Posts by andrew llewellyn
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I, on the other hand, would respectfully suggest that there are huge communication problems between tenancy managers and Housing New Zealand management,
and in the same vein... You might think that, but I couldn't possibly comment! :)
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You can find your own flatmates - HNZ aren't that draconian!
And on a light note - you're maybe thinking of Corrections :)
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I got so sniffy about this transfer-agreement policy that I rang said relative, who clarified: yes, tenants must agree (aha! so I am wrong, sorry!),
No sweat - I was wondering if the policy had changed since I left last year.
but in over a decade my particular relative has never had anyone who refused to move.
I can believe that - usually they're being transferred to a better property, or, as in the case of the Community Renewal projects (eg, Glen Innes), urged to move either temporarily or permanently. And offered a place in a new property in the same place when they're built or refurbished.
So Andrew, what's management policy on how these things are worded? Because I was never given the impression that I had a choice on the flatmate thing by that other tenancy manager, either.
I presume they are worded so as to comply with tenancy laws.
How are tenancy managers supposed to act? Do they get fired for sounding too imperative? I should let my relative know...
Did I say that? What I said was that they have to follow the rules. Your relative probably knows that already.
And on the subject of being told to get tenants - that was before you signed the lease? Because there wasn't a smaller property available to you? Yes, HNZC, with their Suitable Homes initiative, are quite keen to ensure their properties are utilised efficiently, they might (depending on demand & supply) decline to rent a 4 bedroom house to a single person or couple, but that's not the same as forcing you to get flatmates.
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I'm slightly surprised they're retrying the case. No disagreement that they should, in theory... but I understood that Bain would have been eligible for parole next year anyway, and given he's been a model prisoner, I've assumed he would have been paroled. I very much doubt he's likely to kill again.
I wonder, if he's convicted, what the sentence is likely to be - presumably they'll take what he's already served into account.
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but I bet that's a CYA maneouvre by management.
And I am telling you quite catagorically, that it is not. I didn't get that from a "close friend", I got that from being an HNZC manager for 7 years..
If your friend the tenancy manager says s/he does otherwise, I would respectfully suggest s/he is in the wrong job.
The rule under which tenancy managers operate is this: if they are informed that children have moved out and left tenants alone in a three or four-bedroom house, the tenant either takes in flatmates or is moved.
Rubbish. How do they move them? That's called eviction & you will find that there have been very few over the last 10 years. And how come there are still a lot of multi bedroom homes with sole tenants who have lived there for more than 60 years if such a rule exists?
What actually happens, is if the tenant who has signed the lease moves or dies, the other tenants can be placed on the waiting list for another home. Otherwise, good old negotiation between the remaining tenants & HNZC takes place. They cannot be evicted just like that.
but most tenants don't do that, because most tenants are reasonable people. They'll see the unfairness of staying in a huge house when there are waiting lists a mile long.
So, um, in effect you're saying they agree?
Additionally, they're not actually asked: they're told. I bet none of them even know the report says that they're supposed to 'agree'.
I bet too, if this is actually happening, and did get out, say from one of the tenants who isn't so reasonable, you'd see it all over the newspapers & your friend would lose his job.
(Incidentally, I lived in a HNZ house for three years [not, needless to say, under my relative's care]. They were by far and away the best landlords I've ever had: they actually followed the rules about bonds/visits/inspections and so on, and they made sure the property was completely up to standard. If I hadn't bought a house, I would have tried to stay with them forever!)
Cheers - yes, the vast majority of HNZC staff are hard working & committed. But OTOH, not following the rules,if caught, is not tolerated by the corporation. And to be fair, most of the tenants are very reasonable too.
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BTW Danielle,
the last HNZC annual report states that the number of underutilised homes (where the household count + 1 is less than the number of bedrooms), is 4%. That definition by its nature is pretty iffy though.
The report also states this:
Strategies to increase the supply of rental housing and improve property use saw a number of tenants, with their agreement, transferred to more suitable housing. This freed up larger homes for others in housing need.
The operative phrase being "with their agreement".
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This from the HNZC website, of the 2006/2006 financial year:
"We transferred 410 tenants to homes more suited to their needs, freeing up 491 bedrooms for families in need."
These tenants weren't obliged, or forced to move, they either wanted to, were persuaded to, or by chance just happened to.
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"Actually, yes, I do 'wanna bet'. A close relative of mine is a tenancy manager at Housing New Zealand and does, "
And until recently I was their Information Manager for 7 years.
"indeed, have to move people based on a) underutilisation and b) overcrowding."
Overcrowding they can address - by putting the tenants on the waiting list as "transfer applicants", but they can only encourage people to move if the house is deemed "underutilised". But yes, encourage they do, one of the things they measure is how many bedrooms get freed up each month.
"Now, I'm sure that the system is not exactly perfect, but this picture being painted of vast swathes of unused bedrooms across the land is, I think, an exaggeration."
Well you'd be surprised I think at how many there are, but it is a small percentage. And probably balanced statistically, by the overcrowding cases.
Overcorwding's an interesting one thiugh, the problem is probably bigger than is reported because tenants do not necessarily want HNZC to know how many people are resident in a property (affects income assessment & income related rent).
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So currently, what's called overcrowding is anything over the number of adults, + 1. That's just for reporting purposes though.
to clarify... that is if the number of adults + 1 is more than the number of bedrooms, the property is consiodered overcrowding.
Or something like that :) And they don't ever intend asking who's sleeping whith whom, it'd just be nice to know for reporting.
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As far as I am aware, in Auckland you are unable to remain in a three-bedroom Housing New Zealand house by yourself unless you take in boarders or flatmates. Otherwise they can - and do - move you to smaller accommodation. They have quite strict rules on numbers of people per numbers of bedrooms.
Wanna bet? They might like to have strict rules, but believe me, they don't. They cannot move you at all - unless (! exception #1), they're having to demolish &/or redevelop a site.
They have no rules regarding overcrowding either (the rules they'd like to impose involve having to ask tenants who is sleepin g with who. So currently, what's called overcrowding is anything over the number of adults, + 1. That's just for reporting purposes though.