Letters: New tenancy laws are the right thing

A reader says the new tenancy legislation is 'exactly the right thing'. Photo / File

The Beehive has at last justified its existence: The proposed tenancy law changes are 20 years overdue, but are exactly the right thing.

Hopefully the squeals of anger from landlords will herald a mass exodus of penny-pinching multi-home owners from the rental sector: Landlords are a curse upon our country and the sooner we get rid of them the better.

What about if they go bankrupt? Who cares?

They are content to see their tenants go insolvent and then evict them. Why should the cruel, avaricious landlords get any advantage?

What benefit are they to the country? In my view, they are parasites, sucking the blood of the most vulnerable members of society, fattening themselves up on the wealth they have appropriated low-income earners. (Abridged)

GJ Philip
Taupo

Appalling comments

I cannot let go the remarks made in Wednesday's Rotorua Daily Post (Local News, August 29) by Property Investors Association president Philip Macalister where he said the new laws governing the rental of property are "appalling".

First of all, in my view, the laws do not go far enough to curb the enthusiastic pillaging of the rental community. If I were the minister there would be no private landlords.

Few people choose to rent property, in today's climate they have little choice - all landlords are jumping on the bandwagon and charging whatever they can get away with - this is "appalling".

As a journalist during the days of Peter Rachman in London, I saw some of the criminal acts perpetrated by landlords.

My sympathies were - and still are firm with the tenants.

In my view, a house is a home not a commodity. There should be a law that says if you own a house live in it or sell it.

There should only be state-controlled rentals at affordable rents. No one should be allowed to get rich at the expense of people who just cannot afford to buy, it is criminal.

Jim Adams
Rotorua

State of our eyesore

There have been some letters recently over the state of some of our footpaths in a number of locations.

We have lived in the Pomare area for about eight years now and due to health reasons I have to do a daily walk. I have been doing this for about six years over a regular area around where we live.

We noticed when we first started the state of the footpaths and kerbing in places on our route. Six years later they are still the same eyesore today.

I have now come to the conclusion that because we are off the tourist places it does not matter despite we pay rates up here.

I would be more than happy to show the council officers responsible this area.

The reason I do not do this as I would probably be charged for the official's time spent with me.

So please council please do something about this.

WH Sharpe
Pomare