Property

RTA changes swing favour towards landlords

Tenants’ advocates are worried the proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) will swing the law in favour of landlords, if three key provisions go through.

Tuesday, February 24th 2009

Kevin Reilly, Manawatu Tenants Union co-ordinator, believes National is giving “more power to the landlords” if:
  • Damages are not limited to the amount of bond paid by tenants
  • Letting fees fail to be removed
  • Funding of tenants’ advocates is slashed.
Helen Gatonyi of the Tenants Protection Association believes now is an “ironic” time for the government to be lessening tenants’ ability to have their voice heard, “when all predictions show that the rental market is going to be bigger than ever before in the very foreseeable future.”

In relation to damages, both Reilly and Gatonyi believe very few tenants intentionally damage their rental properties.

“What happens is that in the course of normal living they sometimes have an accident. In these cases the proposed amendment to limit the liability of a tenant to the equivalent of four weeks’ bond recognised this,” says Gatonyi.

The two tenant groups also favour the advocacy provisions in the original changes proposed by Labour.

Gatonyi says advocates provide a real answer in helping to address the imbalance of power between landlords and tenants, and in particular between professional property managers and tenants.

“When things go wrong, they really go wrong. A good advocate can help things get on track very quickly, working both with the tenant and the landlord,” she says.

Gatonyi and Reilly also believe advocates would save taxpayer money by keeping cases out of the Tenancy Tribunal.

Reilly argues that tenants fund the tribunal and bond office through payment of bonds and that some of that money should be used to fund advocates.

“Currently there is $5.5 million to $6 million in unclaimed bonds. That could be used to pay tenants’ advocates.”

He is also firmly against letting fees being charged to tenants and believes landlords should pay them.

Most Read

Unity First Home Buyer special 4.29
SBS FirstHome Combo 4.29
Co-operative Bank - First Home Special 4.85
China Construction Bank 4.85
ICBC 4.85
TSB Special 4.89
Kiwibank Special 4.89
ASB Bank 4.89
SBS Bank Special 4.89
Westpac Special 4.89
BNZ - Std 4.89
Nelson Building Society 4.93
ICBC 4.95
SBS Bank Special 4.95
China Construction Bank 4.95
Wairarapa Building Society 4.95
TSB Special 4.95
ANZ Special 4.95
ASB Bank 4.95
Kainga Ora 4.95
Westpac Special 4.95
AIA - Go Home Loans 4.95
SBS Bank Special 5.39
Westpac Special 5.39
ICBC 5.39
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 5.59
BNZ - Std 5.59
BNZ - Classic 5.59
AIA - Go Home Loans 5.59
ASB Bank 5.59
Kainga Ora 5.69
Kiwibank Special 5.79
ANZ 5.79
SBS Construction lending for FHB 3.94
AIA - Back My Build 4.44
CFML 321 Loans 4.99
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 5.95
Co-operative Bank - Standard 5.95
Heartland Bank - Online 5.99
Pepper Money Prime 6.29
Kiwibank - Offset 6.35
Kiwibank 6.35
TSB Special 6.39
Kainga Ora 6.44

More Stories

Four decades of 6-7% yearly house price growth ending

Friday, March 21st 2025

Four decades of 6-7% yearly house price growth ending

New Zealander’s reliance on property capital gains in the mid-single digits is at an end.

[TMM Podcast] Yelsa serves up “marine reserve” of property buyers

Friday, January 31st 2025

[TMM Podcast] Yelsa serves up “marine reserve” of property buyers

It’s been years in the making and former real estate agent Mike Harvey is now coming to market with his platform matching buyers and sellers, an offering he says will be a gamechanger for the industry.

Leaving last year's stumbling housing market behind

Friday, January 17th 2025

Leaving last year's stumbling housing market behind

As interest rates ease and job losses climb, New Zealand’s housing market faces a mixed year of modest growth, with conflicting forces shaping the outlook for homebuyers and investors.

Don’t bet on house prices rising faster than incomes

Wednesday, January 15th 2025

Don’t bet on house prices rising faster than incomes

Former Reserve Bank Governor and National Party leader Don Brash says there are grounds for believing that house prices may finally have ended the three-decade period when they rose significantly faster than incomes.