Wellington City Council was so concerned about outstanding safety issues at Loafers Lodge that it considered a dangerous building notice, meaning the hostel would have to be immediately evacuated.
“I am concerned at the length of time it is taking to sort out the serious fire safety issues,” a senior council compliance officer told the building’s property manager in a 2018 email released to the Herald.
The council has previously confirmed fire safety concerns were raised after an inspection in March 2018 found “a number of non-compliances”.
These included mattresses and rubbish bags being stored in escape routes and fire doors being wedged open. A swipe card access system had also been installed without building consent.
The Herald can now reveal an opening or hole between the hostel and an adjoining retail premises was also discovered, meaning there was no fire separation.
Email correspondence released under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act shows the toing and froing to make the Loafers Lodge building compliant in the years before a deadly fire ripped through it this year, killing five people.
The senior compliance officer said he got involved because the council had received a number of complaints relating to the building.
He did not elaborate on the nature of those complaints in the correspondence.
After the March 2018 inspection, he told the property manager she had supplied the council with false or misleading information about the state of the building.
“I do understand the importance of the building code and I am endeavouring to get sorted ASAP,” the building manager replied.
A notice to fix was issued, but the deadline for complying with it came and went.
The building manager said she was having trouble logging in online to apply for the missing consent.
The officer told her it could not be submitted online because she needed a Certificate of Acceptance for work that had already been done without building consent, so the council required a hard copy.
She replied saying she had again completed the online consent form.
When the council followed up on her application a few days later and requested more information, she said she had attached the details of the work.
“The electrician I employed to do the work is gone, where I do not know, he was evicted from the lodge months ago, for non-payment of rent.”
It could take a few days for another electrician to get a certificate for the work, she said.
By November 2018, the council officer was threatening to issue a dangerous building notice. Meanwhile, the hole between the hostel and retail premises had been filled in, also without building consent.
“I am disappointed that building work has continued, despite advice from Council advising not to,” the officer said. An infringement notice was issued.
The officer again stressed the gravity of the situation when he asked for an update in July 2019.
“If these serious non-compliances are not being rectified I may have to consider issuing a dangerous notice.
“If a dangerous notice is issued, the entire building will need to be evacuated until Council are satisfied it is safe to reside in.”
It is unclear from the correspondence when these problems were eventually resolved, but the property was most recently issued with a Building Warrant of Fitness in March of this year.
Wellington City Council chief planning officer Liam Hodgetts has previously said the problems “were worked on with the building owner over the following months” and that this included issuing notices to fix and an infringement notice.
The council declined to answer further questions, citing a request from police not to release any more information while their investigation was ongoing.
The property manager said she had no comment when approached by the Herald.
A 48-year-old man has been charged with two counts of arson and five counts of murder following the Loafers Lodge fire. He has been granted interim name suppression and is remanded in custody until his next court appearance.
Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.