Zizi Sparks: Keeping rental pool afloat everyone's responsibility

The rental pool is already dwindling. Photo / File

OPINION

It is more important than ever we look after both our landlords and our tenants.

In about three weeks' time, the biggest tenancy changes in years will come into effect.

The law was amended to give more security of tenure to tenants. It limits landlords' ability to terminate tenancy agreements and raise rents among other things.

Landlords have expressed concern about the reforms, threatening to sell, empty their rentals or screen new tenants more heavily.

Meanwhile, this week the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post also revealed the desperate measures tenants were taking to secure homes.

They included offering landlords more than the advertised weekly rent (something landlords would not be allowed to encourage under the new laws) and pet bonds to secure rentals.

Agencies say demand for rentals is through the roof, with one Rotorua property attracting 34 applications. Some landlords have been abused by unsuccessful applicants.

The rental market is dire for prospective tenants and if law changes make landlords feel like they have to sell, it may become worse.

With house prices rising and the rental market competitive, the number of people on the register for public housing continues to climb.

As of September, there were 21,415 people on the register nationwide, an increase of 53.3 per cent on September 2019.

Of those, 637 were in Rotorua and 520 from Tauranga, up from 391 and 344 respectively in 12 months.

It's become harder than ever to find a place to call home.

Posts I see on local community Facebook pages asking for rental properties are often met with "good luck" comments.

Comments on the story about tenancy law changes include concerns that it will only get harder to find a decent rental property and the law changes will cause a shortage of good rental properties.

Concerns about availability seem to be widespread and I'm grateful I don't have to look for one.

It can be harder to find a rental depending on factors such as whether you have pets, are a single parent or how many children you have.

But I also believe prospective tenants need to do all they can to make themselves appealing.

That means being as professional as possible from the first contact, whether that be an email or phone call. It means showing up to viewings on time and having all your ducks in a row: paperwork, references - for you and if needed, your pets.

Landlords need to embrace new tenancy laws and tenants need to be good ones.

Keeping properties in the rental pool is the responsibility of both tenants and landlords.