State house evictions double in Auckland due to redevelopment and methamphetamine

New homes being built on a vacant block of land in Sandringham where 19 state homes were demolished. Photo / Dean Purcell

Evictions of state house tenants in Auckland have doubled in the past year.

From 2013 to 2016 the number of tenants issued a 90-day end-of-tenancy notice sat between 306 to 373. This increased to 634 tenants in the 2016/2017 period.

Redevelopment and methamphetamine were the main reasons cited at 20.9 per cent and 15.5 per cent.

A Housing New Zealand spokesman said the increase in redevelopment was the main reason for the increase. He said a number of large-scale projects were taking place in Auckland such as the Tamaki redevelopment, where about 75 per cent of people were relocated within the same area. Others were moved to where they wanted to go.

"This means that older HNZ homes are being replaced with new, warm, safe and dry homes on the same site.

"However, with redevelopment work, tenants are always moved to other suitable housing and assisted to do so, often within the same area."

The spokesman listed earthquake-proofing, fire damage or weather, lease expiration and anti-social behaviour such as unauthorised dogs, noise, assault, neighbourhood disturbance and crime, including drug use and manufacture as other reasons tenants could be evicted.

If a tenant is evicted for major anti-social behaviour, including methamphetamine use or manufacture, they may be suspended from Housing New Zealand properties for a year.

The Ministry of Social Development does not hold information on where those tenants end up.

Auckland Action Against Poverty coordinator Vanessa Cole was concerned about where people went after they were evicted. She believed many would end up in emergency housing.

"It's really hard if there are children evicted out of their communities and schools. It disrupts their learning really heavily. Also if elderly people are moved out of their communities they can become isolated and are vulnerable to deteriorating health.

"There shouldn't be a reason to evict massive amounts of people during a housing crisis. Especially if you're not tracking where those people end up."

A MSD spokeswoman said they are working to increase the number of long-term social housing places from 66,000 places to more than 72,000 by 2020.

Last year the Government committed $354 million for Transitional Housing, which will provide about 2150 transitional housing places for up to 8600 families each year.

The spokeswoman said Work and Income can help people move into private accommodation or refer them to an emergency housing provider. The tenant may also be given an emergency housing special needs grant.

"[This] allows us to meet the costs of up to seven night's accommodation while we work with them to identify safe, secure and sustainable accommodation. In most cases this assistance does not have to be repaid, and can be renewed based on the individual circumstances."

Of the 4228 tenancy reviews between July 2014 and March 2017, 773 voluntarily moved into a private rental property, MSD reported.

Cole was sceptical this was the case.

"I don't think people volunteer and decide to pay more rent. No one wants to do that.

"Where those people go and whether they end up being evicted and not moved into another house is not known. Not all people are rehoused."

A single person with no children is eligible for state housing assistance if they earn less than $585 a week and a childless couple can earn up to $900 before they become ineligible.