www.landlordcheck.co.nz

[Keys]

Do you respond well to being told you are expected to comply with demands from a total stranger?

Initially no. However, I've learned much from here and on other sites. You have gone to some considerable trouble to launch, maintain and run a web site. Our public situations are totally different. My demands are definitely that. Put up or shut up.

On the occasions I've been challenged (as I have challenged you) I have responded with personal research to ascertain the accuracy of my initial statements. Should they have been incorrect I have retracted them. Should they have been accurate I have entered into long and mean (ingless?) debate with the challenger. In doing so over the years I have come to be cautious with the accuracy of my postings.

[drelly]

Hi Bruce,

I think the idea of the website is good but these types of websites do have a history of failure. There have been at least two previous sites announced on here doing the same thing. In fact, one also used the domain landlordcheck.co.nz. You can do a search for "LCNZ" and see the threads associated with them.

I think you'd get far better results focussing on tenant education and resources than landlord ratings. The ratings idea is fraught with difficulties. Anything other than a "star rating" requires you to publish heresay as no landlord will ever agree to a bad rating in the same way that no tenant ever provides a bad reference. The process you'd need to use to confirm the identity of tenants and validate agreements as well as identification and approval from landlords would be so onerous that I can't see enough tenants or landlords taking part to make it worthwhile.

However, what you could do is take a tribunal order that is publically available and use it as a real life example of a situation to be aware of. The NZ Property Mag does this every month.

cheers,
Dave

[Keithw]

Problem with the education approach Drelly, is that tenants dont want to pay to be educated.

[drelly]

Problem with the education approach Drelly, is that tenants dont want to pay to be educated.

Yeah I wasn't going to go there

[Keithw]

The funding approach for the site has to be re- thought.

I like the principle of a property having some reviews, just like the travel sites rate hotels/ motels/ backpackers, however rating a landlord is not the same.

I remember many years ago trying to choose a hall of residence at Canty (before the days of the internet)
I was totally reliant on comments from someone who had been at one particular one.

[Bruiser]

Initially no. However, I've learned much from here and on other sites. You have gone to some considerable trouble to launch, maintain and run a web site. Our public situations are totally different. My demands are definitely that. Put up or shut up.

On the occasions I've been challenged (as I have challenged you) I have responded with personal research to ascertain the accuracy of my initial statements. Should they have been incorrect I have retracted them. Should they have been accurate I have entered into long and mean (ingless?) debate with the challenger. In doing so over the years I have come to be cautious with the accuracy of my postings.

We have found the article in question and removed it until we can be reassured of it's veracity.

As for your challenge, you may very well have nothing better to do with your time than make demands and attempt your bravado, but I do. I manage several companies, and 500 clients.

If/when you are willing to play nice, I will address your polite requests for information.

Your call.

Regards,
Bruce Gordon

[Bruiser]

The funding approach for the site has to be re- thought..

What funding issue involves or concerns you, Keith?

The funding will be via advertising/sponsorship and paid classified advertising, which will occur once the site has reached critical mass.

As for the members area, this is 100% free, and that won't change.

Regards,
Bruce

[Keithw]

What funding issue involves or concerns you, Keith?

The funding will be via advertising/sponsorship and paid classified advertising, which will occur once the site has reached critical mass.

As for the members area, this is 100% free, and that won't change.

Regards,
Bruce

Interesting statement, since it has already changed in just the few days I have observed the site.

In my experience, the thinking for funding plan is usually something like:
membership sites pay the best
paid advertising will not work until large traffic is acheived (why would an advertiser pay to advertise on a site getting no exposure ?)

So build traffic then convert to paid membership & paid ads.


Also in my experience, it is at the point of making memberships paid that traffic takes a nose dive.

[Bruiser]

I believe keys is refering to the page under resources tenancy act information (which he has now posted)

A word of advice Bruce:
You are presenting information to tenants which the reader expects to be lawfull & correct.
Keys - our resident expert on the RTA is taking the site/ you to task for publishing incorrect information.

As a business attempting to advise people on tenancies, the giving of incorrect advice is very close to negligence in my eyes.

Clearly the site has a long way to go to be brought up to a proper standard and every page currentlly posted should be caveated by the statement "this site is currently in development and likely to change at any time. The information presented is yet to be confirmed"

Thanks Keith,

We have removed the offending article. As for your suggestion that we include a caveat in every page to declare our being amateurs or worse, charlatans, I think not.

We are grateful for genuine feedback and suggestions, and will act to ensure our content is true and correct.

Regards,
Bruce Gordon

[drelly]

I like the principle of a property having some reviews, just like the travel sites rate hotels/ motels/ backpackers, however rating a landlord is not the same.

That's a good idea and would work much better, with far less problems than landlord rating.

[Keys]

Your colleague came on here and immediately got off on the wrong foot. You came here accusing our moderation team of censorship.

You didn't proof read your web site, proven by your removal of a page for "veracity" reasons.

You profess to have forms for landlords to sign yet do not have them on your site and are unwilling/unable to provide me with one.

I am, after all, a landlord. Surely you would be keen to get any feedback I gave?

I suspect you are in breach of several New Zealand laws with your approach.

[Bruiser]

Interesting statement, since it has already changed in just the few days I have observed the site.

Yes, we have decided to move to a free membership business model and that change occured yesterday. The site was moved into free mode over a 2 hour period and those members who had already paid membership were emailed with an offer to refund in full or make a 100% donation of their fee to the earthquake fund in their name.

Regards,
Bruce Gordon

[Bruiser]

Your colleague came on here and immediately got off on the wrong foot. You came here accusing our moderation team of censorship.

You didn't proof read your web site, proven by your removal of a page for "veracity" reasons.

You profess to have forms for landlords to sign yet do not have them on your site and are unwilling/unable to provide me with one.

I am, after all, a landlord. Surely you would be keen to get any feedback I gave?

I suspect you are in breach of several New Zealand laws with your approach.

Suspect away!

There is an easy solution Keys, just go to the site, register, and all will be revealed.

It won't cost you a cent and it appears you have plenty of time on your hands.

Regards,
Bruce Gordon

[Matt123]

Hi there....may I interject.

re my posts being "misplaced" or "accidentally removed"
Really not an issue guys...really...im quite sure, that offering such a site as this, someone as experienced as Perry who was moving my posts when they dissapeared one by one, will no doubt, having had this problem in the past ( as pointed out by others here ) will no doubt have a full and complete backup system that he will have saved all of my threads etc on, and im sure they will be replaced shortly, as a total novice with computers, even I know the first thing you are taught, is to back up all your work. Perry is an experienced guy, so im sure its not a problem.

My second point applies to the legal questions
Clearly, those were written by a guy in Auckland, as mentioned clearly at the bottom of that page, and he clearly says two things...

1: any problems with this guide ( thats right, hes not implying this IS the law, but rather a guide) should be taken up with him, via his email that was supplied.
2:Clearly stated in there is that the guide is no substitute for proper legal advice which should be sought in regards to any questions.

So you have pointed out a slightly innacurate guide, written by somebody else...

We thank you for bringing this to our attention, as we would any other complaint, query, thought, or concern, and we will find something more suitable to replace it with.

My business partner does however point out, lets not be combative. I agree. It achieves nothing as proven over the last few weeks that we have all been talking.

Matt

[Bruiser]

Yeah I wasn't going to go there

Now who is being combatitive?

Regards,
BRuce Gordon