A License for renters & WOF for all houses – Incentives to upgrade the dated housing?

[elguapo]

WOF for rentals could develop into something to pass on the traditional housing failures (poor, cold, damp, leaky and over priced) to somebody (needs to be found). Otherwise the strict separation between rental houses and the rest wouldn’t make sense.

Do we have a WOF only for taxis?
WOF keeps cars road worthy as they were sold originally – no requirements to fit airbags, ABS, etc. to meet current standards.

If we have a WOF for all vehicles, why not for all houses? Why the focus on rentals, when they are the minority of residential properties?

[speights boy]

speights boy - right, I pedal the brake of my car steep hill down for my safety. That is why I pay for WOF.

Sure, but the law is there to help protect me and others from you changing your mind.

[speights boy]

If we have a WOF for all vehicles, why not for all houses?

I don't have a choice in sharing the roads with you and your car when I drive mine.
I do have a choice as to whether I choose to live in your house.

[elguapo]

I don't have a choice in sharing the roads with you and your car when I drive mine.
I do have a choice as to whether I choose to live in your house.

Think of the children!

[speights boy]

Ha.
Very true.
When Sally the solo mum pays her money and jumps on a plane, ferry, bus with youngster, she can be reasonably assured it has been maintained to a required standard.
How about when she gets shown a rental from Larry the Landlord ?

[klauster]

speights boy – Are you missing here the mark?
A car has by law brakes and WOF to make sure it is lawful on the road.

WOF for rental targets landlords (minority of citizen) to force them into further debts e.g. to pay for improvements that many house in NZ don’t have as they were built.

If you force a WOF for rentals (not yet) then for meeting these standards rental owners should have options to meet those requirements like entitlements for interest free finance, tax rebate, etc – That is how they do that in countries I grew up.

At minimum landlords should be able to claim expenses for improving rental housing as rent deductible business expense. But so far the opposite happened - improvement costs and depreciation of business assets for residential landlords are not business expense.

[speights boy]

At minimum landlords should be able to claim expenses for improving rental housing as rent deductible business expense. But so far the opposite happened - improvement costs and depreciation of business assets for residential landlords are not business expense.

So, you are not arguing that rental standards don't need to be improved; just who pays what.
How about some from the taxpayer, some from the tenant, some from the property owner ....would that work ?

[speights boy]

WOF for rental targets landlords (minority of citizen) to force them into further debts e.g. to pay for improvements that many house in NZ don’t have as they were built.

Happens quite often in business.
An airliner or a ferry is required by the regulator to fit a new piece of safety equipment, which wasn't fitted when first built.

[klauster]

"Happens quite often in business.
An airliner or a ferry is required by the regulator to fit a new piece of safety equipment, which wasn't fitted when first built"

Nice you are saying that by closing in, but unfortunately for NZ landlords - that aren't rent deductible business cost

[speights boy]

What if , as a one off in order to bring the property up to WOF standard, they were ?
Would that satisfy you ?

[klauster]

Happens quite often in business.
An airliner or a ferry is required by the regulator to fit a new piece of safety equipment, which wasn't fitted when first built.

You didn’t complete your point - why would you treat ferry and house regulations differently, one as business expenses – the other not?

[flyernzl]

Because Landlords are seen as greedy unscrupulous rip-off merchants who are making stacks of tax-free money hand-over-fist while forcing Tenants to live in squalor, while ferry operators are staunch upright businesspeople who go to church, pay their taxes on time and help little old ladies across the road.

[speights boy]

You didn’t complete your point - why would you treat ferry and house regulations differently, one as business expenses – the other not?

What if , as a one off in order to bring the property up to WOF standard, they were ?
Would that satisfy you ?

[speights boy]

who are making stacks of tax-free money hand-over-fist

Don't know where people get that idea from.

Gary Lin

I believe in the 2.4m equity I have now compared to 250k I had in 2010.
Result speaks for itself.

[klauster]

Because Landlords are seen as greedy unscrupulous rip-off merchants who are making stacks of tax-free money hand-over-fist while forcing Tenants to live in squalor, while ferry operators are staunch upright businesspeople who go to church, pay their taxes on time and help little old ladies across the road.

I remember a little story that features a Grasshopper, who used to sing in time of plenty and the Ant rather kept tireless busy preparing for the long winter. The Grasshopper even worse is making malicious comments and fun of the Ant for its work ethic. When winter arrived, the Ant did okay, and the Grasshopper was starving – so he launched a submission to the government before starving to death.

As a result taxes has been increased until the Ant could not keep up with payments anymore, became bankrupt, evicted and the homeless Grasshopper received finally social housing…

That story could come from NZ where I’ve seen many Ants, working hard in a day job 40-50 hrs a week and spend the weekends and holidays to renovate a rental, their previous family home they let after the moved into a new or larger home. These people make about 80% of all landlords, thought.

Interesting to see the appreciation they get.