No evictions for unruly renters

Ka¯inga Ora has yet to cancel any tenancies or evict a single tenant since it was instructed to more vigourously employ the law against unruly renters.

The housing agency has, however, moved 113 households, although it admits about half of those are tenants who have chosen to move away from their disruptive neighbours.

In February, the Government gave Ka¯ inga Ora the green light to deal with disruptive tenants, using measures including a “three strikes” complaints scheme laid out in the Residential Tenancies Act. Since then, the agency has received close to 6500 complaints about unruly tenants — ranging from relatively minor noise issues through to threats of violence.

In response, 21 households have been issued first-strike warnings, with seven progressing to a second-strike and just one to a final warning.

Ka¯inga Ora customer and practice director Shannon Gatfield said no one should have to put up with disruptive neighbours and the three-strikes system was having a positive effect.

“While we have issued only one third notice what we’ve found is issuing the first notice has quite an important effect and two-thirds of people who receive that first notice have not gone on to receive a second.”

Four disruptive households have been moved to another Ka¯inga Ora property using another section of the Residential Tenancies Act.

The remainder of those households that have moved have done so after discussions with their housing managers without recourse to the Act — including more than 50 trying to get away from unruly neighbours.

Gatfield said overall the number of complaints and households required to move was trending downwards.

Neighbours of disruptive Ka¯inga Ora tenants who spoke to Radio NZ, however, remained sceptical.