The true disparity between landlords & renters revelled in recent HRV survey
Investment Landlords Property
The latest HRV State of the Home Survey, conducted by research company Buzz Channel suggests that the substandard condition of New Zealand's rental accommodation has renters and landlords divided.
66% of renters said their landlord either didn't respond, failed to fix a problem, or "kind of made some effort to remedy an issue". However, three quarters of landlords said they fixed a problem their tenants had as soon as possible.
Fixing damage and doing repairs is the top priority for half of landlords whereas little importance is put on heating and ventilation (9%) and addressing mould and dampness (4%).
This disparity between the two groups carried through to how renters and landlords rated their relationship with each other. While almost 90% of landlords said their relationship with tenants was good or excellent, those who were renting had a less higher view of their landlords.
Compared to those who own their own home, renters continue to be far worse off:
• Almost 80% of renters would rather be living in a warmer, drier home compared to just half of homeowners.
•Rented homes are more likely to be cold (41% vs 29% among home owners)
•Renters are more likely than home owners to have mould with almost 60% of rental properties having mould around windows and in the bathroom.
•Just 36% of renters have insulation compared to 73% of home owners and renters are less likely to have double glazing, a heat pump, or a ventilation system.
The state of rental accommodation is having an impact on everything from peoples' ability to save money and buy their own home, through to paying their power bills and their health. More than 60% of renters said they wanted to move out of the home they live in now compared to a third of home owners.
The condition of rental accommodation is reflected in the number of sick days renters are taking, says Professor Crothers, with 7% of renters taking more than 10 sick days a year compared to the national average of 5%.
HRV Chief Executive Bruce Gordon says with the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill taking its next successful step through parliament, New Zealand is on the right track when it comes to improving the quality of its rental accommodation.
Gordon says the importance of a warm dry home is top of mind for many Kiwis and Statistics New Zealand will also document how many New Zealanders are living in damp or mouldy homes in the next census.
By making their properties warm and dry landlords are future proofing their investment and the changes under the bill need not be onerous for property owners.
To provide a cost-effective solution for landlords to improve the quality of their rental properties, HRV introduced a Landlord Leasing Solution.
Read the original source article here
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