Latest news with #ResidentialTenanciesAct
1News
15-07-2025
- 1News
Illegal boarding house tenants told to hide from housing inspectors
A man who lived in an illegal boarding house in Queenstown says landlord James Truong instructed tenants to hide from MBIE inspectors as attention on the property grew. The man, who did not want his identity revealed, says he and another person were charged $440 a week to share a small room in a converted shed out the back of the house. The Ministry of Business and Innovation (MBIE) said Truong had been ordered to pay $113,723.56 for multiple breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act as well as refund 40% of the rent paid by tenants of an unlawful boarding house. Truong was also issued with a 3-year restraining order from committing any further unlawful acts related to operating a boarding house. The Ministry's tenancy compliance and investigations had advised Truong to stop using the building as a boarding house in 2020, but a complaint in 2023 revealed 11 people living in the five-bedroom house and another 11 people housed in two converted garages and a shed. ADVERTISEMENT The tenant said he shared a room in the shed behind the house between April and July 2023. "It's like storage but he converted it as bedrooms. There was a microwave, a sofa and two small rooms. So me and my friend is living in that one bedroom and then one Sri Lankan guy is living in the other bedroom. "The shed doesn't have any bathrooms so we need to go inside the house to use the bathroom. Even the laundry is in there so we have to walk from the back of the house to the inside of the house," he said. Garage area where five tenants were living. (Source: TCIT Queenstown) Landlord told tenants to hide from inspection teams He said - as MBIE began investigating the house - Truong sent texts instructing him to leave the property or stay inside the shed when inspection teams were near. RNZ has seen texts from Truong instructing tenants to remove food from fridges, dismantle beds and put their clothes in plastic bags ahead of inspections. ADVERTISEMENT "He is messaging us to hide in the shed. He had cameras so he can see if it's MBIE. So he is messaging me saying 'ok don't go out from your room just stay there until I say so'. It's like we were doing something wrong," he said. He said five Indonesian people living in the garage were kicked out with only a night's notice once Truong learned the house was under investigation. Tenant didn't know he was being exploited Being new to country, the man said he was not sure whether the living situation was normal. "I don't know the kind of rules and it's really hard to find an accommodation so I thought like 'maybe that's how it works here'. So we don't know that we are getting exploited," he said. He said Truong would "pursue" the tenants with texts and sudden visits and - as attention of the house grew - he attempted to pressure tenants to sign letters indicating they agreed to live in the spaces willingly. The tenant said MBIE had tried to contact him, but he did not respond because he was scared of losing his accommodation. ADVERTISEMENT Landlord James Truong instructed tenants to stow away beds, clothing and food and hide from inspectors as attention on the property grew. (Source: Penalty reflects the seriousness of offending - MBIE National manager for MBIE's Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team, Brett Wilson, said the penalty was not the largest order issued by the Tenancy Tribunal but the amount was reflective of the number of tenants involved and the seriousness of the issues uncovered. Wilson said the amount of rent to be refunded to the tenants was still being determined and appealed to any people who had lived at the property under Truong to get in touch. "MBIE expects all parties to comply with Tenancy Tribunal orders. Mr Truong has engaged with us so far and we will be working with him to arrange payment. In these cases our priority is to ensure that tenants receive the money they are entitled to and we will take all appropriate steps to make sure that happens," Wilson said. He defended the nearly three years between Truong being told not to use the property as a boarding house in 2020 and the investigation following complaints in 2023. "We do try and follow up cases as frequently as we can but with 600,000 estimated rental properties in the country we aren't always able to follow up cases as promptly as we would like to," Wilson said. ADVERTISEMENT The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Trump's deadline for Russia, legal action against a supermarket giant, and an unusual marathon record. (Source: Breakfast) Inaction reinforces 'cowboy culture' in rental market Renters United president Zac Thomas said the time between Truong being told not to run the property as a boarding house in 2020 and the eventual penalty - nearly five years later - reinforced a "cowboy culture" of non-compliance with housing standards. "When you do the math behind what this landlord must have made from 22 people over the space of nearly five years. We're looking at around $450 a week in fines. They would have made much more than that from the rents that were being paid by the tenants. It's absolutely crazy," Thomas said. He said until the housing crisis in places like Queenstown was addressed, tenants would continue to be taken advantage of by unscrupulous landlords. "We're seeing more and more cases like this because of the reintroduction of no cause evictions. Tenants are too afraid to speak up - at least they did so in this case over time - but throughout the country, time and time again - we see tenants too scared to stand up for their basic rights," Thomas said. Thomas said the Tenancy Tribunal was not properly resourced to address the scale of the problem in New Zealand. ADVERTISEMENT "This should've never taken five years to get to this stage. It's disastrous for our international reputation - in the heart of our tourist capital. "This person should never be able to be a landlord again. [The penalty] is a slap on the wrist compared to the consequences that there should be. "Until we have proper punishments for landlords we'll continue to see this cowboy culture where people push up against the law - go past the line - because they don't believe the punishments are greater than the money they can make from these situations," Thomas said RNZ has been unable to contact Truong for comment.
Otago Daily Times
14-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Illegal Queenstown boarding house tenants told to hide from inspectors
By Bill Hickman of RNZ A man who lived in an illegal boarding house in Queenstown says landlord James Truong instructed tenants to hide from MBIE inspectors as attention on the property grew. The man - who did not want his identity revealed - says he and another person were charged $440 a week to share a small room in a converted shed out the back of the house. Migrant tenants 'easy prey' for landlords The Ministry of Business and Innovation (MBIE) said Truong had been ordered to pay $113,723.56 for multiple breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act as well as refund 40 percent of the rent paid by tenants of an unlawful boarding house. Truong was also issued with a 3-year restraining order from committing any further unlawful acts related to operating a boarding house. The ministry's tenancy compliance and investigations had advised Truong to stop using the building as a boarding house in 2020, but a complaint in 2023 revealed 11 people living in the five-bedroom house and another 11 people housed in two converted garages and a shed. The tenant said he shared a room in the shed behind the house between April and July 2023. "It's like storage but he converted it as bedrooms. There was a microwave, a sofa and two small rooms. So me and my friend is living in that one bedroom and then one Sri Lankan guy is living in the other bedroom. "The shed doesn't have any bathrooms so we need to go inside the house to use the bathroom. Even the laundry is in there so we have to walk from the back of the house to the inside of the house," he said. Landlord told tenants to hide from inspection teams He said - as MBIE began investigating the house - Truong sent texts instructing him to leave the property or stay inside the shed when inspection teams were near. RNZ has seen texts from Truong instructing tenants to remove food from fridges, dismantle beds and put their clothes in plastic bags ahead of inspections. "He is messaging us to hide in the shed. He had cameras so he can see if it's MBIE. So he is messaging me saying 'ok don't go out from your room just stay there until I say so'. It's like we were doing something wrong," he said. He said five Indonesian people living in the garage were kicked out with only a night's notice once Truong learned the house was under investigation. Tenant didn't know he was being exploited Being new to country, the man said he was not sure whether the living situation was normal. "I don't know the kind of rules and it's really hard to find an accommodation so I thought like 'maybe that's how it works here'. So we don't know that we are getting exploited," he said. He said Truong would "pursue" the tenants with texts and sudden visits and - as attention of the house grew - he attempted to pressure tenants to sign letters indicating they agreed to live in the spaces willingly. The tenant said MBIE had tried to contact him but he did not respond because he was scared of losing his accommodation. Penalty reflects the seriousness of offending - MBIE National manager for MBIE's Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team, Brett Wilson, said the penalty was not the largest order issued by the Tenancy Tribunal but the amount was reflective of the number of tenants involved and the seriousness of the issues uncovered. Wilson said the amount of rent to be refunded to the tenants was still being determined and appealed to any people who had lived at the property under Truong to get in touch. "MBIE expects all parties to comply with Tenancy Tribunal orders. Mr Truong has engaged with us so far and we will be working with him to arrange payment. In these cases our priority is to ensure that tenants receive the money they are entitled to and we will take all appropriate steps to make sure that happens," Wilson said. He defended the nearly three years between Truong being told not to use the property as a boarding house in 2020 and the investigation following complaints in 2023. "We do try and follow up cases as frequently as we can but with 600,000 estimated rental properties in the country we aren't always able to follow up cases as promptly as we would like to," Wilson said. Inaction reinforces 'cowboy culture' in rental market Renters United president Zac Thomas said the time between Truong being told not to run the property as a boarding house in 2020 and the eventual penalty - nearly five years later - reinforced a "cowboy culture" of non-compliance with housing standards. "When you do the math behind what this landlord must have made from 22 people over the space of nearly five years. We're looking at around $450 a week in fines. They would have made much more than that from the rents that were being paid by the tenants. It's absolutely crazy," Thomas said. He said until the housing crisis in places like Queenstown was addressed, tenants would continue to be taken advantage of by unscrupulous landlords. "We're seeing more and more cases like this because of the reintroduction of no cause evictions. Tenants are too afraid to speak up - at least they did so in this case over time - but throughout the country, time and time again - we see tenants too scared to stand up for their basic rights," Thomas said. Thomas said the Tenancy Tribunal was not properly resourced to address the scale of the problem in New Zealand. "This should've never taken five years to get to this stage. It's disastrous for our international reputation - in the heart of our tourist capital. "This person should never be able to be a landlord again. [The penalty] is a slap on the wrist compared to the consequences that there should be. "Until we have proper punishments for landlords we'll continue to see this cowboy culture where people push up against the law - go past the line - because they don't believe the punishments are greater than the money they can make from these situations," Thomas said. RNZ has been unable to contact Truong for comment.
RNZ News
14-07-2025
- RNZ News
Illegal boarding house tenants told to hide from housing inspectors
The living area for 22 tenants. The tenant says it was apparent Truong was able to listen in to discussions in the house through the microphone on the camera mounted on the ceiling. Photo: Supplied / MBIE A man who lived in an illegal boarding house in Queenstown says landlord James Truong instructed tenants to hide from MBIE inspectors as attention on the property grew. The man - who did not want his identity revealed - says he and another person were charged $440 a week to share a small room in a converted shed out the back of the house. The Ministry of Business and Innovation (MBIE) said Truong had been ordered to pay $113,723.56 for multiple breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act as well as refund 40 percent of the rent paid by tenants of an unlawful boarding house . Truong was also issued with a 3-year restraining order from committing any further unlawful acts related to operating a boarding house. The Ministry's tenancy compliance and investigations had advised Truong to stop using the building as a boarding house in 2020, but a complaint in 2023 revealed 11 people living in the five-bedroom house and another 11 people housed in two converted garages and a shed. The tenant said he shared a room in the shed behind the house between April and July 2023. "It's like storage but he converted it as bedrooms. There was a microwave, a sofa and two small rooms. So me and my friend is living in that one bedroom and then one Sri Lankan guy is living in the other bedroom. "The shed doesn't have any bathrooms so we need to go inside the house to use the bathroom. Even the laundry is in there so we have to walk from the back of the house to the inside of the house," he said. The tenant says five people living in the house's garage were evicted with a night's notice when Truong became aware of MBIE inspections. Photo: Supplied / MBIE He said - as MBIE began investigating the house - Truong sent texts instructing him to leave the property or stay inside the shed when inspection teams were near. RNZ has seen texts from Truong instructing tenants to remove food from fridges, dismantle beds and put their clothes in plastic bags ahead of inspections. "He is messaging us to hide in the shed. He had cameras so he can see if it's MBIE. So he is messaging me saying 'ok don't go out from your room just stay there until I say so'. It's like we were doing something wrong," he said. He said five Indonesian people living in the garage were kicked out with only a night's notice once Truong learned the house was under investigation. Being new to country, the man said he was not sure whether the living situation was normal. "I don't know the kind of rules and it's really hard to find an accommodation so I thought like 'maybe that's how it works here'. So we don't know that we are getting exploited," he said. He said Truong would "pursue" the tenants with texts and sudden visits and - as attention of the house grew - he attempted to pressure tenants to sign letters indicating they agreed to live in the spaces willingly. The tenant said MBIE had tried to contact him but he did not respond because he was scared of losing his accommodation. Landlord James Truong instructed tenants to stow away beds, clothing and food and hide from inspectors as attention on the property grew. Photo: Supplied by tenant National manager for MBIE's Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team, Brett Wilson, said the penalty was not the largest order issued by the Tenancy Tribunal but the amount was reflective of the number of tenants involved and the seriousness of the issues uncovered. Wilson said the amount of rent to be refunded to the tenants was still being determined and appealed to any people who had lived at the property under Truong to get in touch. "MBIE expects all parties to comply with Tenancy Tribunal orders. Mr Truong has engaged with us so far and we will be working with him to arrange payment. In these cases our priority is to ensure that tenants receive the money they are entitled to and we will take all appropriate steps to make sure that happens," Wilson said. He defended the nearly three years between Truong being told not to use the property as a boarding house in 2020 and the investigation following complaints in 2023. "We do try and follow up cases as frequently as we can but with 600,000 estimated rental properties in the country we aren't always able to follow up cases as promptly as we would like to," Wilson said. Renters United president Zac Thomas said the time between Truong being told not to run the property as a boarding house in 2020 and the eventual penalty - nearly five years later - reinforced a "cowboy culture" of non-compliance with housing standards. "When you do the math behind what this landlord must have made from 22 people over the space of nearly five years. We're looking at around $450 a week in fines. They would have made much more than that from the rents that were being paid by the tenants. It's absolutely crazy," Thomas said. He said until the housing crisis in places like Queenstown was addressed, tenants would continue to be taken advantage of by unscrupulous landlords. "We're seeing more and more cases like this because of the reintroduction of no cause evictions. Tenants are too afraid to speak up - at least they did so in this case over time - but throughout the country, time and time again - we see tenants too scared to stand up for their basic rights," Thomas said. Thomas said the Tenancy Tribunal was not properly resourced to address the scale of the problem in New Zealand. "This should've never taken five years to get to this stage. It's disastrous for our international reputation - in the heart of our tourist capital. "This person should never be able to be a landlord again. [The penalty] is a slap on the wrist compared to the consequences that there should be. "Until we have proper punishments for landlords we'll continue to see this cowboy culture where people push up against the law - go past the line - because they don't believe the punishments are greater than the money they can make from these situations," Thomas said. RNZ has been unable to contact Truong for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hamilton Spectator
11-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Who should pay for green retrofits to apartment buildings? Not tenants, report argues
Above guideline rent increases are the most 'regressive' way to fund green retrofits in rental housing, a new report from Ontario ACORN argues. The report from the tenant union spells out how some landlords have used above-guideline rent increases (AGIs) to pass the cost of climate-conscious upgrades on to tenants and make a profit. 'ACORN members agree these retrofits are needed and at a much greater scale. However, it shouldn't be low-income tenants paying the bill so we can achieve our climate goals,' the report says. The report looks at 16 applications to raise rents above the provincial maximum for rent-controlled units to cover the cost of energy and water conservation projects — including things like new boilers, windows and doors, lighting retrofits and common area renovations. In one case, an AGI application for one Toronto building was approved to cover nearly $77,000 for new toilets and breaker panels. But because the cost of water is built into the rent for most of its units, tenants aren't 'seeing any of the savings on the water bill,' said Stacey Semple, who lives in the building and is a tenant leader in ACORN's downtown Toronto chapter. The report outlines how AGIs, especially when applied repeatedly, can drastically increase rent costs over time. Thorncliffe Park tenants have withheld rent from landlord Starlight Investments since 2023. In Ontario, units occupied before Nov. 15, 2018, are rent-controlled, meaning for this year rent in those units can only be increased by 2.5 per cent (for 2026, the rent increase guideline is 2.1 per cent). However, the Residential Tenancies Act allows applications to the Landlord and Tenant Board for AGIs for a number of reasons, including covering the cost of energy and water conservation upgrades. Landlords can apply for AGIs for a maximum of 9 per cent over three years on top of the rental increase guideline. Increases are cumulative, so when an AGI is carried out over multiple years, the annual increase is based on the last year's rent rate, not the rate when the AGI was first granted — which Ricardo Tranjan, senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, who had no involvement in the report, sees as a flaw. For example, on top of the 2.5 per cent increase allowed annually, a 9 per cent AGI spread over three years applied to a starting rent of $1,500 a month grows to $1761.40 a month at the end of the three years. Another flaw noted by Tranjan is that AGIs for capital expenditures have interest built in at the standard five-year mortgage rate to cover the upgrade's useful life. But that interest rate, 'may or may not be what (landlords were) charged themselves if they borrowed' to pay for the upgrades, he said. 'If you're charging more interest than you're paying yourself, you're keeping the change,' said Tranjan. 'It's is a pretty bad formula that benefits landlords instead of tenants.' It's not just a Toronto problem as rents have skyrocketed in cities outside the GTA, says the CCPA. Ontario ACORN, which advocates for an end to AGIs altogether, is calling on the province to make green retrofits ineligible for AGIs as well as require landlords to prove they aren't eligible for any rebates or funding in their AGI applications, according to the report. The report notes there are government programs to help fund green retrofits, but says there's low uptake by private landlords and a mismatch between what's offered and what tenants need. Because many tenants pay for utilities themselves, and thus pay the price for energy inefficiency, landlords don't have much incentive to apply for grants or low-cost financing to cover improvements when they could apply for an AGI instead, the report says. 'AGIs will always be seen as more attractive to corporate landlords because they're easy to approve and they make a huge profit,' said Jamie Gooch, a leader in the McWatters ACORN Tenant Union in Ottawa. In addition to ACORN's demands to ban AGIs, the union wants to see more funding for green retrofits in rental buildings from all levels of government. 'If private landlords won't pay for green retrofits, then the government should,' said Gooch.
Scoop
07-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Propertyscouts Invercargill, Property Management, Named In Top Ten For Excellence In RTA Healthy Homes Compliance
Invercargill, New Zealand – Propertyscouts Invercargill have proudly secured a place in the Top Ten for Excellence in Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) Healthy Homes Compliance across the South Island, a prestigious recognition that highlights their commitment to providing safe, warm, and compliant rental homes for tenants. This accolade reflects the property management team's unwavering dedication to upholding the Healthy Homes Standards, which include critical requirements around heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress, drainage, and draught stopping. These standards, introduced under the Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019, aim to improve the quality of rental housing for over half a million New Zealand households. Ingrid Scott business owner and branch manager at Propertyscouts Invercargill, expressed pride in the team's achievement: "We're thrilled to be recognised among the top performing property management companies in the South Island. That means we are in the running for an award, and it's the first of its kind in NZ. It is a big deal! Our team works tirelessly to ensure every property we manage meets or exceeds compliance standards. This recognition is a testament to our proactive approach and the trust our clients place in us. It also attests of operational excellence and forward planning. Our team is buzzing with excitement." Propertyscouts Invercargill has built a reputation for excellence in property management, offering guaranteed rent, 24/7 availability, and expert knowledge of New Zealand tenancy legislation. Their hands-on, investor-focused approach continues to set them apart in the industry. This recognition follows a string of recent successes for the team, including multiple awards at the national level.
