Landlords struggle with tradie shortage
A general shortage of tradespeople and a culture of unaccountability in some areas had left him high and dry, he said.
‘‘The problem is twofold. One is getting someone to do something within the time scale, and the other problem, of course, is to get them to do what they say they would do,’’ Lewis said.
Plumbers or electricians often worked half a day and then disappeared until the following week, he said. A recent experience involved a carpet layer didn’t who didn’t show up on the scheduled day, which had knock-on effects for the plumber and electrician he had booked.
‘‘Of course, all the stuff from the house is stacked in the kitchen and bathroom to be clear for the carpet people. So a delay puts everyone else out,’’ Lewis said.
The skills shortage in the construction industry meant tradespeople were scarce, he said.
‘‘Some of the people I used in the past have grown elderly and retired, other companies have changed owners and changed staff, while others are willing to help – in about seven months’ time.’’
Beyond problems with contractors, the cost of installing new insulation or heating was the main barrier to meeting the standards, Lewis said.
Some requirements, such as having an extractor fan in all kitchens and bathrooms, were pointless in some homes, he said. In some cases it meant replacing the switchboards, ‘‘which can cost $1500’’.
‘‘If you’ve got a pokey little place and there’s no ventilation it makes sense, but if you’ve got adequate opening windows and you’re spending all this money really for no purpose, it makes people resentful. These are the things that get people’s backs up,’’ he said.
Tenants Protection Association chairman Peter Klein said ventilation affected health and safety and could also affect the condition of the property if left to deteriorate.
‘‘It affects both the tenant and the landlord,’’ he said.
Scotney Williams, principal at Tenancy.co.nz and a landlord himself, said that although he agreed extractor fans were disproportionately expensive to install, the Government could not provide exemptions and still achieve its goal because thousands of landlords would not comply.
‘‘I just don’t think it’s practical from the point of view of a government trying to upgrade the housing stock to not have blanket rules,’’ Williams said.
‘‘It will cost money and some will have to pick up that tab and pay more than others, but that’s the price we have to pay for upgrading the stock.’’
He said it was unfortunate for some landlords who were stuck with properties that were expensive to bring up to standard, but ‘‘when you get to your deadline you can actually say, ‘We’ve done something for tenants.’ ’’
Lewis said being a landlord was a high-workload, low-income business. Many people did not consider themselves to be landlords but had ‘‘inherited Aunty’s house and rent it out for a few extra dollars’’.
The new standards would add to the shortage of rental homes on the market, as landlords ‘‘bail’’, he said.
Klein said meeting certain standards was part of being a professional landlord.
‘‘They have to factor in these costs . . . If they think they can’t cope with it they have the option of getting out of the business.’’