Govt cracks down on ‘poor’ kept rentals
Conor McFarlane should be studying, but on Tuesday he’s off to the Tenancy Tribunal.
The University of Otago student and his two flatmates are taking their Christchurch-based landlord to the tribunal over issues with their flat in Dunedin’s Queen St.
Their flat was one of six in Dunedin’s student quarter visited by a new Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) team of tenancy investigators who were ‘‘disappointed’’ at what they found.
They found a roof damaged over seven weeks ago in a storm, that was letting water and cold air into the four-bedroom flat, despite repeated requests to the landlord to fix the problem.
The damaged roof was repaired just days after the property was inspected.
The three tenants each a week in rent.
‘‘I definitely wouldn’t pay anymore for it,’’ McFarlane, a fourth-year student, said.
‘‘You never know what a flat is like until you experience your first winter.’’
McFarlane said the roof was not the only issue with the concrete block building, which was covered in carpet tiles.
That proved problematic after they discovered the place ‘‘was infested with fleas which was obviously a nightmare for us to fix’’.
MBIE tenancy compliance and investigations team manager Paul Coggan said investigators found mould, poor insulation, rotten floorboards and issues with smoke alarms in the inspected flats.
He urged any would-be tenants to enter a new tenancy with ‘‘eyes wide open’’.
Rentals were a business and landlords were obliged to follow the rules.
While he would not comment on whether the inspected flats were owned by absentee landlords, he confirmed the majority had property managers.
He was concerned issues raised by tenants were ignored. If property managers were not listening, tenants should ‘‘raise the issue directly with the owner’’.
Both landlords and paid $100 tenants needed to ensure working smoke alarms were installed.
Coggan found new tenancy agreements for next year had no statements about insulation. This was required from July 1, 2016.
‘‘Landlords need to let tenants know the location and condition of insulation in the property so they can make an informed decision.
‘‘Landlords must make a statement about the location, type and condition of the current insulation, if any, on any tenancy agreement made since 1 July 2016, and it’s surprising there are still landlords who have not done it and are therefore failing to maintain legally-required records.’’
Insulation will be compulsory in all rental homes from July 1, 2019. ‘‘We take breaches of residential tenancy law seriously, and are working to crack down on poor landlord behaviour across New Zealand,’’ Coggan said.
‘‘Our Dunedin visit was just the start of these operations. We will be in cities and towns across New Zealand to raise awareness of the rights and responsibilities of both tenants and landlords, and to ensure landlords are complying fully with the recent changes to the Residential Tenancies Act.’’
Coggan said MBIE made the visits to assess how landlords were complying the rules, as well as to understand the issues faced by landlords and tenants in the area.
‘‘We will not hesitate to take action for breaches of residential tenancy law.’’
Breaching tenancy law could face cost up to $4000 per breach.