Some people in emergency and transitional housing have no idea how to look after a house and are “ruining it” for those desperate for a private rental.
That is the view of a Tauranga iwi leader, and a property manager told NZME bad tenants need learn “how to be a decent neighbour”.
However, another property manager says everyone has their own back story and it’s not fair to judge.
The Ministry of Social Development told NZME it provides courses to better prepare people for the private rental market by equipping them with the skills and confidence they need to become preferred tenants but the free programmes were optional.
At Home Property Management mobile rental property manager for Hamilton and Tauranga Gregory Young said the rising number of people on the public housing register was the “stark reality now facing NZ”.
He said some could struggle to get a private rental.
“A lot of these folk just won’t be considered because they do not make good-quality tenants. This is a truth that nobody is willing to talk about or don’t have the guts to deal with.”
“A step in the right direction would be to have a free tenant course where they could learn budgeting and cleaning and how to be a decent neighbour. This could assist with their applications.”
A good tenant was someone who paid rent on time and looked after the property as if it were their own, he said.
“The only way to stand out from the crowd is with your references. You need good-quality references moving forward as it will become harder without them.”
iFindProperty and iRentProperty co-founder Nick Gentle said “you’ll certainly come across some rascals” if you drive down Fenton St in Rotorua.
“Unfortunately, that has become the perception of all people in emergency housing and the sooner the use of highly visible motels for this purpose can be phased out, the sooner folks can get the care they need away from the public eye in accommodation that is suitable. I believe that is being worked on.”
Gentle said the shift under the previous government to remove the 90-day no-cause termination of tenancies and rentals moving to social housing had had an impact.
“I suspect a lot of renters simply found that rentals weren’t as available as before from the private sector, or because of the removal of the 90-day no-cause termination change landlords were much more cautious.”
However, he supported any initiatives to shorten the length of time people were stuck in temporary accommodation.
Ngāi Te Rangi chief executive Paora Stanley said some people had no idea how to look after a house and they ruined it for others.
“There are some people out there who have no idea how to look after a house or they shack up with s***** partners who ruin it for everybody.”
On average, families and individuals stayed for about three months in its transitional accommodation and the iwi had a programme designed to help get people into rentals.
Tauranga Rentals director Dan Lusby said everybody had a back story.
“Everybody’s story is different and you have to take them on face value. They might be in transitional or emergency housing for a very good reason and it’s not fair to say they are all there because they are bad tenants.”
“We have tenants applying with bad credit ratings but if you look into the history there might be a good reason behind it.”
Ministry for Social Development regional commissioner Jacob Davies said he knew how difficult it could be to find a suitable and affordable home.
“Our focus remains on ensuring people receive the support they need to secure longer-term housing.”
The Ministry for Social Development and Housing and Urban Development does not track how many of its clients moved into private rentals but provides assistance including a Ready to Rent programme, housing navigators and up to 12 weeks of support to settle into a new home.
MSD also contracts courses to better prepare people for the private rental market by equipping them with the skills and confidence they need to become preferred tenants.
Ready to Rent was a two-day programme aimed at increasing the opportunity for people in emergency or insecure housing to be chosen as tenants and gain homes in the private rental market.
The programme was optional and free for participants.
There were seven providers in the Bay of Plenty, including three covering Rotorua and Tauranga.
Davies said everyone in emergency housing received support from a dedicated case manager or housing navigator.
“Our housing brokers work to connect with local landlords and promote our clients as tenants, this includes offering landlords a tenancy costs cover letter. This is for people who may be having difficulty securing private rentals because of issues like a bad credit history.
“There is also a range of financial assistance we can offer to help people explore accommodation options they can afford, this includes paying bond and rent in advance, and assistance with moving costs.”
Nationwide, the Ministry for Social Development supported more than 340,000 New Zealanders with Accommodation Supplement payments to help with their rent, board or the cost of owning their home, he said.
Housing for Urban Development partnerships and performance acting general manager Aimee Edwards said when clients moved from transitional housing they were offered ongoing support for up to 12 weeks to help them settle into their new home.
“However, clients are not obliged to take up these offers or to inform their support services provider where they are moving on to. Therefore, the data we have on where transitional housing clients move to is not comprehensive.”
She said transitional housing provides temporary accommodation for individuals and whānau who don’t have anywhere to live and urgently need a place to stay.
“It also offers tailored support to help these individuals and whānau into longer-term housing. In most cases, once they have secured a longer-term home, people are supported for up to 12 weeks.”
Transitional housing providers support individuals and whānau to access other services including Work and Income, budgeting advice and health. Those providers must have an agreement in place with each client for the period of their stay that includes a plan for enabling them to move into and sustain themselves in more suitable long-term accommodation.
According to the Ministry for Social Development website nationally there were 25,389 applicants on the Housing Register on December 31, 2023 an increase of 9.8 per cent from the same time last year.
Carmen Hall is a news director for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, covering business and general news. She has been a Voyager Media Awards winner and a journalist for 25 years.
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