If you use temporary accommodation, you will need to pay a weekly cost for the use of the property. This weekly cost is called a ‘part payment’.
Part payments cover part of the weekly accommodation cost for the property you use. The Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) covers the remaining cost. You do not pay this amount to your accommodation provider directly. Instead, you pay TAS, and TAS will pay the accommodation provider.
If you register for temporary accommodation:
- We will advise you that there is a cost to your accommodation.
- We will let you know what the weekly part payment amount is.
- We will let you know when your part payments will start. This will usually be two weeks after we activate your temporary accommodation, but later in some cases.
TAS has a process to review part payment amounts to ensure these do not cause any undue hardship.
If you have insurance, review your policy to find out your rent cover for temporary accommodation. Otherwise, if you are uninsured or your insurance policy does not cover temporary accommodation, you may be eligible for financial assistance through the Ministry of Social Development.
Ongoing temporary accommodation responses
TAS has activated the following responses to recent emergency events:
Severe Weather Events January 2026
Earliest part payment start date: 23 March 2026
About part payments
Whenever an emergency event occurs, local authorities will organise civil defence emergency management in their area. This will often include emergency accommodation at no cost for the first two weeks after the event.
After this initial response, TAS will provide temporary accommodation support on an ongoing basis. This is intended to support displaced households while their homes are rebuilt or remediated.
TAS is not a free service. Instead, we make temporary accommodation accessible by sourcing this in response to emergencies and subsiding its costs. This ensures that:
- Households affected by an emergency have access to temporary accommodation at either a fixed rate, or below market rate for the affected region.
- Accommodation is available for all affected households using the temporary accommodation service, for as long as those households remain eligible.
You can find more information about eligibility requirements in our information pack.
Temporary Accommodation Service Information Pack [PDF, 757 KB]
Households must agree to make weekly part payments to TAS to cover part of the cost of their temporary accommodation. While this takes place, we will cover the remaining cost.
Part payment amounts
Part payment amounts will depend on the area of the emergency event. Different locations will have different weekly costs.
- Some temporary accommodations will charge part payments at a fixed rate.
- Some temporary accommodations will charge part payments at below market rent. This will be at least 10% less than the lower quartile market rent for the affected region.
Market Rent(external link) – Tenancy Services
In a wider regional response, we will consider market rent from multiple areas within the region.
Late payments, debt and addressing payment issues
If you have not made all of your required payments, TAS will send you a notice outlining the amount you owe. We will also provide you with options to clear the debt. You must either pay the owed amount in full, or agree on a payment plan with us.
If you are having difficulty making your part payments, contact your Matching and Placement Coordinator as soon as possible. We can work with you to find a solution, which may involve deferring, waiving or temporarily reducing your payments. You can also apply for a temporary or ongoing change to your part payments due to financial hardship or exceptional circumstances.
You may also have other financial assistance options available to you across other government agencies.
We may terminate your agreement for temporary accommodation if:
- you are late with your part payments by 10 working days or more
- you have made no payments to clear any part payments in arrears, or
- you are not able to agree on a payment plan with us.
If your agreement is terminated, you must move out of the temporary accommodation. TAS may also seek to recover the owed amount through a debt collection agency.
Financial hardship and exceptional circumstances
You can apply for a change to your part payment if your household is experiencing undue financial hardship or exceptional circumstances. You will need to provide TAS with details about your situation so that we can make a decision.
If we accept your application, we may defer, waive or temporarily reduce your weekly part payment amount. We may also apply this to debts from part payment arrears.
Changes to part payments will be decided on a case-by-case basis. We will regularly review your situation to make sure your part payment amount remains appropriate and affordable.
Undue financial hardship
We may change your part payments in cases where your household is facing undue financial hardship. This will involve us considering:
- your household's net weekly income
- the difference between your part payment and your household's accommodation costs before your displacement, and
- any continuing fixed housing costs from your household's place of residence before your displacement (such as mortgage, rates or insurance payments).
Exceptional circumstances
We may change your part payments where your household is experiencing exceptional circumstances. These are unexpected situations that have a significant effect on the life of your household and your ability to make part payments. Exceptional circumstances include situations such as bereavement, or physical or mental health deterioration.
Being displaced because of a civil defence emergency does not qualify as an exceptional circumstance for this purpose.
To qualify for a change in part payments under exceptional circumstances:
- your household must be facing a situation that makes it financially or practically difficult to make part payments for a period of time, and
- your household is not currently receiving financial assistance from your insurer or the Ministry of Social Development that meets the cost of your part payment.
Applying for changes to your part payment
To apply for a change to your part payment, complete the following application form and email it to TemporaryAccommServ@mbie.govt.nz.
Part payment change application form [PDF, 301 KB]
You will need to provide sufficient information to demonstrate that your household is unable to make part payments because of undue financial hardship or exceptional circumstances. You will need to provide the required information for all adult members of your household.
If you need help with your application, talk to your Matching and Placement Coordinator.
Disputing decisions
If you disagree with the outcome of your application, you can email us at TASPartPayments@mbie.govt.nz within 5 days of receiving our decision.
You must provide relevant information for your dispute. This includes any supporting material that you would like us to consider. We will then review your dispute and get in touch with you as soon as possible.
If your dispute involves other people, please note that privacy standards may limit the information or updates we provide to you.
