Families in need but renovated house empty

This home in Tawa has been vacant since December. Photo / Supplied

A three-bedroom state home is standing empty because officials say the "Pavlova Paradise" house-and-quarter-acre no longer fits Kiwi families.

The renovated house at 23 Greer Cres, Tawa, Wellington, sits inside a Housing NZ zone that has almost 190 families listed as having a significant or severe housing need.

It has been available for rent since December but remains vacant because - according to Housing NZ - no one wants to live there.

A neighbour said there were three empty state houses on the street that had been regularly visited by maintenance teams and lawn mowing contractors, "but no one moves in".

"There used to be about a three-week turnaround of tenants for vacant state houses but now they are just being left empty," the neighbour wrote.

A spokesman for Housing NZ said the house had an "unusual configuration" and also had stairs, which meant some people did not want to live there. He said just three families had asked for a three-bedroom home in Tawa.

"Each of these families have two or more children and they are toddlers, and so 23 Greer is not a home they prefer."

The spokesman said there were two other vacant three-bedroom properties in Tawa and 13 in neighbouring suburbs available for tenants. He said one of the other houses had been sitting vacant from October until March waiting on renovation.

Labour MP Charles Chauvel said he found it hard to believe there were empty houses that no one wanted to move into.

He said his office in the area had visits from a number of people frustrated over the time they had waited for a state home.

Coalition to End Homelessness co-chairwoman Iris Pahau said Housing NZ needed to try harder with those on its list. She said there could be larger families who could manage in the three bedroom home without being crowded.