The Green Party is today making a Pledge to Renters: in the first 100 days of a new government, we will introduce a Renters’ Rights Bill to make sure everyone who rents always has a safe, healthy and affordable place to call home.

“In government, the Green Party will take action to guarantee people’s rent is always fair and affordable, and homes are warm, dry and healthy. And we will build thousands of new affordable, environmentally friendly homes in the places where people want to live,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson.

“For far too long, inaction by successive governments has forced thousands of people to pay through the roof to live in cold, damp, and unhealthy homes that are making them sick. The rental market more closely resembles a game of monopoly than a public good - and it is landlords who hold all the cards.

“This didn’t happen by accident. It is the consequence of decisions made by successive Governments. These decisions are disproportionately hurting the 1.4 million New Zealanders who rent in this country.

“Over the course of the next few months, other political parties will likely make promises to improve housing in Aotearoa. But the reality is, they will do little more than tinker around the edges of the problem. Only the Green Party will take the bold action necessary to fix the problem.

“The solutions are as clear as they have always been: controls on rent increases, a rental warrant of fitness, and thousands more new homes.

“In the first 100 days of a new government, we will introduce a new Renters’ Rights Bill to give effect to these changes.

“Expensive, unhealthy housing is one of the main causes of poverty. Today’s announcement is the second part of our plan to end poverty in Aotearoa.

“The Income Guarantee will ensure no one's income ever falls below $385 per week after tax, and the Pledge to Renters will give everyone a decent place to live. Together, the Income Guarantee and Pledge to Renters will lift every single person out of poverty.

“The Greens have spent years pushing for these changes, and we will keep fighting for the government we need to make it happen. The time is now to get more Green MPs into Parliament and more Green Ministers sitting around the Cabinet table,” says Marama Davidson.

Green Party co-leader James Shaw added:

“Access to a warm, safe home is a human right. So how has housing become a get rich scheme for a lucky few and a source of misery and expense for hundreds of thousands of others? Surely there are few more profound political questions than these.

“For decades, we have normalised a standard of housing in Aotearoa that is so bad it puts people‘s health at risk. Thousands of children are admitted to hospital each year for respiratory illnesses from living in damp, mouldy homes.

“Any party that stops short of promising to make everyone’s home healthy and affordable, is actively choosing to make life harder for thousands of people.

“Renters deserve better. We know how to make homes safe, healthy, affordable, and warm. Everything we need to make life better for people in Aotearoa exists. What’s missing is the political willpower to use it,” says James Shaw.

Note:

The Green Party’s Pledge to Renters is a commitment to everyone who rents that they will always have a warm, dry, and affordable place to call home.

• Rent Controls will put a limit on how much landlords can increase rent each year, giving people peace of mind they will always have enough to pay the bills
• A Rental Warrant of Fitness will guarantee all rental homes are safe, warm and healthy to live in
• We will build more affordable, environmentally friendly homes in the places where people want to live
• We will make warm, safe, dry, affordable homes more accessible to people and whānau by providing a government-backed underwrite so community providers can get on and build new rental homes with confidence
• We will ensure people living on the lowest incomes have a warm, safe place to put down roots by accelerating the public building programme
• A national register of all landlords and property managers will show how many properties are rented, who owns them, how much rent is charged over time, and compliance with the Rental Warrant of Fitness

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