Rental WOF still on the cards

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The drive for a warrant of fitness (WOF) for rental properties just won’t go away.

Saturday, November 14th 2015, 12:00AM 2 Comments

by Miriam Bell

Labour’s latest attempt at rental WOF legislation may have failed recently, but the Green Party’s Residential Tenancies (Warm, Safe and Secure Rentals) Amendment Bill is still in the Parliamentary ballot.

Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei introduced the Bill back in August. 

It would set minimum standards for warmth, dryness and safety in all rental properties, and also contains a host of changes to tenancy standards and regulations.

Now, new Green MP and housing spokesperson Marama Davidson has raised the issue again.

She said children are becoming seriously ill because the Government refuses to create minimum health and safety standards for rental homes and properly renovate state houses.

“Introducing minimum standards is the best way to fix our cold, mouldy, shoddy houses – the Government’s hands-off approach is only going to end up in more Kiwi kids getting sick.”

Davidson called for the Government to enact the Greens Bill.

However, the NZ Property Investors’ Federation believes that a rental WOF is not the best way to go.

NZPIF executive officer Andrew King said the Government was right to reject a comprehensive WOF for rental properties.

“It would affect all tenancies and increase rental prices, rather than concentrating on correcting the main aspect which leads to children becoming sick from their living situations.”

Only 7% of calls from tenants to the Tenancy Services call centre are about the condition of their property, so an all-encompassing WOF would be an expensive and poorly targeted proposal, he said.

“The Minister of Building and Housing’s focus on improving insulation levels in rental properties is likely to achieve more in terms of improving the living conditions of children.”

All tenanted properties will require floor and ceiling insulation by mid-2019, while social housing which receives government subsidies will require insulation by July 2016.

King, who has previously said the Green’s Bill is too restrictive for landlords, also said the NZPIF believes landlords are in a service industry.

“Providing a well maintained home is good customer service as well as being a legal requirement.

“But it's good that tenants are becoming more aware they have a right to expect a safe and well maintained home.”

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