A dilapidated Dunedin rental. Image via Shutterstock.
In news that surprises no one who has run the treadmill of renting, a report released yesterday by Anglican Advocacy contains an inventory of rental property managers gone rogue. A Decade Overdue contains reports of discrimination, dishonesty and negligence.“One of the most common things was a level of deceit or misinformation—not giving accurate information, not passing on information between landlords and tenants, but also incredible delays in sorting out maintenance and problems around the property,” he said.Independent Property Management Association President Karen Withers dismissed the report, saying it was self-selective and did not represent the industry as a whole.
Anglican Advocacy director Jolyon White told the NZ Herald that, although property managers were responsible for billions of dollars worth of property, they faced none of regulations faced by real estate agents.
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The report came on the same day that RNZ detailed the abysmal conditions of a Papakura property that a family of four are renting at $520 a week. The house sits over a swamp caused by an incorrectly installed stormwater system.Tenant Dawn Robbie said the swamp made the house “damp, cold, and mouldy”. “It’s mosquito, rat infested, we’re living in shit, no offence, but that’s literally how it feels.” Her 10-month-old daughter had already had bronchitis three times, she said.Housing Minister Phil Twyford told RNZ the Papakura was an example of why New Zealand’s rental rules “desperately” need an overhaul. “It’s an absolute disgrace,” he said.His government has proposed a range of changes to New Zealand rental law, including a limit on rent increases, the practice of "rent-bidding" and an end to no-cause terminations.