Landlords told to front up

Building owners in the Timaru District have been urged to ‘‘take some responsibility’’ about getting their properties’ earthquakeprone assessments completed as soon as possible.

Nelson-based Keith Whitehead, who owns several properties in Timaru, including 84 and 86 Stafford St, said there is an obligation to the tenant, and the public to get buildings strengthened.

His comments come after Stuff reported on January 24 that of the 393 ‘‘priority buildings’’ in the Timaru District that have been identified, the council has received just 15 completed initial seismic assessments.

This led to council building control manager Jayson Ellis warning of a possible bottleneck as building owners scramble to get their buildings assessed before the deadline.

Once a building is identified, a notice is sent to the owner requesting an initial seismic assessment, which must be completed within a year – although owners have the option of applying for an extension of a further year.

‘‘You’ve got to take some responsibility,’’ Whitehead told The Timaru Herald.

‘‘It’s assurance for the tenant more than anything else. It’s big picture stuff. The regulations are only going to get tighter from here.

‘‘Spending the money doesn’t increase the rent income for the landlord, but may mean the dif- ference between no tenant or get- ting a tenant.’’

Whitehead said he had his two buildings in Stafford St assessed in 2016.

The buildings were added to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Earthquake Prone Building (EPB) register in mid-January.

‘‘We were able to provide the assessment to council by return mail. Council provided certificates for display which we received on January 21, at our Nelson base, and they are now on the way to the tenants to display in the premises.

‘‘The future of the properties continues to depend on progress and final form of the council’s own plans for the area with regard to the nearby theatre and heritage projects.’’

Whitehead said he also owns the office building at 18 Woollcombe Street which required a review for council as it is three levels.

‘‘We strengthened this building in 2015 to in excess of 80 per cent of New Building Standard (NBS) and promptly provided all of our file data to council which has concurred and recorded this status on its file.

‘‘We have a policy of letting our tenants know what standard of NBS it is up to.’’

‘‘We were pleasantly surprised at our 2015 cost of less than $100,000, which included engineers’ fees, council consent fees and builders charges.

Whitehead said full disclosure is the easiest option.

‘‘Whenever you want to let out a commercial building these days, one of the first things they ask for is what earthquake-prone rating the building is at.

‘‘However, some buildings, especially on small sites or in poor locations, will simply be uneconomic and will remain a risk.’’

‘‘The regulations are only going to get tighter from here.’’

Keith Whitehead