New Zealand’s planned tenancy law overhaul gets thumbs down from property investors
The head of an investor group says what is needed instead is better access to a dispute resolution tribunal
New Zealand’s 1 million-plus tenants will be no better off under new rules proposed by Housing Minister Phil Twyford, and in fact “bad tenants could be protected”, according to a leading property investor.
Andrew King, executive director of NZ Property Investors Association, found no favour with proposals to end cancellations of tenancies without cause while ensuring landlords could still get rid of rogue tenants, to increase notice periods landlords must give from 42 days to 90 days, to limit rent increases to once a year and to ease the way for tenants to have pets and make minor alterations to homes.
Instead of addressing these issues, King called on the government to speed up landlords’ access to the Tenancy Tribunal, complaining of a system which he said disadvantaged investors.
“If a tenant is, say, three weeks behind in the rent, it can take up to seven weeks for a landlord to get a Tenancy Tribunal hearing,” he said. The landlord was then 10 weeks out of pocket.
“Giving us faster, quicker access to the tribunal is important, given that around 80 per cent of all cases are brought by landlords over unpaid rent,” King said.
The proposal to end cancellations of tenancies without cause “could make life harder for good tenants and bad tenants could be protected,” King said.