Quiet Enjoyment – Your Right to Peace, Privacy, and Safety
As a tenant, you have the legal right to quiet enjoyment of your home. That means living without harassment, illegal entry, intimidation, or disruption. Your landlord must respect your privacy, your peace, and your right to feel safe.
This guide explains what quiet enjoyment means, how it’s protected under law, and what to do if it’s being breached.
What Is Quiet Enjoyment?
Quiet enjoyment means:
- living without unreasonable interference
- being free from harassment or intimidation
- having privacy and peace in your home
- being able to use the property without disruption
- not being disturbed by the landlord or their agents
It does not mean total silence — it means freedom from interference.
Your Legal Rights
Under the Residential Tenancies Act, your landlord must:
- respect your right to quiet enjoyment
- avoid interfering with your peace, comfort, or privacy
- avoid harassment or intimidation
- avoid excessive or unnecessary contact
- avoid entering the property without proper notice
They must not:
- show up unannounced
- enter without giving 24 hours’ written notice
- harass or threaten you
- interfere with your use of the property
- make repeated or unnecessary contact
- allow tradespeople or agents to disrupt your peace
Common Breaches
Quiet enjoyment is breached when:
- the landlord enters illegally
- the landlord harasses or intimidates you
- tradespeople enter without notice
- the landlord makes excessive contact
- the landlord refuses to respect your privacy
- the landlord behaves in a threatening or disruptive way
Even if the landlord owns the property, they cannot treat it like their personal space once it’s rented.
What You Can Do
If your quiet enjoyment is being breached:
- Document everything Keep records of dates, times, messages, and incidents.
- Send a written warning Remind the landlord of your legal rights.
- Issue a 14‑day Notice to Remedy If the behaviour continues, this is your formal next step.
- Apply to the Tenancy Tribunal You can request compensation, penalties, and orders to stop the behaviour.
What to Say to Your Landlord
You can use these phrases:
- “Your behaviour is breaching my right to quiet enjoyment.”
- “I require you to stop entering without notice.”
- “I will take formal steps if this continues.”
Copy and Paste This Message
Subject: Breach of Quiet Enjoyment
Kia ora,
I am writing to raise a concern about repeated breaches of my right to quiet enjoyment.
Your actions are interfering with my peace, privacy, and ability to live safely in the property. This includes: [brief description of the behaviour].
Please stop this behaviour immediately. If it continues, I may issue a formal Notice to Remedy and apply to the Tenancy Tribunal.
Ngā mihi, [Your Name]
