Housing Warrant of Fitness Must Be Enforceable

It is heartening that Housing Minister Nick Smith has finally accepted that there is a rental housing problem in Christchurch, says New Zealand First Housing Spokesperson Denis O'Rourke.

"The problems stem from an acute shortage of homes for rent which have not been addressed by the National government, and because of the substandard, damp, leaky and cold properties that are too often rented.

"The Minister is now 'open to the idea of a warrant of fitness' but says that the devil is in the detail.

"New Zealand First policy can help. What is needed is a set of minimum standards enforceable by a change in the tenancy legislation under which a tenant can withhold rent, and cannot be evicted, until defects are remedied by the landlord.

"The Tenancy Tribunal could be empowered to determine whether a property is up to standard where there is a dispute.

"More than four years after the earthquakes which caused these problems it is high time the government acted on them," says Mr O'Rourke.

ENDS

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