What foreigners really think

[donna]

Sounds more like a commercial tenancy.

After renting in the UK for a while - I was way too used to the fully furnished rentals - perfect for the transient renter, and found it hard when faced with needing to get stuff for a flat. I can't imagine having to go as far as getting curtains, carpet etc - madness.

Cheers,

Donna

[One]

I've flatted in a dozen or so properties in ChCh. They all had something wrong with them and I saw most of what s/he listed there.

What got me was that s/he made it sound like EVERY rental has ALL those problems

Oh, yeah, and EVERY landlord is an unresponsive a-hole.

Hmmph.

[halfempty]

But it must be true because I readed it on the interwebs.

[drelly]

Another thing is that in continental Europe, tenancies are commonly fixed for years. I know a landlord here who owns property in Belgium and he has 10 year fixed term tenancies and rents higher than lending rates. Here, tenants are much more transient and so inevitably get less service/consideration when they may be gone in a few months and are paying only around 4-5% of the property value in rent.

[donna]

Yep like Switzerland and major cities - property ownership is beyond most - with little to no new development possible so renting is the norm. Definitely can not be compared to here or in Aus where you consider yourself lucky to get a year's tenancy signed up - in comparison here is more like running long stay self service accommodation.

Cheers,

Donna

[Kaljames]

I've flatted in a dozen or so properties in ChCh. They all had something wrong with them and I saw most of what s/he listed there.

What got me was that s/he made it sound like EVERY rental has ALL those problems

Oh, yeah, and EVERY landlord is an unresponsive a-hole.

Hmmph.

Amen to that.

All the landlords I have had in New Zealand have been cheap and lazy.

For example in our current house we need the drywall replaced due to moisture behind the wall; no outside walls in this house have insulation in them and so the house is very cold and damp instead of spending the the extra money to replace all the walls and put in insulation to keep it warmer he is just doing the one wall... cold winter this one will be.

Kal

[eri]

sounds like you need to change houses

or buy one

better yet build a new one

as most houses in nz were made that way

crying shame i know

but that's all we could afford apparently

if you can afford something better i wholeheartedly recommend you get it

after all

builders need the work

and interest rates are low and likely to stay low for a long time

[donna]

There is still the misconception that Landlords are rolling in $$ and therefore if they're not spending thousands of $$ on their properties they are 'cheap and lazy' and the media are happy to keep the perception alive and well. After all as there are fewer LLs than there are everyone else it's logical they will side with the masses every time. Furthermore whether we admit it or not we do believe what we read or hear in the news....until proven to be in error.

cheers,

Donna

[Perry]

All the landlords I have had in New Zealand have been cheap and lazy.

You need to get out more.

The majority of tenants that I have had, over the years, have been good ones.
The others, well . . . unpaid rent debts of around $3k, things stolen, messes left
behind; showers growing mould, black toilet pan/bowls, ovens like a coal mine,
things lent taken and never returned; and worse.

Do I let that make my view of all tenants as bad? No. Just because there are
a few bad ones does not make it fair to label all tenants so. Same rule applies
to LLs. All PT Forumites hear tales of LLs which make them cringe. T'would be
nice if the same applied with tenants. Perhaps it does? Still waiting to hear . . .

[TheLiberalLeft]

And with that last paragraph have you not just tarred all tenants with the same brush?