Mayor backs moves to strengthen tenants’ rights
NEWS RELEASE
27 August 2018
Wellington Mayor Justin Lester is backing an overhaul of the renting housing market, as more and more Wellingtonians will be renting in the future.
Housing and Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford today announced proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act aimed at making life better for renters.
“The New Zealand housing market is changing and more and more people are being forced to rent longer into their lives.
“This is more prevalent in cities like Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch.
“Wellington rents are rising faster than the rest of the country and competition for places is fierce. The rental market needs to be more balanced.
“Rental bidding, as has been reported in Wellington, further distorts the market and leaves tenants with less cash for day-to-day living.
“We don’t want to be a city where all people can afford is rent and then they skimp on other essentials.
“We also want people to be more secure in their rentals, not sitting in their flats unsure whether they will be there in a year’s time.
“It’s not just young
people but families and older people who need rental
security. Shifting from rental to rental means unnecessary
upheaval in children’s school lives and also unnecessary
stress for those involved.”
ends