A fire damaged state-owned home has been empty for seven months after Housing New Zealand struggled to find anyone interested in fixing it.
The Housing New Zealand unit on Durham Ave, Tamatea, was torched on Christmas Day, and while HNZ still mowed the lawns, the house itself had not been repaired.
However work was scheduled to start soon.
Durham Ave resident John Wuts said the unit sitting empty for so long was "criminal", especially given the growing need for social housing in Hawke's Bay.
"A family could be in here, you know, a mum with kids," Wuts said.