Legalise rental scheme

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

My recent suggestion that Housing NZ and WINZ should embark on opening up yearly leases on rental properties to provide relief for the housing shortage drew little local response.

There was only one or two responses declaring such a scheme to be “illegal” in the likes of The New Zealand Herald.

If such a scheme as ensuring housing security at a far less cost than the empire building practice of buying up overpriced homes and motels is illegal, then a genuine “people's government” should swiftly move to legalise such a scheme through an Order in Council if necessary.

Once again, benefits accruing to landlords are, lease money up front, a reasonable but controlled rent rise compensation factor built into the initial lease itself.

There is less chance of people having to be evicted and damaging properties due to frustration at being thrown out into the insecurity of the rental market.

Government should also move to tax or otherwise penalise owners of homes left empty to accrue greater capital value in a largely uncontrolled and unstable housing market.

Dennis Pennefather