“I don’t go anywhere else for tenants. I just go straight to MSD,” says landlord Christine Simpson, who lives rurally outside Nelson.

“MSD vets their people and knows their backgrounds, so there are no surprises,” she says. “They know what I am looking for in a tenant. The communication is excellent. I’m kept informed, timeframes are kept, and it works like clockwork.”

MSD’s Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast Region has two Housing Brokers working with landlords and property managers, backed by a small team of case managers readying clients for renting.

Christine Brown is a landlord in Renwick, near Blenheim. Initially daunted by what she thought would be a drawn-out process to register as an accommodation supplier with MSD, she says she was amazed at how efficiently a Housing Broker managed the process and provided extra support for a tenant by arranging for bond and rent in advance.

“It was absolutely brilliant. I would never hesitate again. Yes, there is a process, but the Housing Broker made it seamless. The support is there equally for the landlord as it is for the tenant.”

Housing team

Regional Commissioner for Social Development, Craig Churchill, says he’s proud of the work of the region’s housing team.

“We welcome working with private landlords and have a wide variety of clients we support into housing, ranging from older people to young families,” he says. “Our team works proactively with landlords and our clients to provide support, and our clients often become long-term, sustainable tenants.”

Nelson landlord Glen Tomlinson agrees. He has used MSD’s housing team for several years to tenant his properties and values the support he’s had from the Ministry in sustaining tenancies, with one tenant staying with him for the past 14 years.

“If there’s an issue, you guys resolve it and solve it. While you’re there to help your clients better their lives, you’re also there to look after the property owner,” he says. “MSD’s service is spot on, and that’s what landlords want to hear.”

In addition, MSD funds Ready to Rent courses which are run by contracted providers for clients in insecure housing who are near-market ready and have the potential to be good tenants in the private rental market. The two-day course covers:

• Rights and responsibilities of being a tenant.

• Applying for tenancy, preparing for interviews and communicating with landlords.

• Home budgeting, managing costs and debt.

• Keeping a home warm and dry.

• Support available, including MSD’s housing, financial and employment services.

Many MSD clients have the potential to be great tenants with the right opportunity and the right support, says Nelson Housing Broker Suzanne Ashton.

“We want to back our clients to succeed as tenants and to give landlords confidence to offer them homes,” she says. “The Ready to Rent course helps people understand what landlords need from them and helps them gain the skills they need to be good tenants.”

Housing Brokers present at Ready to Rent courses on MSD’s Housing Support Products.

“We also explain how a rental property is an owner’s valuable asset that requires regular cleaning, maintenance, and the rent paid. Clients who have completed the Ready to Rent programme have shown they’re serious about being a good tenant by taking the initiative to prepare for success.”

Housing Support Products

Housing Support Products aim to increase housing accessibility for New Zealanders and sustain tenancies where possible. People need to meet eligibility criteria but can receive multiple Housing Support Products, where applicable. Most of the grants are recoverable, meaning recipients will repay them.

• Bond Grant
  Provides recoverable assistance to help with the cost of a rental bond charged by a landlord to the client as a tenant. Limited to accommodation covered by the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (hereafter called the RTA).

• Rent in Advance Grant
  Provides recoverable assistance to help with the cost of rent in advance charged by an accommodation supplier to the client.

• Rent Arrears Grant
  Provides recoverable assistance to help clients retain their accommodation if they are at risk of losing it due to being behind on their rent for properties covered by the RTA.

• Tenancy Costs Cover
  A conditional grant issued to eligible clients, aimed to give prospective landlords a level of comfort that the client will be able to cover tenancy-related costs payable at the end of the tenancy, to a maximum value, after the bond lodged is exhausted. Tenancy Costs Cover is payable to the landlord, but recoverable from the client. This payment is limited to accommodation covered by the RTA.

• Moving Costs Grant
  Provides recoverable assistance to help a client with costs to move their furniture, appliances, personal effects, and personal belongings into accommodation.

• Transition to Alternative Housing Grant
  A one-off, non-recoverable incentive payment for clients who are ready and able to move out of social housing and into alternative housing under a tenancy agreement. This payment is limited to clients moving into accommodation covered by the RTA.