Healthy Homes Bill Hurts The People It Claims To Help

"Everybody agrees with the idea that people should have access to a healthy, warm and dry home," says ACT leader David Seymour.

"The new Government will today continue pushing its Healthy Homes Bill through Parliament but while it may have good intentions it will only serve to hurt the people it claims to help - people living in cold and damp homes.

"All this Bill will do is impose additional costs on landlords which will be passed on to tenants who already spend a high proportion of their income on housing.

"Bringing Housing New Zealand stock up to new standards will cost $87 million for 31,000 homes or $2,800 per household. That's a big cost for the average private landlord.

"There is nothing in this Bill about making housing more affordable for New Zealander. We have a shortage of housing in New Zealand. During the campaign Labour agreed with ACT that reforming the RMA to free up land supply was desperately needed. They've now backtracked on that, setting up a 'stocktake' of the housing crisis.

"The Government knows what needs to be done. They should get some guts and show leadership by cutting red tape, not making it harder to rent a home."

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