Proposed Rent Rise - Waitakere Council Tenants to Be Heard

A critical meeting has been organised for next Friday, 30th April, where Waitakere council tenants will have an opportunity to let the council know how the proposed rent rise will impact on their lives.

The proposed new rental policy, to increase rent to 30% of gross income, from 25% of gross income currently, was agreed by Council last September. Council has now deferred finalising their decision until after this meeting.

Voice for Fair Rent, a committee of concerned tenants, have worked with the Council to organise this meeting. This follows their earlier petition of ¾ of tenants presented to Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse on February 8th asking Council to hear their concerns.

The purpose of the meeting is to let the Council hear that tenants are already having difficulties trying to create an acceptable standard of living with the current rents which are already the most expensive Council rents in the Auckland region.

All tenants have been invited, and it is expected that up to 100 tenants will take part. Each tenant will be given an opportunity, in small groups, to speak their mind and have their views recorded. Councillors and community board members have been invited to listen.

“Councillors need to be aware just how much such a rent rise will affect tenants,” says Frank Broomfield, chair of Voice for Fair Rents. “Councillors must surely consider revising this policy because of the hardships it will cause. It is just not practicable for us. Single pensioners receive approx $318 a week before rent, and barely manage on this.”

“Manukau and North Shore Council pensioner rentals are calculated on 25% of net income, which is the formula used by Housing New Zealand. There must surely be a decision on this matter to bring the rents within Auckland to a uniform level.”

Voice for Fair Rents also wants to highlight that there are currently about 60 vacant units representing almost $280,000 of lost income to council per year.

ENDS

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