Desperate house search: Hawke's Bay family of eight considers life in a tent

Richard and Maryann Flood with their children (clockwise from left) Tyler, Axle, Kayla, Logan, Owen and Jessica. Photo / Paul Taylor

A family of eight is facing living in a tent if they can't find a property to rent in Hawke's Bay.

The Flood family featured in a Hawke's Bay Today article in January sharing their struggle to find a home, after applying for hundreds of rentals but receiving rejection after rejection.

They are still on the search for a rental and father Richard Flood said, if anything, it was getting even tougher.

"Not one property have we even been able to get our foot in the door for a viewing. Not one," he said, of their attempts in recent weeks.

The family which includes six children aged between 2 and 13 lost their Marewa rental - which they called home for 10 years - last May after it was put on the market.

A friend through Hastings Church has been sharing her three-bedroom home with the family after they found themselves effectively homeless.

That temporary arrangement will finish in late March and the family is desperate to lock in a new permanent address.

Flood said his daily routine involved looking up real estate websites to check if any new listings had been posted online, or checking with real estate agents themselves.

The Flood family is temporarily staying with a friend while searching for a home of their own. Photo / Paul Taylor

Flood said with the rising costs of food, petrol and even the cost of electricity, $600 per week was the absolute maximum they could afford on rent.

He claimed even offering that amount of money was not getting them a look in for a three- or four-bedroom home in Napier or Hastings, and they were also looking as far afield as Waipukurau.

"What is coming back is 'it is not suitable for two adults and six children'," he said.

"We have good references - being in one home for nearly 10 years shows that we are good tenants."

Flood is a double amputee but has adapted well to living with prosthetic legs and says living in a house with stairs is no trouble at all.

He also lives with a serious health condition which regularly requires hospital visits and leaves him with a constant degree of pain.

It makes it extremely difficult to hold down a regular job and the family survives on benefits and Government assistance.

Two of his sons have been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and Richard and wife Maryann - who spends the chunk of her time caring for the family - would love a stable home to help get on top of health issues and move ahead with life.

Flood said they do not want to leave Hawke's Bay as all of their medical care is set up here and he also grew up here.

Sadly, the housing crisis has seen rental prices and house prices soar during recent years in Hawke's Bay and has meant families, like the Flood family, can struggle to lock in accommodation on a modest budget.

There is also a shortage of rentals in Hawke's Bay - with far more homes currently listed for sale than properties available for rent.

"My wife and I have talked about it, and it would be back to trying to find where we could put up a tent," Flood said, if they don't find a rental by March 26.

He said the family was recently accepted for the Housing Register, the Government's waiting list for public housing.

However, the waiting list has ballooned in the past four years, with well over 1400 people on that register as of September 2021 waiting for a permanent home in Napier and Hastings.

"They have said they don't think they will find us a house before March 26 because there is just none [available]."

The family may consider emergency housing grants in the future, which generally sees people moved between motel rooms in Hawke's Bay, but that was also a last resort with a large family.

Flood said a permanent home was essential to get on top of their health issues, including recovering from potential surgeries later this year.

• If you can help the Flood family find a home contact hehatememore33@gmail.com.