PHOTO: The Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill. File
A proposed amendment to tenancy legislation will give anti-social tenants greater security to the detriment of “good renters,” says a property expert.
The Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill, which the Government plans to push through under urgency this week, proposes that landlords must have proof of three examples of anti-social behaviour in a 90-day period before a tenant can be evicted.
Sharon Cullwick, the executive officer of New Zealand Property Investors Federation, says the amendment will benefit disruptive tenants at the expense of “good” renters.
“Let’s say you’ve got a block of eight flats and one tenant is disruptive. That tenant under the new legislation has security of tenure – but all the other seven tenants will keep moving because of the disruptive tenant. It doesn’t help anyone,” Cullwick said.
“[Tenants] may be able to get more security of tenure, but it will be the antisocial, disruptive tenants… they’re the ones who will have the security.
“It will be the good tenants who will have to keep shifting because where they’re living won’t be a safe place to live. You’ll get slum areas in cities because of this.”
Following its first reading in February, the select committee suggested a number of changes to the Bill regarding eviction. If it passes with these changes, landlords wishing to use anti-social behaviour as grounds to evict a tenant would need to issue written warnings on three occasions, and apply to the Tenancy Tribunal within 28 days of the third incident.
Currently landlords can evict a tenant following just one example of anti-social behaviour.
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