What’s Changed in the New Sale and Purchase Agreement (And Why It Matters)
If you’ve bought or sold a home in New Zealand, you’ve signed an Agreement for Sale and Purchase of Real Estate. It’s the standard contract used in almost every residential transaction, and it was updated on 21 April 2026 by The Law Association of New Zealand and REINZ. Most property transactions are now completed using this new version, known as the ASPRE. This is a long article because there is a genuine list of changes to work through. Use the index below to jump straight to the part you want.
In this article:
The changes cover fourteen areas in total. Most matter in a real, practical way. A few are simply clearer wording with no real change in effect, and those are labelled “wording change” below so you can skip past them if you like.
Both the buyer and the seller now warrant that the standard wording of the agreement has not been altered without making it obvious. If a clause is deleted or changed, it has to be clearly visible, for example with a line through it, rather than edited invisibly in a PDF. This warranty covers changes made by you or anyone acting on your behalf, so it is worth checking with whoever prepared your copy that nothing has been altered before you sign.
If you are selling, and any restricted building work was carried out, arranged, or allowed on your property on or after 13 March 2012, you now warrant that it was done or supervised by a suitably qualified person under the Building Act. This covers things like larger carports and sanitary plumbing work, and also applies to work done under the newer “granny flat” exemption. Given how much rebuild and repair work has happened across Christchurch properties over the last decade, this is one of the changes worth taking seriously if you are selling.
If you’re buying an apartment or townhouse on a unit title, the seller can no longer vote to change the unit title’s warranties before settlement without your consent. This closes a gap that previously let a seller change the terms after you had already agreed to buy.
Previously, if you cancelled a sale because your finance fell through, you had to give a “satisfactory explanation of the grounds” for cancelling, which was open to argument about what counted as satisfactory. Now you need to give a “reasonable explanation of the steps taken” to arrange finance. In practice, this should mean fewer disputes over whether your reason was good enough, and more focus on whether you genuinely tried.
If your purchase needs Overseas Investment Office consent, the seller must now take reasonable steps to help you get it. Previously the seller had no obligation to assist at all. This will not affect most first home buyers, but it matters if it applies to your purchase.
The standard chattels list used to name blinds, curtains, and drapes separately. They are now grouped under one heading, “window coverings.” An automatic garage door facility, meaning the remote and motor, has also been added as its own chattel, separate from the garage door itself. Both the remote and the door should be in reasonable working order at settlement.
If a property is being sold subject to an existing tenancy, any pet bond held for that tenancy must now be disclosed separately from the general bond, rather than lumped in together.
If something turns out to be wrong with the property, a claim for compensation still needs to be raised as early as reasonably practical, and no later than the working day before settlement. What has changed is that you are no longer limited to a single claim. You can now raise more than one if more than one issue comes up.
A handful of changes are wording change only, with no real practical difference for most buyers and sellers: an update to how sales information is collected, to comply with new privacy law taking effect from 1 May 2026; a few modernised and new definitions, including “appointee” and “key”; the deemed service period for documents sent by ordinary mail, extended from three to five working days; title, boundary, and requisition wording clarifying rights that were already generally understood; the GST information in Schedule 1, clarified without changing the substance; and a branding update reflecting the association’s new name.
Most of these changes are sensible tidy ups rather than anything alarming. But a “standard form” contract is still a legal document, and this version has enough real changes that it is worth having it reviewed properly rather than assuming it works exactly like the last one you signed. If you’re about to buy or sell, get in touch before you sign anything.
Do I need a lawyer to check this if my real estate agent already gave me a copy? Yes. Agents handle the sale, we handle the legal side, and the two work best together. It is always safest to have us check over the agreement before you sign it.
Is my existing contract still valid if I signed before April 2026? Yes. Your agreement stands as signed at the time. This update applies to new agreements signed from now on.
Does using the new agreement cost more? No. It is the same standard process, just anupdated version of the form.
How long does a LIM report typically take once ordered? Usually up to around 10 working days, so it is worth ordering early if your agreement is conditional on one.
This guide is general information only and is not legal advice. You should get advice on your own circumstances before making any property decisions.
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