use a tribunal to handle problems related to matters such as rent, deposits, evictions and harassment.

Public consultation showed broad support for the use of tribunals to resolve conflict, the minister said, although she noted that lawyers suggested emboldening the Magistrates’ Court to handle these matters instead of creating a new tribunal, which could create a backlog of cases.

Ms Lightbourne said that public feedback so far showed mixed reactions on the idea of standardised leases, while many called for clarifying rules on board houses, room rentals and Airbnbs.

The public also called for plain language definitions of certain terms such as “tenant” and “vacating”.

Consultation also proposed a public registry of landlords.

Ms Lightbourne said she wanted to enhance rights and improve clarity through the proposed Landlord and Tenant Act.

She acknowledged concerns around three-month rent deposits and said she was looking to adjust the figure to one month.

Karen Marshall, the executive officer of the Commission for Consumer Affairs, said the scope of residential and agricultural lease plans would be discussed in a second draft after talking to consumer affairs.

She added that many topics — from landlords trespassing to violence and harassment between landlords and tenants — will also be discussed.

Ms Marshall said that the tribunal would be the biggest factor in resolving disputes in a timely fashion.

She added that tenants must remember their responsibilities to their homes and must learn to accept accountability.

Ms Marshall said: “We have to stop always expecting Government to pay out and to take care of everything.

“We have to take responsibility for ourselves and our decisions.”

Further drafting of the legislation is to take place this month.