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No need for rental WoF: English

Author
Felix Marwick ,
Publish Date
Tue, 28 Apr 2015, 12:38PM

No need for rental WoF: English

Author
Felix Marwick ,
Publish Date
Tue, 28 Apr 2015, 12:38PM

The Finance Minister is talking down the need for private rental properties to have warrants of fitness.

The issue has resurfaced after Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell slammed the poor quality of homes he visited in Christchurch last week.

Finance Minister Bill English says it's a matter of balance, between getting the basic quality of housing up without imposing so much cost that people can't afford to live in them.

"If you could simply raise the quality of housing at no cost, well of course you'd do it. But in the real world, if you make the standards too high, it'll put housing out of the reach of a lot of people who right now have adequate enough housing and can afford it, just."

Flavell spent time in Christchurch last week, where he was shocked to find the state of housing some families are paying good rent for, and are forced to live in every day.

"There were holes inside the cupboards where the occupant told me the rats came in. I know that there were because they showed me a Weet-Bix package that had the bites of rats that were there."

Flavell said something needs to be done to stop the powerful preying on the weak.

"I think that property owners and indeed those who are looking after rental properties should start looking in the mirror because it's inappropriate that people live in those conditions."

 

 

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