Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 1/7/24

Roll up, oinkers – Shane Jones is calling hogs to a new trough, not as rich as the PGF, true, but a $1.2bn swill must be tempting

When it has been filled with a swill funded by taxpayers and invitations have been issued to various organisations to come and slurp, it’s fair to suppose it is a trough. This likelihood is increased significantly when we learn the invitation to come and slurp is issued by Shane Jones.

Ele Ludemann: It’s not a tax break

Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break.

Bob Edlin: Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners

Let’s see if mystical creatures come to their aid

The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners.

It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, whose scuttling of an offshore mining venture was aided and abetted by mythical whales.

Heather Du Plessis-Allan: The Tenancy Tribunal overrides contracts in favour of tenants

You want a perfect example of the kind of rules that people think are good for tenants, but actually end up backfiring on them?

The two rulings that allowed tenants to keep pets despite explicit agreements that they wouldn’t, in both cases.

In the first case, a woman moved in to a property in Palmerston North. Landlord says the tenancy agreement “specifically excluded pets”.

Kate Hawkesby: Are heating and cooling standards for landlords over the top?

 

Well we might have some cities like Christchurch basking in 35-degree heat today, but it's not quite the 40 degrees that some Sydneysiders are baking in.

Some NSW homes so hot, residents can barely cool them down, especially those on low incomes.

One resident was quoted as saying she ‘dreaded summer’ and had to wrap herself in a damp towel with ice cubes just to cool down. Which made me think about our new ventilation and insulation rules coming in here shortly for landlords.

Frank Newman: Making life better for renters

Housing Minister Phil Twyford says he wants to make life better for renters. But in doing so, will he make life unbearable for landlords?

The Government has released a discussion paper as a prelude to what will be a comprehensive reform of the residential tenancy market. The changes to be "discussed" come on top of a number of changes either in place or on the way, which include:

• Insulation upgrades.
• Removing the right of property managers to charge a letting fee.
• Limiting damages claims against tenants.
• New standards which are likely to include the installation of a fixed heating source, a ventilation method, and protection against draughts.

Mike Butler: Landlords and smoke sensors

Four deaths in two house fires two weeks ago got tongues wagging about smoke sensors, landlords, and property warrants of fitness, but the war of words raged in a largely fact-free environment.

The Fire Service’s investigation manager Peter Wilding demanded compulsory smoke alarms in rental properties after three young people died in a house fire in Hamilton -- even though it was not known whether there were smoke detectors in that dwelling and what caused that fire.

Wilding’s call brought further demands from the crack-down-on-landlords brigade that not only should landlords install smoke sensors, they should ensure that sensors continue to function and be responsible for replacing batteries.

Mike Butler: $9700 WOF cost for landlords?

A survey of literature cited to support a property rental warrant-of-fitness scheme reveals that the amount each landlord could be expected to pay for upgrades is $9700 for each property. As for the benefits, which go to the local health board in reduced hospitalization and not to the property owner, may be a meager $34.80 a year for each household with a child under the age of 15.

The Office of the Children’s Commissioner lobbied the government two years ago with Working Paper No.18: Housing Policy Recommendations to Address Child Poverty, which includes 12 recommendations -- one of which is for a warrant-of-fitness scheme and another involves insulation and heating. (1)