The waiting game for social housing

New Zealanders struggling to rent a property on the private rental market are facing lengthy waits before they get the keys to a state house.

Figures released by the Ministry of Social Development under the Official Information Act show the longest wait for social housing in the six months to March was seven years and 36 days.

The average wait time was 144 days.

Ministry of Social Development social housing chief executive Carl Crafar said the circumstances of applicants facing the longest waits over the period changed while they were on the social housing register.

The change in circumstances affected their priority and changed the time it took them to receive an offer of housing, Crafar said.

‘‘It is important to understand that the social housing register is not a time-ranked waitlist, rather applicants assessed as being in the most urgent need will be matched to a property first.’’

Crafar said he was not able to disclose further details about each case for privacy reasons, but that each situation had a complex personal history.

There were a range of factors that affected how long someone remained on the social housing register, he said.

A client might change the region they want to live in, have specific housing requirements or seek to live in an area that had high demand.

‘‘Additionally, when a client is offered suitable housing and they decline, this will result in a client remaining on the social housing register for a longer duration.’’

Placing people and families into a house was about matching them with the right house in the area that they wanted to live, Crafar said.

All applicants were contacted by Ministry of Social Development staff at least every 30 days.