This is a repost from the CPAG blog. A rental housing warrant of fitness (WOF) sets out a list of fundamental features of a safe and healthy house. If a house … Continue reading Government-commissioned report makes a strong case for a rental WOF
Why protection from retaliatory eviction fails to ensure tenants report unhealthy housing
Last week, I wrote about how England’s tenants will soon be protected from retaliatory eviction. This means that if tenants complain about substandard conditions and the landlord responds by evicting … Continue reading Why protection from retaliatory eviction fails to ensure tenants report unhealthy housing
England’s new regulations to protect tenants from retaliatory evictions
Tenant organisations in England are celebrating new regulations which give renters new protection – protection which New Zealand renters already have, and which has recently been extended. It’s a good time … Continue reading England’s new regulations to protect tenants from retaliatory evictions
Minor changes to existing provisions!
Something crazy happens at the moment. A tenant takes her landlord to the Tenancy Tribunal because it’s below legal standards: it’s damp, for example. The Tenancy Tribunal concludes, “yes, that’s … Continue reading Minor changes to existing provisions!
How high is the rent?
A couple of weeks ago, the worrying issue of high rents in Christchurch came to renewed attention when Trademe reported that rents had risen 14% in Christchurch over the past … Continue reading How high is the rent?
What to do about renting
There’s a lot of bad press about renters. At one end of the extreme there’s Renters, a show about “the dirtiest, dimmest and most despicable renters imaginable” which warns you … Continue reading What to do about renting
The sale of council housing in Hamilton
From next week, community housing providers have the option of purchasing Hamilton City Council pensioner housing. What does this mean for the future of social housing in Hamilton? Social housing … Continue reading The sale of council housing in Hamilton
The unwritten laws of housing affordability
“There used to be a sort of unwritten law that a man should give a day’s pay for a week’s rent, but that cannot be done now.” – Alfred Washer, … Continue reading The unwritten laws of housing affordability
Building houses for poor people in 1912 and 2012
The New Zealand Government was concerned about the cost of living/housing, and directed Commissions to investigate the issue. One of the conclusions of both Commissions, a century apart, are remarkably … Continue reading Building houses for poor people in 1912 and 2012
Activism for state housing
The government’s plans to sell state housing to community housing providers only come as a surprise to some. As Alan Johnson from CPAG has pointed out, the government was talking about … Continue reading Activism for state housing
