Greens rental changes will increase homelessness

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson’s idea for an enforceable warrant of fitness for rental homes means she would rather see people live on the streets than with a roof over their heads, National’s Housing spokesperson Judith Collins says.

Ms Davidson told Newshub Nation that if a landlord doesn’t pass a warrant of fitness, that home will not be able to be rented out.

“The Greens are clearly fine with a drop in the supply of rental accommodation so she can grab a headline.

“Most landlords are mums and dads who are doing their best for their tenants. If it becomes too expensive to lease accommodation, then they’re likely to sell up, reducing the supply of rental housing.

“Housing New Zealand’s waiting list for eligible state housing tenants has reached a record-breaking 8500 – the highest it has ever been in this country’s history.

“Instead of the Greens proposing solutions to address this, Ms Davidson announces a policy that will see more people living in cars and motels.

“It is important to strike a good balance between landlords and tenants, but this announcement has been made in a vacuum away from reality.

“National made significant changes to our tenancy laws that are ensuring warmer, drier and safer homes for the one million New Zealanders who live in rental properties. Our policies are making sure that 500,000 homes are retrofitted with insulation - compared to fewer than 50,000 under the previous Labour Government.

“The Greens need to start thinking about the impacts of vague feel-good policies and stop loading the costs onto New Zealand families.”

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