More cold, damp homes under National

“Far too many New Zealanders living in cold and damp homes was a legacy we inherited from the last National Government, and it’s a dubious legacy Judith Collins wants to revive,” Kris Faafoi said.

“This looks like more policy made up on the fly from National. There was no formal policy announcement from their housing spokesperson, just a dictate from Judith Collins with no details.

“National is chaotic, and ad hoc policy decisions like this show they aren’t ready to govern.

“A warm, dry home should be a basic right. The fact that National wants to rip up minimum healthy homes standards that are about protecting children from contracting respiratory illnesses shows where their values lie.

“Most landlords are doing the right thing and supplying good homes. These new regulations are about fixing the bottom end of the rental market and bringing outlier landlords up to a fair and reasonable standard. The fact that Judith Collins is defending the worst offenders is telling.

“Labour is proud of our record fixing the rental housing stock. The Healthy Homes Guarantee Act and other improvements to renters’ rights are about achieving a fair balance and ensuring all homes meet minimum healthy standards,” Kris Faafoi said.

Editor’s Notes:

The Healthy Homes Guarantee Act requires rental properties to meet basic minimum standards for:

• Heating
• Insulation
• Ventilation
• Moisture infiltration and drainage
• Draught stopping.

The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act establishes a fairer balance between landlords and tenants by:

• Limiting rent increases to once every 12 months
• Banning the solicitation of rent bids by landlords
• Ending no cause terminations and introducing new fairer tools for landlords to deal with problem tenants
• Allowing tenants to add minor fittings to their homes such as earthquake braces or baby proofing.