Unhealthy homes: Negligent landlords driving some tenants out, others into anxiety

By RNZ

Many landlords are quick to hike rents but slow to fix homes, a new survey has found.

The Green Party survey found renters are dealing with damp and mouldy houses, rent rises and insecure tenancy.

The party says successive governments have failed New Zealand’s 1.4 million renters, and is promising a Renters’ Rights Bill if part of the next government.

The survey found in Wellington, one in five renting households pays more than 50 per cent of its weekly income on rent.

Tania, who previously rented in Aro Valley, told RNZ the state of one house was so bad she and her partner moved out. She said parts of the house were unstable, damaged and damp. The list of problems was numerous — a fireplace with cracks so big you could fit your fingers in them, and a deck that was falling apart.

Tania says her landlord ignored repeated requests for things to be fixed. Photo / Supplied

But their complaints were dismissed.

Tania said they advised the landlord of a leak in their bedroom.

“Their response basically was like ‘Oh, it seems intermittent and it’s probably only happening when the wind blows in a different direction’,” she said.

The bathroom was also in a state.

“There was a window in the shower basically, that was wood, that would get wet and grow mushrooms.”

Tania said she took photos of all the different mushrooms that grew while she lived there.

She said landlords with multiple properties were making a lot of profit, so they needed to treat their houses like a business and invest.

In some cases, she said “it’s quite apparent that rather than investing in repairing or maintaining these properties, they’re just kind of degrading them”.

The Government’s new Healthy Homes Standards for heating, insulation and ventilation came into effect in July 2021 — but landlords have until 2025 for existing tenancies to comply.

James, who had been renting for about a decade, said most of his leases were only for a year, with each renewal met with a rent increase. He said he was now at a point where he could not afford another increase.

But cost was not the only stress for tenants. He said there was also the fear a landlord would not renew the lease — which led to tenants tiptoeing around their own homes to ensure there was no “just cause” to be kicked out.

“That can be extremely anxiety inducing and debilitating, and I feel quite powerless at the end of the lease cycle.”

He said few landlords allowed pets these days, and that added more stress on him as a pet owner. If he was not able to stay in his flat, he would probably have to move back in with his family.

Wellington Property Investors Association president Peter Ambrose said rent hikes could reflect the costs landlords face. He said passing those costs on to tenants was how landlords kept their rentals to a high standard.

Conversely, Ambrose said landlords also needed to do whatever maintenance is required.

Ambrose said it was unacceptable for landlords to rent properties that should not be lived in, and maintaining them was ultimately basic human rights.