Office of Hon Mark Gosche
Minister of Transport
Minister of Housing
Minister of Pacific Island Affairs
Member of Parliament for Maungakiekie

Media Release

20 March 2000

Tenancy agreements should be read thoroughly

Prospective tenants should read their tenancy agreements carefully before they agreed to them the Minister of Housing Mark Gosche said today.

"Tenants should thoroughly read through their tenancy agreements before signing them," said Mr Gosche.

He said public listings such as the "Tenant Check Database" were subject to the Privacy Act.

"Landlords need their tenant's consent if they want to provide information about them to public databases," said Mr Gosche.

"That is why tenants need to be fully aware of what they are signing up to."

Mr Gosche said sometimes tenants signed agreements and contracts without fully appreciating the legal implications of their actions.

He has asked the Tenancy Services Division of the Ministry of Housing to ensure that educational material alerted tenants to the implications of signing tenancy agreements. It was important to read the fine print in any contract he said.

"Even databases developed with the consent of tenants need to provide tenants with the right to check and correct information contained about themselves," said Mr Gosche.

ENDS

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