Home “warrant of fitness” an idea whose time has come, says Tenant’s Protection

If the idea of warrants of fitness for homes was a person it would now be a young adult, says Christchurch Tenant’s Protection head, Helen Gatonyi.

The warrant of fitness idea is one of the few recommendations in the new child poverty report that has been given a good reception by the Government.

TPA says that they have been advocating for the idea as a central concept for rental property for decades.

“If it was a baby once it would now be a young adult,” says Helen Gatonyi.

Like many people working in community groups TPA would have liked to have seen many of the ideas floated in the advisory group on child poverty enacted “yesterday”.

Child poverty is a social justice issue and has been predicted to increase for some decades, Gatonyi is concerned she will still be calling for a warrant of fitness when todays children are well into their adulthood.

From a purely practical perspective TPA hoped that the idea of a warrant of fitness for rental properties was one of the recommendations that made it through the political process.

Despite offers of generous home heating and insulation subsidies from the Government the fact was that very few older rental properties were being insulated.

“If you really want to make a dent in child poverty and health statistics providing what are basic living conditions in rental properties would go a long way toward achieving this,” she said.

In Christchurch where an unusually large number of middle class people displaced by the quakes are entering the rental market the issue of basic standards would only get more visible.

“It's a sad fact that as people who usually don’t have to deal with the rental market go into it as consumers the spotlight on standards is only going to get stronger.”

A warrant of fitness for rental properties would be a good step for the present and future renters of all New Zealand.

Website: www.tpa.org.nz
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tpa.chch

ENDS

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