Manawatu Tenants Union
November 29th
As the new Labour led Government settles into its work,the one feature that the public has found out just how divided the country has become.Housing is a big issue that will get the attention that it deserves.
To date we have had a number of position papers on changes to the rental accommodation market which will bring more balance into the landlord/tenant relationship.
While we ear the usual outcries from some landlord agencies many of whom are still in shock from the loss of the National led government and pledging to sell their rental properties.They seem to believe that the new government will make the present housing worse not better.
Some of the problems to be addressed are 1 The issue of security of tenure could see much improvement where tenants could be giver longer notice periods to replace the 42/90 days notices as at present.
Letting fees would be abolished for tenants.
Rent increases would be kept to a once a year review,which would be really beneficial to tenants,living on a budget.The MTU will be keeping a close eye on these moves
November 15th 2017
Just to carry on from our previous blog. There is enough evidence to highlight the need for some form of emergency/ night shelter accommodation for those who are homeless.It is estimated that a homeless person cost's the taxpayer a conservative $ 200,000 in emergency department visits alone.
You have to question where is the sense in pursuing policies that have reached their use by date and have failed to deliver decent outcomes for those seeking accommodation.Would it not be cheaper to build more state housing ? Let's trust that the new government start a house building scheme soon,one of the problems with such a large scale building scheme will be having enough trades people to complete the job.
Another area of the Labour led government,s housing policies concerns the much needed improvement's for those who rent their home.While it is important to highlight the importance of home ownership,the rental market will be leading the way in those seeking secure accommodation.Home ownership will be an aspiration which will be beyond many tenants
while rental accommodation will be the reality for growing
number's of those seeking accommodation.
The new government intend's to improve the security of tenure for tenants which at present is one of the worse in developed countries ,the nearest New Zealand gets to security is that Housing New Zealand are good landlord's and assist their tenants when thing's go wrong for them.
There will be an end to the practice of letting fee's which is long overdue landlord's should be paying for this service.Rent increases will be limited to once every 12 months and the amount that the increase shall rise by.There is is also the review that a proper Warrant of Fitness will be reviewed,it should that the Warrant of Fitness was brought to the attention of the New Zealand public by the Manawatu Tenants Union in 1995. The improvements are required to improve the social well being of New Zealand families who use rental accommodation as their only choice to provide for their families.
The Manawatu Tenants Union will be following the progress of these proposed improvements.
November 14th 2017
Emergency housing is needed now and into the future as the new government look at ways to increase the housing stock.Families sleeping in cars ,garages and in emergency motel accommodation and in overcrowded flats,there has to be change.
One idea from Indian architect Anupama Kundoo is interesting,she has designed low cost sustainable housing,which can be assembled by the tenants.The home is every DIY fans dream,constructed from minimalist blocks made from ferro-cement ,a type of mortar that uses mesh wire and light steel,the homes look strikingly modern.
There is no need for furniture,the blocks double as furniture and as storage.Inside the compact house there are platforms that can be used for sleeping ,cooking and eating .
Potential uses for the modular homes include student accommodation, farm workers accommodation,the technology is versatile,these homes are the answer to emergency accommodation needs and the cost is low around $ 8,000. per unit.It is well worth looking into to see if the model could be adopted here as a form of emergency accommodation.
November 13th 20017.
Now that the election is out of the way and we have a new government in place who have a different perspective on the housing crisis that they inherited from the National led government.
The homelessness and the creation of a permanent underclass by the John Key government,and it should be noted that his housing ministers Bill English and Paula Bennett led the charge in the creation of the housing crisis. While it will take sometime to get housing back to where it should be,as the cornerstone of family life,it is good that it is at top of the agenda,where before it never got a mention.
While the National Party along with their supporters are unhappy with the election outcome,they still don't get the message that homelessness and the running down of public services created the underclass,that is their legacy.
The new government has embraced that change is required to improve the lives of the growing number of tenants who will never own their own home.The Manawatu Tenants Union will follow with interest the progress of improvements for tenants in their dealings with their landlord,and property managers who have too much power and control over tenants lives.
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