Kāinga Ora policy costs thousands in compensation to neighbours

PHOTO: Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Kāinga Ora‘s ‘sustaining tenancies’ policy has cost the taxpayer thousands in compensation payouts to neighbours terrorised by unruly tenants.

Tenancy Tribunal decisions seen by RNZ document the state landlord’s juggling act between this policy and its legal obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act.

In some cases, the tribunal has ruled against the state landlord and ordered it pay out thousands of taxpayer money to those most badly affected by unruly tenants.

In one case, Kāinga Ora was ordered to pay a solo mother $2500 in compensation after nearly a year of property damage], verbal abuse and an attempt at running her down with a car.

In another, it was ordered to pay a woman $5000 after months of threats to kill, threats to assault, sexual harassment and aggressive and intimidating behaviour.

Each of these compensation payouts have been over breaches of Section 45 (1) (e) of the Residential Tenancies Act that sets out a landlord’s legal obligation to ensure a tenant doesn’t interfere with the reasonable peace, comfort or privacy of other tenants.

The Tribunal itself warned Kāinga Ora was compromised by its own ‘sustaining tenancies’ policy in one of its decisions, issued in January 2020.