Rental crisis bites as Hawke's Bay investors sell-up

In the past year, the Miller family have gone from home to home and are now looking at their fourth move inside 12 months, as investors desert the Hawke's Bay market.

Just a little more than a week after National leader Simon Bridges claimed mum and dad investors were being driven out of the property market by the "like it or lump it" approach to property regulations, Hawke's Bay families are starting to show what that looks like.

Bridges put the exodus of investors down to a raft of "poorly thought through policies", including extending the bright-line test, ring-fencing of losses, "more burdensome regulations", the ban on foreign investment and the threat of a capital gains tax.

Working mum of two Rachel Miller said she was not sure of the cause - but she knew what it looked like - and how it felt.

Nellie Miller, 4 (left) and Isla Miller, 8, are preparing for their fourth move in 12 months due to their parents' landlords selling property. Photo / Paul Taylor

"It's been like having a rain cloud chasing me throughout the year - I just can't avoid the bad luck.

"I'm a working mum of two girls and we are struggling to keep a roof over our heads. Not through any fault of my own.

"It first began last December, when my longish term rental home was put up for sale. I managed to find a private rental after it sold. That was move number one.

"Five weeks later, I received a text from the landlord [at the new rental] to the effect that due to personal issues she needed to move back into the home. So 42 days' notice began.

"After a lot of stress trying to compete with dozens of other would be renters, I found another private rental. However, this was a small unit in a set of flats that were up for sale."

She felt she had no option but to take what was offered, hoping a new investor would allow her to stay on but that was not to be.

"Each unit was sold individually and we were again given notice."

Following "weeks" of stressful house-hunting, the family found a new property in June through a property management company.

It was close to school, bigger house and it was owned by a trust , not individuals - "so, it seemed ideal".

However, four months later, the house was on the market.

"I'm truly grateful I have several months before having to move again but in all honesty it's not much fun knowing we can't even pretend to get settled here. These next few months will be one of stress and hoping we find somewhere else.

"I feel like I'm failing my children as we simply have no security in terms of living, my oldest in particular is affected by it as she knows I can't promise a house. I'm living in a state of anxiety these days too.

"I've got boxes packed up in preparation of a quick move should the house sell and the landlords decide that they now want us out so they can have a quick settlement date .

"Right now, I know that most of us facing potential homelessness just want landlords buying, not selling. We don't really care how fancy the house is."

Something needed to be done about the situation for all parties involved in the rental market, she said.

"We need to encourage landlords to hold on to property- they're selling up like flies. I would also like to see some ethical solutions for both tenants and landlords."

Tenancies War spokesman Mike Butler, of Hawke's Bay, said there were too many restrictions for property owners.

"The Government has brought all this on itself by these silly proposals and tenants are already paying the price.

"There are the proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act that would prevent owners from ending tenancies, ban fixed-term tenancies, allow tenants to modify a property, allow tenants to keep pets, and enable government officials to enter boarding houses at any time."

Extra standards for rental properties under the Healthy Homes Guarantee Act would also result in an estimated cost of $7000 per property to landlords.

The Government should "take a step back" and let the market restore balance for renters and owners.

Housing and Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford, however, pointed out that while rents were going up in some parts of New Zealand, they had been rising for the past five years.

"The reason they are going up is a lack of supply. The Coalition Government inherited a shortfall of 71,000 houses across the country after nine years of neglect by the former National government.

"National is simply scaremongering by suggesting landlords are selling up. Corelogic data shows that landlords purchased 38 per cent of properties in October, which is consistent with the past two years – there has been no change in landlord activity.

"To make life better for renters, we've already legislated to abolish letting fees and are looking at limiting rent increases to once per year and providing security of tenure as part of our Residential Tenancies Act reform.

"Our Government is firmly focused on building our way out of the national housing crisis through policies like KiwiBuild and building 6400 public houses over the next four years."