Latest news with #ResidentialTenanciesAct1986
1News
a day ago
- 1News
Fourth person charged with manslaughter over Loafers Lodge fire
A fourth person has been charged with manslaughter over the Loafers Lodge fire that killed five people in Wellington in 2023. Three people were charged with manslaughter last week following a two-year investigation into whether the state of the building and the management and compliance of its fire safety systems contributed to the fatal outcome. Michael Wahrlich, Melvin Parun, Peter O'Sullivan, Kenneth Barnard and Liam Hockings died in the blaze that began shortly after midnight on May 16, 2023. A 72-year-old man is set to appear in Wellington District Court on Monday. Last week, two men aged 75 and 58, and a 70-year-old woman appeared in the Wellington District Court facing manslaughter charges. ADVERTISEMENT Detective Sergeant Olivia Meares said police allege all four were responsible for aspects of the building's fire safety systems. A 50-year-old man had previously been charged with murder in relation to deliberately lighting the fire. A trial is scheduled to start before the Wellington High Court on August 25. The fire broke out at the Loafers Lodge, in Newtown, early this morning. (Source: Breakfast) Police, Fire and Emergency NZ and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment reminded those who owned or managed buildings, particularly buildings with sleeping accommodation, of their responsibility to ensure occupants were protected from fire. These included ensuring the necessary evacuation procedures were in place, with an approved evacuation scheme if it was a "relevant building", and ensuring the means of escape from fire were maintained. "Where applicable, ensure you understand the maintenance requirements for the specified systems outlined in your building's compliance schedule as required under the Building Act. Particularly those relating to the building emergency warning system or fire alarm." Those who owned a tenanted residential property should ensure fire safety obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 were met.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Scoop
Manslaughter Charges For Three People Related To The Loafers Lodge Fatal Fire
Today, Police have charged three people with manslaughter in relation to the fatal fire at Loafers Lodge on 16 May 2023. Two men aged 75 and 58, and a 70-year-old woman will appear in the Wellington District Court later today, each facing charges of manslaughter. Police have spoken to a third man and expect to also charge him with manslaughter in the coming days. A dedicated team at Police has been working since the tragedy to establish if the state of the building and the management and compliance of its fire safety systems contributed to the fatal outcome. The people we have charged today were involved with the management and operation of the building, and Police allege they were responsible for aspects of the building's fire safety system. Police previously charged a 50-year-old man with murder in relation to deliberately lighting the fatal fire. This matter is before the High Court, with a trial scheduled to start on 25 August 2025. Police, Fire and Emergency and the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment would like to take this opportunity to remind all those who own or manage a building, particularly buildings with sleeping accommodation, of their responsibility to ensure those who occupy their premises are protected from fire. • Ensure your obligations are met under the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017 by having the necessary evacuation procedures in place, and an approved evacuation scheme if you have a 'relevant building'. • Ensure the means of escape from fire for your building are maintained as outlined in the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Regulations 2018. • Where applicable, ensure you understand the maintenance requirements for the specified systems outlined in your building's compliance schedule as required under the Building Act 2004, particularly those relating to the building emergency warning system or fire alarm. • If you are the owner of a tenanted residential property, ensure your fire safety obligations are met under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. The loss of life and injuries experienced during this fire were preventable, and Police would like to acknowledge the long-term impact, on those who lost loved ones, the residents who lost their friends, their home and treasured personal property, as well as the many others that have been affected by the far reaching and devastating event. As this matter is now before the courts, police will not be commenting further.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Some Landlords, Tenants Unaware Of Healthy Homes Standards Despite Looming Deadline
Liam White can share some horror stories about rental properties in Dunedin. 'I went into a flat and I saw a window – the landlord had cut out the corner wide enough that you could stick your finger through it so they could open the window past a balcony – there was just a constant draught coming in. There's heat pumps that don't work … there's the classic holes in walls, cladding on the side of houses broken that hasn't been fixed. It's a lot of stuff.' White is president of the Otago University Students Association. The government's Tenancy Compliance and Investigations team (TCIT) has this week been visiting student rentals in Dunedin to check whether they comply with the Residential Tenancies Act. Acting TCIT national manager Clare Lyons-Montgomery said landlords must provide rental homes that are warm, safe and dry. 'Young people are a priority population for our team, as they can be vulnerable and unaware of their rights because they are new to renting. 'Landlords have obligations and responsibilities under the Residential Tenancies Act and must provide a rental home that complies with all building, health and safety requirements in additional to tenancy law.' All rental properties must also comply with the Healthy Homes standards by 1 July this year, which require ventilation, heating and insulation. Tenancies started or renewed on or after 3 March had until then to comply but from 1 July there is no leeway and every new tenancy must comply immediately. White said he had been told about 30 percent of Dunedin student rentals would not comply. But he said students were sometimes hesitant to raise problems with property managers or landlords because they worried about their ability to get a reference in future, or about creating other problems for themselves. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said its most recent survey of Healthy Homes compliance was in January 2024 and found 17 percent of landlords said they fully met the standards and almost three-quarters had done something to prepare. 'From July 1, all private rentals must comply with the healthy homes standards. All boarding houses, Kāinga Ora houses and registered community housing provider houses must already comply with the healthy homes standards,' Lyons-Montgomery said. 'Landlords who do not meet their obligations under the standards are in breach of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 – and may face consequences, like financial penalties.' Sarina Gibbon, general manager of the Auckland Property Investors Association, said she had been talking to colleagues about the lack of awareness about how the deadline applied. 'The situation appears to be split across experience lines. Seasoned landlords and property managers who have had the standards drummed into them since 2019 have largely adapted and developed the right muscle memory. 'You'll recall that in 2022 when the government extended the deadline out by two years so that Kainga Ora could have more runway [it] went down like a lead balloon for the private sector. That said, the already generous compliance timeline should mean that there is no excuse for rental properties to not comply. We are finally getting to a point in the rental sector where we can stop negotiating on tenants' wellbeing.' But she said she was still seeing things that concerned her. 'Many less experienced landlords and property managers seem unaware that, from July 1, there's no grace period – properties must be fully compliant, period. So none of that 90 or 120 day runway from the start of the tenancy. That's fine because the TCIT can clean that up. What worries me the most is that the knowledge gap extends to tenants too. Many don't realise they will have the right to a fully Healthy Homes compliant home from 1 July. This is potentially harmful for vulnerable renters in non-compliant houses. ' She said if landlords did not treat compliance as a priority, it was reasonable to expect the Tenancy Tribunal and TCIT to 'come down hard on them'. 'The industry has had way too long to get our heads around the standards, let's get on with it already.' Some property managers are understood to be preparing to drop clients who are not willing to make changes to comply with the rules. But MBIE is likely to monitor bond forms for a change of landlord from a property manager to a private arrangement, then audit those properties. Matt Ball, spokesperson for the NZ Property Investors Federation, said his organisation's members tended to be well prepared. But he said there could be some 'accidental landlords' who had decided to rent a property rather than sell it who might not have considered it properly. He said he had heard from tradespeople that there had been an increase in inquiry from property owners needing work done to comply. 'There might be some people rushing at the last minute to get everything done.'
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Some Landlords, Tenants Unaware Of Healthy Homes Standards Despite Looming Deadline
Article – RNZ All rental properties must comply with the Healthy Homes standards just weeks from now, including ventilation, heating and insulation. Liam White can share some horror stories about rental properties in Dunedin. 'I went into a flat and I saw a window – the landlord had cut out the corner wide enough that you could stick your finger through it so they could open the window past a balcony – there was just a constant draught coming in. There's heat pumps that don't work … there's the classic holes in walls, cladding on the side of houses broken that hasn't been fixed. It's a lot of stuff.' White is president of the Otago University Students Association. The government's Tenancy Compliance and Investigations team (TCIT) has this week been visiting student rentals in Dunedin to check whether they comply with the Residential Tenancies Act. Acting TCIT national manager Clare Lyons-Montgomery said landlords must provide rental homes that are warm, safe and dry. 'Young people are a priority population for our team, as they can be vulnerable and unaware of their rights because they are new to renting. 'Landlords have obligations and responsibilities under the Residential Tenancies Act and must provide a rental home that complies with all building, health and safety requirements in additional to tenancy law.' All rental properties must also comply with the Healthy Homes standards by 1 July this year, which require ventilation, heating and insulation. Tenancies started or renewed on or after 3 March had until then to comply but from 1 July there is no leeway and every new tenancy must comply immediately. White said he had been told about 30 percent of Dunedin student rentals would not comply. But he said students were sometimes hesitant to raise problems with property managers or landlords because they worried about their ability to get a reference in future, or about creating other problems for themselves. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said its most recent survey of Healthy Homes compliance was in January 2024 and found 17 percent of landlords said they fully met the standards and almost three-quarters had done something to prepare. 'From July 1, all private rentals must comply with the healthy homes standards. All boarding houses, Kāinga Ora houses and registered community housing provider houses must already comply with the healthy homes standards,' Lyons-Montgomery said. 'Landlords who do not meet their obligations under the standards are in breach of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 – and may face consequences, like financial penalties.' Sarina Gibbon, general manager of the Auckland Property Investors Association, said she had been talking to colleagues about the lack of awareness about how the deadline applied. 'The situation appears to be split across experience lines. Seasoned landlords and property managers who have had the standards drummed into them since 2019 have largely adapted and developed the right muscle memory. 'You'll recall that in 2022 when the government extended the deadline out by two years so that Kainga Ora could have more runway [it] went down like a lead balloon for the private sector. That said, the already generous compliance timeline should mean that there is no excuse for rental properties to not comply. We are finally getting to a point in the rental sector where we can stop negotiating on tenants' wellbeing.' But she said she was still seeing things that concerned her. 'Many less experienced landlords and property managers seem unaware that, from July 1, there's no grace period – properties must be fully compliant, period. So none of that 90 or 120 day runway from the start of the tenancy. That's fine because the TCIT can clean that up. What worries me the most is that the knowledge gap extends to tenants too. Many don't realise they will have the right to a fully Healthy Homes compliant home from 1 July. This is potentially harmful for vulnerable renters in non-compliant houses. ' She said if landlords did not treat compliance as a priority, it was reasonable to expect the Tenancy Tribunal and TCIT to 'come down hard on them'. 'The industry has had way too long to get our heads around the standards, let's get on with it already.' Some property managers are understood to be preparing to drop clients who are not willing to make changes to comply with the rules. But MBIE is likely to monitor bond forms for a change of landlord from a property manager to a private arrangement, then audit those properties. Matt Ball, spokesperson for the NZ Property Investors Federation, said his organisation's members tended to be well prepared. But he said there could be some 'accidental landlords' who had decided to rent a property rather than sell it who might not have considered it properly. He said he had heard from tradespeople that there had been an increase in inquiry from property owners needing work done to comply. 'There might be some people rushing at the last minute to get everything done.'
Scoop
24-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Some Landlords, Tenants Unaware Of Healthy Homes Standards Despite Looming Deadline
Liam White can share some horror stories about rental properties in Dunedin. "I went into a flat and I saw a window - the landlord had cut out the corner wide enough that you could stick your finger through it so they could open the window past a balcony - there was just a constant draught coming in. There's heat pumps that don't work … there's the classic holes in walls, cladding on the side of houses broken that hasn't been fixed. It's a lot of stuff." White is president of the Otago University Students Association. The government's Tenancy Compliance and Investigations team (TCIT) has this week been visiting student rentals in Dunedin to check whether they comply with the Residential Tenancies Act. Acting TCIT national manager Clare Lyons-Montgomery said landlords must provide rental homes that are warm, safe and dry. "Young people are a priority population for our team, as they can be vulnerable and unaware of their rights because they are new to renting. "Landlords have obligations and responsibilities under the Residential Tenancies Act and must provide a rental home that complies with all building, health and safety requirements in additional to tenancy law." All rental properties must also comply with the Healthy Homes standards by 1 July this year, which require ventilation, heating and insulation. Tenancies started or renewed on or after 3 March had until then to comply but from 1 July there is no leeway and every new tenancy must comply immediately. White said he had been told about 30 percent of Dunedin student rentals would not comply. But he said students were sometimes hesitant to raise problems with property managers or landlords because they worried about their ability to get a reference in future, or about creating other problems for themselves. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said its most recent survey of Healthy Homes compliance was in January 2024 and found 17 percent of landlords said they fully met the standards and almost three-quarters had done something to prepare. "From July 1, all private rentals must comply with the healthy homes standards. All boarding houses, Kāinga Ora houses and registered community housing provider houses must already comply with the healthy homes standards," Lyons-Montgomery said. "Landlords who do not meet their obligations under the standards are in breach of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 - and may face consequences, like financial penalties." Sarina Gibbon, general manager of the Auckland Property Investors Association, said she had been talking to colleagues about the lack of awareness about how the deadline applied. "The situation appears to be split across experience lines. Seasoned landlords and property managers who have had the standards drummed into them since 2019 have largely adapted and developed the right muscle memory. "You'll recall that in 2022 when the government extended the deadline out by two years so that Kainga Ora could have more runway [it] went down like a lead balloon for the private sector. That said, the already generous compliance timeline should mean that there is no excuse for rental properties to not comply. We are finally getting to a point in the rental sector where we can stop negotiating on tenants' wellbeing." But she said she was still seeing things that concerned her. "Many less experienced landlords and property managers seem unaware that, from July 1, there's no grace period - properties must be fully compliant, period. So none of that 90 or 120 day runway from the start of the tenancy. That's fine because the TCIT can clean that up. What worries me the most is that the knowledge gap extends to tenants too. Many don't realise they will have the right to a fully Healthy Homes compliant home from 1 July. This is potentially harmful for vulnerable renters in non-compliant houses. " She said if landlords did not treat compliance as a priority, it was reasonable to expect the Tenancy Tribunal and TCIT to "come down hard on them". "The industry has had way too long to get our heads around the standards, let's get on with it already." Some property managers are understood to be preparing to drop clients who are not willing to make changes to comply with the rules. But MBIE is likely to monitor bond forms for a change of landlord from a property manager to a private arrangement, then audit those properties. Matt Ball, spokesperson for the NZ Property Investors Federation, said his organisation's members tended to be well prepared. But he said there could be some "accidental landlords" who had decided to rent a property rather than sell it who might not have considered it properly. He said he had heard from tradespeople that there had been an increase in inquiry from property owners needing work done to comply. "There might be some people rushing at the last minute to get everything done."
