Warrant of Fitness for rentals (including details)

[artemis]

So the whole idea of the WoF is to cut down on the number of people, particularly children, getting sick or injured because of their living conditions. That is the rationale put forward. And landlords are the best people to change that.

It raises questions:

- since overcrowding is known to be an important factor in health issues, surely a WoF should be counting the number of occupants and requiring the landlord to issue notice to reduce the number to the level set out in the Housing Improvement Regulations 1947.

- if tenants act in such a way to reduce the score of a WoF to a fail then this should be a clear reason to evict, even if the TOP policy on more or less permanent tenancies is eventually enacted. So mould greater than a sheet of A4 paper - tenants gone as clearly the place is unhealthy.

- if a voluntary scheme ever becomes mandatory, then it should be applied to all residential properties, not just rentals. After all it is all about the children. Isn't it? So if owners can, but do not, make their homes safe and healthy they should be subject to the same Pass / Fail conditions and sanctions as landlords. They would have to evict themselves.

- health authorities and ACC were involved with the design of the scheme, and their fingerprints are all over it. They will be the principal financial beneficiaries if for example visibility strips stop people falling through glass windows and doors. So they, not property owners, should pay to upgrade.

- what counts as an adequate form of safe and effective space heating - Question 8. If the question is oriented towards heat pumps, then note Mr Andrew King's comment reported in the press The average rent for central Wellington was $451/week but if a property had a heat pump the average asking price was $545/week.

[Perry]

Never let practicalities get in the way of a good, political, social sell.

That mantra is all over this.

Market forces may help price gouging for rents. But - just like GST (supposedly) being something oaid by the final consumer - so it is with other costs added at any stage along the path to the final consumer / tenant.

[Bobsyouruncle]

Until they find out which landlords have bad homes so they know who to actually target this will only drive rents up. I can only assume there are more bad landlords than I think there are......

[Learning]

Good point - I was thinking that new ones would be built with an extrusion down the middle.
Then I get home and ours aren't!
But they are safety glass.

That raises another point. The current building code is all new windows at ground level must be toughened safety glass but no mention of visibility strips or extrusion bars. Yet the WOF is the other way round. Which is the greater safety risk?

[Perry]

That raises another point. Which is the greater safety risk?

The Rental WoF scheme!

Regulators nearly always get it wrong, the first few attempts. Or longer.

[Courham]

But wait it gets better...

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/96122125/wellington-plans-a-housing-quality-standard-for-every-home-in-the-city

Wellington homeowners face the possibility of being forced to bring their homes up to an approved city council standard.

The proposed Housing Quality Standard will be voluntary at first, but deputy mayor Paul Eagle says Wellington City Council has not ruled out making it mandatory if support falls flat.

And:



Last year, the council engaged an independent housing taskforce whose recommendations, published in June, included the adoption of a housing quality standard framework.

Information gathered from the rental WoF would shape the wider housing standard, Lester's spokesman said.

That would include feedback from landlords and tenants, what extra help would be available, and whether the council should be funding grants to help bring properties up to the standard.

The rental WoF inspection would cost $250, but it was too soon to know what costs might be associated with the housing standard.

"We're talking to all the experts and developing that ... work is still ongoing," the spokesman said.

Go Wellington. This will work for sure... Yeah right.

Maybe they could hire the muppets responsible for checking the houses for EQC post CHCH earthquakes to do the checking that houses were up to standard, they were REALLY good- ask anyone in CHCH.

Craig

[artemis]

When they say council funding grants - they mean ratepayers in the first instance, and tenants who will be paying increased rent regardless of grants.

[eri]

and in a typical show of council arrogance

if wellington people show they don't like it

council will force it on them

nice

[Perry]

The mantra: "we were elected to govern" and to hell with any contrary perspectives.

I'm sure we've all seen it, all too often.

[flyernzl]

I seem to recollect that compulsion was the original aim.
However, the Wellington Council could not find any existing Law that would allow this.

Even Councils accept that they cannot create new laws, only apply existing ones.
But no doubt they will agitate for such a law, if they get half a chance.

[Davo36]

Even Councils accept that they cannot create new laws, only apply existing ones.

Yes they hate this. Hard to make people do what you think (know) they should do when you don't have the law on your side.

So often they just go beyond the law. With clauses in resource consents for instance.

[Courham]

Yes they hate this. Hard to make people do what you think (know) they should do when you don't have the law on your side.

So often they just go beyond the law. With clauses in resource consents for instance.

IF it does somehow go ahead at least they will be pissing off all homeowners and not just landlords. No way it will ever fly.

Craig

[artemis]

Some interesting snippets from the article linked below. Including the Professor in the ivory tower proposing that if tenants get the Accommodation Supplement the property they rent should have a rental warrant of fitness.

The Government spends up to $6 million a day propping up New Zealand's private rental market.
The $2.3 billion annual spend supports 60 per cent of the country's private renters, and is helping to keep a vast number of Kiwis out of poverty.

Housing Minister Amy Adams ..... said around 550,000 households rent in New Zealand.


Rental listings plummet - Decrease in rental listings on Trade Me - year to April 2017
- Wellington down 65%, Otago down 61%, BOP down 52%, Canterbury down 48%, Auckland down 42%. That's a lot less choice for renters who want or need to move. And we know what happens to prices in a shortage. No worries, just keep kicking landlords ... those that are left will be happy with a better tenant pool and higher rents.

(Professor) Howden-Chapman believes the problem could provide an opportunity to improve the standard of homes available. "If a landlord is going to achieve market-value rents from the accommodation supplement, you might as well use it as a leverage and say the home must meet minimum standards before you can get it- like the rental warrant of fitness being trialled in Wellington. "It's the taxpayers money going in, the taxpayers should demand properties have better conditions."

I wonder how that will work for renters who apparently already struggle to make the rent. Government inspectors knocking on doors of landlords whose tenants get the AS? Maybe having tenants getting the AS would be cause for termination notice under Labour's ill conceived scheme.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/96523625/pm-bill-english-says-govt-spends-billions-propping-up-the-private-rental-market

[artemis]

And to add, Labour has promised to introduce a bill for a mandatory rental warrant of fitness in their first 100 days.

[Meehole]

Haha they will crap themselves when they realise the state of their own current housing stock! Would love to be a fly on the wall at that discovery!