Editorial: Shoddy homes spoil our city

Steve Chadwick wants Rotorua to look its best.

Councils all over the country work hard to weed gardens, clean streets, trim trees and generally make their cities and districts look attractive.

Then in one fell swoop, a complacent landlord can make an area look shoddy, simply by being slack.

We have that problem in Rotorua. There are several properties around our city which are simply a disgrace to our city but our council is hamstrung by law to do anything about it.

Now, mayor Steve Chadwick is leading the charge to put complacent landlords on notice.

She is gathering an army of supporters from other councils nationwide to lobby the Government for legislation change to allow councils to do more. Under current law it is a long and costly process to prove a building is in such a bad state of repair that it should be fixed or demolished.

She's hoping an inclusion of a definition of derelict sites and buildings in the Building Act would allow councils to include such properties in their own Dangerous and Insanitary Buildings policies so they can respond to derelict houses quickly and cost effectively.

In Rotorua, our council and residents have lobbied hard to do something about three disgusting houses in Fordlands.

The council recently spent $47,000 to buy a property on Bellingham Cres, which the New Zealand Fire Service used for a training session to burn down. The council intends to clean the site up and resell it.

While the intentions are great, we shouldn't have to resort to spending ratepayers' money because landlords refuse to do their bit. Good on the council for taking the lead in this potential law change.

And if you're an errant landlord reading this? Stop being so damn lazy and do something about the eyesores which are ruining our city's image.