The legislative changes aimed to protect tenants when the country moved towards alert level 4 lockdown
The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) is calling for the government to end the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) emergency provisions after weeks without active COVID-19 cases in the country.
In March, the government released emergency legislative changes to protect tenants when the country moved towards alert level 4 lockdown.
Now that the country switched to alert level 1 due to zero active COVID-19 cases, REINZ chief executive Bindi Norwell insisted that the “emergency legislation has served its purpose and should be ended immediately or at the latest by June 26, which was the end of the initial three-month period.”
“While at the time it was important to protect tenants from rental increases and ensure that people were not left homeless during the lockdown, the reality is that the situation in New Zealand has moved on dramatically since the legislation was first implemented,” Norwell said.
Read more: REINZ backs call for delay for RTA changes
Norwell said the legislation has become harmful now that the lockdown is over – with many REINZ members reporting tenants who were “seriously in arrears with rent but were protected by the legislation.”
Its members also reported delays in securing a tribunal hearing, including issues around termination and possession orders or mediated orders with a consequential termination clause given by the Tribunal before March 26.
“We appreciate that it may have been difficult for the government to have foreseen the extent of the negative impact of the emergency legislation on landlords and tenants when the legislation was first implemented,” Norwell said. “However, the consequences have now become clear in the past weeks, which are why REINZ is calling on the Government to bring these emergency provisions to an end immediately.”
