Renters United welcomes Government proposals to deliver stability for renters

Renters United welcomes the launch of a review of the Residential Tenancies Act, and calls on the Government to pull out all the stops to provide stability for renters.

“We are delighted the Government is reviewing renting laws. This is the biggest opportunity we have had in a decade to make life better for people who rent,” said Renters United spokesperson Robert Whitaker.

“Everyone deserves a warm, safe and stable home, and people who rent should be no exception. Yet too many renters find their homes unsafe, unaffordable and insecure and their existing rights poorly enforced. We need to fix renting and this review is an opportunity to do that.”

Renters United recently launched a Plan to Fix Renting (fixrenting.org.nz), outlining 36 policy proposals to make renting safe, stable, fair and to ensure laws are meaningfully enforced.

“We are glad to see the Government is considering some proposals in our Plan to Fix Renting.

“In particular, we are happy to see the emphasis on security of tenure. Ending no-fault evictions and 42-day notice periods will go a long way to addressing the insecurity many renters feel.

“We also welcome the Government’s invitation to discuss the use of fixed term contracts, and how to ensure more tenants can keep pets and make minor alterations to their homes.”

“The Government’s proposals are a good start. But the major problems with our rental sector can’t be fixed without making renting affordable. We call on the Government to make the major changes that New Zealand needs. We support the proposals to outlaw rent-bidding and increase transparency around rent rises. But the Government should also introduce measures that peg rental increases to the Consumer Price Index.

“With housing affordability so low, we are calling on the Government to pull out all the stops to deliver stable housing.”

Renters United invites everyone with an interest in creating a fairer renting system to have their say during the consultation, and to sign up for updates at rentersunited.org.nz.

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