Manawatu Tenants Union Annual Report 2015
Housing has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the last year.Secure affordable shelter has become a serious issue for a growing number of tenants,and the number of disputes with their landlord has been increasing as well.
Disputes range from : bond refunds, eviction notices,90 day notices,getting repairs done,and indicate a breakdown in communication between landlord and tenant.It seems like class warfare as the disputes escalate,at the end of the day the landlord holds all the cards with their power and control of tenants lives.
The time taken to get a Tribunal hearing takes longer due to the increasing number of renters which puts pressure on the service.The system is working,it just needs reviewed to reflect the change in New Zealand society.Affordable housing shortages in the private sector coupled with a push by Housing New Zealand to evict tenants and to sell state housing to private landlords,will only see affordable disappear from the reach of those who really need it.Many families will likely become homeless,the need for affordable housing has never been greater.The poorest people in our city are increasingly precarious lives,as they struggle to pay their rent and support their families.
In 1995 the Manawatu Tenants Union proposed the introduction of a Warrant of Fitness for all rental properties around New Zealand.The vast majority of sub-standard houses are in the private sector even though the media only pick on state houses when highlighting the poor condition of rental housing,this is misleading. This also gives the present government another reason to sell off all state housing,it is wrong.This a convincing reason for the introduction of a Warrant of Fitness to cover all rental housing.
With housing turning out to the issue of concern among New Zealanders at present and unlikely to go away any time soon now is the time to insist that the housing issues are put right.The Manawatu Tenants Union would like all the political parties to look into setting up a Register of Landlords. This would mean that all those renting housing would be registered with the local authority and they should be of good character etc.Landlords require all sorts of information from tenants,references,credit check,employment status and criminal record if any.Landlord registration will not happen in the short term but will become mainstream in the future,it should be noted renters will out number home owners sometime soon and they are voters.Political parties will ignore them at their peril.
Those of us who work in the social sector have a responsibility to government that present housing policies are not working and its time for rethink on this most important aspect of peoples lives a roof over their heads.
The MTU will hold its AGM on Friday 26th June at 12.00 in the Community House King Street Palmerston North,everyone is welcome.
Manawatu Tenants Union