Empty state property sparks heated debate

An applicant for state housing who turns down a property must have "a good reason" for doing so or they could be removed from the wait list, the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) says.

A Hawke's Bay Today story about an empty Housing New Zealand property in Raureka, Hastings, that has been turned down by four applicants because it is "in a location that they do not want to live" has sparked heated debate among readers. The house has been empty for about three months.

Readers took to this newspaper's Facebook page, with some comments suggesting applicants who decline state houses should then "go to the bottom" of the social housing wait list.

Asked if an applicant's position on the wait list changes after they decline a house, a Housing NZ spokeswoman referred Hawke's Bay Today to MSD. "We do not manage the waiting list, nor do we have any influence over an applicant's position or priority on it."

An MSD spokesman said an applicant's priority rating for social housing was based on their circumstances.

"If someone has a good and sufficient reason for declining a property offer from a social housing provider it's not recorded as a decline. If someone declines three property offers without a good or sufficient reason they could be removed from the wait list."

The spokesman was unable to confirm whether any of the four applicants offered the Campbell Rd house had been removed from the wait list.

A homeless Hastings woman who did not wish to be named has also approached Hawke's Bay Today saying she could "move into the house tomorrow".

Since learning of the house's vacant status, she had approached Housing NZ, but was told she was ineligible as a single applicant.

"They said, 'you wouldn't fit the criteria if it's just yourself,' I said, 'I'm homeless, can I not go in there until they find someone else?' It just makes me mad, the attitude of it all."

Until she could find adequate housing, the woman said she had been sleeping "in a shed with cockroaches and mice".

The Housing NZ spokeswoman said a response regarding the woman should be sought from MSD, because "they assess need and priority for the social housing waiting list".

But the MSD spokesman replied that he could not comment specifically on this woman's dealings with the corporation.

Asked if there were any other empty state houses in Raureka, the Housing NZ spokeswoman said aside from the Campbell Rd house, there were "no vacant, lettable properties in the Raureka area".