List bad landlords, says good tenant

John Bulkeley knows about the tenants from hell but says landlords and property managers can also be tyrants. Picture / Richard Robinson

John Bulkeley sits on both sides of the fence.

As the private landlord of an apartment, he says tenants have let him down many times, scarpering without paying rent, leaving him feeling powerless.

As the renter of an apartment, he says landlords and property managers can also be tyrants.

He is torn over the new national rental database of good and bad tenants set up by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand.

The Weekend Herald revealed up to 380,000 New Zealanders who rent could find their names on the database.

Property managers have been entering thousands of names into it since it was quietly launched by the institute in August last year for use by property managers.

As a landlord, Mr Bulkeley says some sort of list may be beneficial but it needs to be independent.

As a tenant embroiled in a dispute with his property manager, he says a list of bad landlords and property managers should also be compiled.

He said landlords were often powerless against bad tenants who disappeared and could not be traced and for that reason some list might be worthwhile.

"If you don't know where they have gone you don't have an address for service to get them to court," Mr Bulkeley said.

However he described any list compiled by property managers and administered by the Real Estate Institute as a type of Schindler's list.

"An agent can make any comment they want and you can do nothing about it. You can't even access it."

The list is only available to property managers, and tenants wanting their details have to write to the institute's national office in Parnell.

He said he was embroiled in his own dispute with a property manager who, he says, wanted to inspect the property for the first time in seven years.

They disputed a time and Mr Bulkeley alleges the property manager told him he would arrive when he wanted, regardless of whether Mr Bulkeley was home.

Mr Bulkeley said that in seven years his rent had always been paid and the property kept tidy.

Angry tenants and advocacy groups who contacted the Herald said the tenants list was fraught with problems.

They gave examples of their own bad landlords or property managers.

Jane Irwin moved her family into their Mission Bay rental property about six weeks ago and on Saturday discovered her landlord had failed to tell her the house was on the leaky homes list with leaks and toxic mould.

Ms Irwin, her partner Matt Grant and their children Samuel, 6, and Hannah, 3, are now waiting on a decision, expected in March, as to whether the house will be reclad or demolished.

"It's not easy when you have a family to just pick up and move," Ms Irwin said. "People assume tenants are being dishonest whereas what this landlord has done is very dishonest."

Tenancy Protection Services spokeswoman Angela Maynard said any list would be fraught with problems.

"It could just be a personal grievance against the tenant that might taint them for life."

She said Tenancy Protection Services, who often gave advice to tenants appearing in disputes before the Tenancy Tribunal, already kept a book with notes of bad landlords in it but she could not say how many were on the Auckland list.

"We do note them," she said.

The Tenancy Tribunal was dealing with numerous cases every day of disputes between landlords and tenants Ms Maynard said.

Gavin Sheehan has been renting for about 10 years and he says the last time he looked for a rental property he looked at 32 houses. "I would have only put my family in two of them."

He was happy with his situation, but said some landlords were buying cheap houses, doing nothing to them and charging exorbitant rents.

"I feel that people assume because you're a renter you have lower standards and I think that is a very common perception of renters."

Mr Sheehan said any list should apply to landlords as well.

Poverty Action Group chairman Percy Allison said most landlords had always demanded references from tenants anyway and the list was a breach of privacy. "I think it's outrageous."

National register
* The Real Estate Institute launched the national register of tenants in August.
* Private landlords do not have access to the system, which is used by licensed real estate agents who manage properties.
* Up to 380,000 names could eventually be on the register.
* Many state-housing tenants will be included if their Government or privately owned houses are managed by property managers at licensed agencies.