FINDS ITS VOICE
IT would pass laws to ‘‘restore equity to the Tenant and Landlord relationship’’ with an especial focus on housing security. It would introduced a rental warrant of fitness, explore caps on rent increases, and ensure that tenants are not left out of pocket when landlords evict them to sell their home. LANDLORDS feel threatened by Labour’s plans. They don’t express fear over Labour’s KiwiBuild programme to build and sell 100,000 affordable homes (half in Auckland) over 10 years to first-time homebuyers, or to remove Auckland’s urban growth boundary, which is limiting land for housing. Labour would also ‘‘substantially’’ increase the number of state houses. What they fear is Labour’s plans to extend the brightline test to five years, and to stop landlords using tax losses on their rental properties to offset their tax on other income. Labour has also pledged to ban foreign speculators from THIS is the not the party for anyone wanting to defend their current house price. TOP’s plan is to tax homeowners on the ‘‘imputed rent’’ they pay themselves. This would raise the cost of owning a house, and over time, drop the price people are willing to pay for homes. The money raised from its new taxes would be used to drop income tax rates. TOP would also introduce German-style long-term tenancies, and rental warrant of fitness to lift rental standards. buying existing New Zealand homes. Labour’s Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill indicates it would move to regulate minimum standards in rental properties.