Environment Court backs Auckland Council in stopping illegal housing

The Environment Court has found in favour of Auckland Council in a long-running case dealing with illegal housing units in Mt Roskill and Mt Albert.

In September 2014, Auckland Council issued abatement notices to Mr Madhav Karmarkar for illegally renting out his Mt Roskill and Mt Albert properties as multiple dwellings when they were only permitted to be single dwellings.

Mr Karmarkar appealed against these notices to the Environment Court but last week the Environment Court declined the appeals and confirmed the abatement notices.

The court also declined an application from Karmarkar for the court to declare that one of the houses was allowed to hold two households.

Auckland Council Resource Consents Compliance Manager, Stefan Naude, said that the Court’s decision reinforced Council’s approach to unauthorised housing units.

“In these cases, several buildings had been converted into multiple flats in contravention of the relevant district plan rules and building code standards. Property owners need to understand that they have an obligation to meet the minimum standards for housing quality and liveability, and our officers will follow up cases to ensure that these standards are met,” he says.

In September 2013, Mr Karmarkar and his companies, Jayashree Limited and Jayashree Corporation Limited, were convicted for offences against the Resource Management Act by establishing multiple residential units within buildings which were only authorised as single dwellings. Mr Karmarkar and his companies were collectively fined $60,000 for those offences.

ENDS

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