Bulletin

4 February 2009

Few Rights for Boading House Tenants
Some boarding houses in Wellington appear to be cashing in on big events in the city by evicting their residents at short notice to make room for out-of-town visitors.

Downtown Community Ministry is aware of three instances where tenants have been given less than a day to vacate because their room was to be let to someone else.

High demand for accommodation in the city during big events such as the IRB Sevens may be giving some locations motivation to hike up their weekend charges.

DCM Community Worker Alan Norman says, “We had a guy who was told Friday morning to get out by lunchtime because his room had been let. They told him he could come back on Monday.

“A few weeks back another gentleman was told he had to leave because the student who had occupied his room last year wanted it back. The current resident was paid up and had been a model tenant."

Boarding houses are currently exempt from the Residential Tenancies Act. However a review of the Act currently before Parliament proproses amendments that will see boarding houses included under the Act.

These changes were agreed to in September 2009 and the Bill now is awaiting a third reading.
DCM is hopeful that the amendments will soon be passed into law so tenants can be better protected.