Bash the LL Bill

[flyernzl]

The reality is that the Labour/Greens view is that no price is too high to pay for the joy of kicking the s*** out of private sector landlords.

[Perry]

. . . the Government doesn't own or have access to sufficient social housing. The evidence of this can be seen in ballooning waiting lists.

Those that can afford housing from private landlords will and those that can't will be more reliant on Government solutions including emergency, transitional and social housing.

. . . people are struggling to get accepted by landlords and rental agencies, who are now getting a lot pickier since the new Residential Tenancy Amendment Act came into force on August 6.

. . . it's that public policy has exacerbated the problems through failure in comprehending and/or addressing the core issues.

What I find particularly disappointing is that policy makers could not foresee that actions such as enshrining incidents of anti-social behaviour (without repercussion) into tenancy law would have such an impact.

Therein lays the problem.

That seems to be the residential rental problem well summed.

There is a little evidence that the appropriate W'gton woodenheads were told by their departmental policy analysts of the potential repercussions, but elected to put there heads in the sand.

If ever you entertained the slightest doubt that Dhil Twitford was a complete, total and utter moron, look no further than the item quoted below.

Housing Minister Phil Twyford's reforms likely to raise rents, officials warn
24 Sep 2018

Housing Minister Phil Twyford's package of tenancy law reforms would likely drive up rents by causing some landladies to get out of the market, officials have told him. They said that while most of the tenancy law overhaul and other changes to the rental market considered by the Government would not have much of an effect on their own, their cumulative weight could lead some landladies to sell their properties to owner-occupiers.

Because owner-occupiers typically have less people in a house than renters, this could lead to a further shortage in rental properties - and higher rents. Twyford said the advice was "only a scenario" and he "wasn't assuming that is going to happen."

I suspect that FarGoneBoy has drunk from the same ever-flowing socialists' well of stupidity.

But are the things listed by Sanya causes or symptoms?

What are the foundation causes?

[Perry]

This Won't Help

Incomes fall for first time since records started in 1998, Stats NZ says

[flyernzl]

Oh dear, well they will have to then give substantial pay rises to all the public servants to make up that shortfall and get those stats back up again.

[donna]

^^ and that benefits Wellington - where I did see it was the region expected to be least affected so the LLs that stay in the game can and it appears are getting good weekly rents. Plus house sales prices in our area are holding well.

[artemis]

.... there also appears to be a growing number of applicants who are elderly.

True but the number of over 65s on the waiting list is the smallest age group by a long way.

.... It is not just that NZ Maori and Pasifika are over-represented in homelessness, emergency housing and renting ? it?s that public policy has exacerbated the problems through failure in comprehending and/or addressing the core issues.

.... The SPPU predicts (and I concur) that we will witness more intense and entrenched stratification of tenants. Those that can afford housing from private landlords will and those that can?t will be more reliant on Government solutions including emergency, transitional and social housing. Therein lays the problem.

The problem? Always seems to be said to be not enough money. But ... The recent review of Oranga Tamariki uplift data shows a massive addiction problem. That is no surprise to those working in the sector. Expensive habits and associated issues are not likely to encourage private landlords who will be concerned about rent payment among other things. Sometimes inability to afford rent is not just matter of income. See for example in Tenancy Tribunal decisions the number of social housing tenants paying a pittance in rent who still manage to rack up thousands in rent arrears.

At some point households need to step up and take some responsibility. Enabling them with more money and cheap rent doesn't seem to work too well.

[artemis]

There is an upside to median income falling. The poverty line also drops so the number of children needing to be lifted out of poverty also reduces.

What? Makes no sense? Precisely.