OUSA Welfare Officer, Bryn Jenkins, and Campaigns Officer, Sean Gamble presented an oral submission to the Social Services Select Committee in Parliament on behalf of OUSA on February 17. The submission was in relation to amendments to the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill.
The submission Bryn and Sean made was centered around five key recommendations, including an increase in the length of time the landlord may enter the premises from 14 days without payment to 21 days as standard; the abandonment of fixed term leases when Police or other relevant agencies determine there to be serious safety concerns; the creation of a nationwide heating standard for all rental properties; and a mould and ventilation standard with updates to relevant regulation to draw attention to landlord’s obligations on this issue.
OUSA’s Student Support Officer, Philippa Keaney, said sub-standard flats, commonly characterized by facing significant problems in relation to coldness, mould, dampness and general disrepair, is one of the most common issues brought to them by students, which shows just how significant an issue this is.
Bryn Jenkins said being in parliament was a “terrifying, yet brilliant experience” and although there were a “few jokes when we started about it being the first time they had ever seen an Otago University student in a suit… it could be the single most important thing I do all year in my role, as it really was a chance to get true fundamental change and so I can’t value it enough.”
Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman, Director of the Housing and Health Research Programme, said that according to “our best estimate is that only a third of all New Zealand houses are insulated and as rental housing is more likely to be the older stock, it’s a safe bet that a high percentage of rental properties are uninsulated too.”
Although Bryn had a general goal of improving flatting conditions in Dunedin when he ran for the position at the end of last year, those aims centered on working with the curtain bank and student support locally. Being able to present their recommendations to Parliament and potentially affect legislative change on a national scale is a “great opportunity.”
Whether OUSA’s presence in Parliament is likely to actually make it into the bill and then, in turn, into legislation, is hard to judge, although their submission has many similarities with Victoria University’s Student Association, the New Zealand University Students Association and Auckland University Students Associations. The combined student voice on the issue is something “you would think would be listened to,” according to Bryn.
One of the potential answers to the poor standard of rental properties in New Zealand is a warrant of fitness for rental properties, which would be implemented in much the same way as it is for vehicles. If the rental property has any major problems, it will be deemed illegal for them to be rented out. Councilor David Benson-Pope told Critic he is “an absolute advocate for a warrant of fitness, and I don’t mind whether it is implemented by central government or local government, but I sure as hell think we need it.” However, Mayor Dave Cull noted he thinks it’s “just a means to an end for ‘minimum standards.’ The more factors you include in any move, the more expensive and complicated the process gets.” The bill does go some way to providing the minimum standard for rental properties that Cull calls for, and Bryn and Sean’s parliamentary visit certainly helped to provide a strong advocate for tenants.