Nowhere to go for Rotorua mum with seven children

Carl Crafar, deputy chief executive of social housing for the Ministry of Social Development. Photo/File

A Rotorua woman with seven children says she's scared they will have nowhere to live after her landlord gave her notice to move out.

The woman, who chose not to be named for privacy reasons, said she was given a 90-day notice to leave her rental property in April. She has since applied for more than 25 rentals, without luck.

"I'm getting quite scared that we won't find anywhere to live.

"From day one we have been out house hunting, applying for anything from a three-bedroom up.

"I made an appointment the Monday after I got the notice [from landlord] with Housing New Zealand to go on the waiting list, because I know there's a long wait.

"Now it's getting to the point where we have four weeks and it's going to be in the middle of the school holidays," she said.

"But I don't want to get to that point with my children on the 18th of July and I have nowhere to stay."

She is a fulltime mum to the children - the eldest of which is a teenager - but works part-time. Her husband, who she is separated from, provides support where he can.

"I think the hardest thing has been that because I have seven children landlords are just saying no. I've been to viewings and haven't even been allowed to look at the house because they have looked at my application and said 'oh no you've got too many children the landlord won't let you in'.

"I could move in with family, but because they're renting and their landlords turn up and see too many people on their property they will get told to get out so we will all be in that predicament.

"My last resort is to go to Auckland to stay with my mum and dad, but that means I will have to take the kids out of school and stay there for a couple months until I find a property, Rotorua is our home.

"My oldest is doing NCEA this year and I don't want him to be unsettled so that's our very last resort."

Carl Crafar, deputy chief executive of social housing for the Ministry of Social Development said the woman had been placed on the social housing register on April 29 with a Priority A rating.

"She's let us know she has a notice to vacate in July, and we understand she is having difficulty finding a house that is big enough for herself and her seven children. We'll continue to offer support until a suitable house becomes available, and encourage her to make contact with us to discuss alternative housing options," Mr Crafar said.

Kyra Dawson