Women-only flats may flout law

A Rotorua apartment block that will be let only to women may be in breach the Human Rights Act.

The apartment block of one-bedroom apartments, which is still being completed, is being marketed as a safe, private place for women who want to live alone.

Property manager Richard Evans said there had been a lot of interest in the properties and positive feedback. They are listed for $280 a week each. Only one person had complained that men were being excluded, he said. ‘‘There was one guy who grizzled.’’

Men can visit the apartments but can- not be named on the tenancy agreement.

The apartments were bought at a mortgagee auction and are being redeveloped.

‘‘We’ve had two tenants signed up, two others are on hold while we check references and another is coming in after work to sign up. Within the next few days at least half [the available units] should have been rented,’’ Evans said.

The apartments are believed to be owned by a Wellington-based family trust, which owns other properties in the capital and Palmerston North.

The units had appealed to potential tenants such as a woman who was to complete a nine-month course in Rotorua and wanted somewhere to live during the week, Evans said.

‘‘Her husband was worried she would rent somewhere that was not very nice and was worried about her security and privacy.’’

But a spokeswoman for the Human Rights Commission said anyone providing housing or other accommodation had to comply with the Human Rights Act and could not discriminate on the grounds of sex. The only exceptions were in shared accommodation or institutions such as hostels or retirement villages.

Lawyer Thomas Biss said the offer seemed problematic. ‘‘If you are advertising for a flatmate where you are living in the house then you can specify a female flatmate,’’ he said. ‘‘But generally a property manager could not simply only deal with females.’’