How Kāinga Ora will deal with bad tenants
The country’s social housing agency says it will “work hard to identify a more suitable housing option” for tenants evicted under the Government’s crackdown on bad behaviour.
Kāinga Ora general manager national services, Nick Maling, said the agency welcomed the direction provided by the Government, which earlier this week ordered KO to evict threatening, disruptive tenants who damage property and crack down on rent arrears.
The Sustaining Tenancies Initiative was launched in 2017 by the previous National government in an attempt to address the underlying causes of evictions and lead to better outcomes.
Some have welcomed the move, with a Hamilton grandmother who once lived in fear of an abusive Kāinga Ora neighbour saying enforcing tenancy rules could be an “incentive for change in others”.
But Joanne Turner, manager of the Hamilton Christian Nightshelter - Te Whare Korowai Taangata o Kirikiriroa told the Waikato Times those evicted would end up on the streets.
So how does Kāinga Ora evict tenants? “We already have work under way to make changes to our approach to addressing disruptive behaviour and rent arrears. As part of this work we will remove the Sustaining Tenancies Framework,” said Maling.
“We don't expect anyone to put up with awful situations, which is why we use the tools available to us under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) to address disruptive behaviour when it occurs.”
Maling said KO had a range of tools available to them, from warning notices to drive behaviour change, referrals to social and health services, voluntary and required relocation of tenants, to outright termination of tenancies.
“Which tool we use in a situation depends on the circumstances, who is in the home and the drivers of the behaviour. We are thoughtful in how we make these decisions and will continue to be as we seek to respond to the government's direction.“
In situations that are severe, persistent or threatening, KO applies to the Tenancy Tribunal to end a tenancy under section 55 of the RTA and not provide the customer with another Kāinga Ora home.
“In these situations, we work hard to identify a more suitable housing option for the tenant, and if applicable their family – for example, with an alternative housing provider.”
As a named family violence agency in the Family Violence Act 2018, Kāinga Ora is required to share information to prevent, reduce or stop harm from family violence, Maling said.
“Safe and appropriate information sharing ensures agencies and practitioners have the information they need to mitigate the risk of harm and address the effects of family violence as well as support the wellbeing of children.
“In cases where our people believe there may be domestic violence occurring within a home, we will notify and work with the appropriate agencies so they can safely support those at risk of family violence.
“This would also include providing the appropriate housing support.”