A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of listening to Christine Rankin speak to a small group of industry operators. It has been so long since I heard someone talk so openly, and it was refreshing to listen to a credible person speak candidly and without fear of repercussion. Christine was not worried about saying the right thing; she instead spoke honestly. Wow, more of that, please.

One of Christine’s clear messages was to stand up for what you believe in and not stand still and roll over when your core values or beliefs are compromised. History will tell us that this woman not only talks the talk, but she also walks the walk.

Renting in New Zealand has changed rapidly over the last few years. The recent amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act alongside the Healthy Homes standards have stretched the elastic pretty thin. Industry operators are scrambling to remain compliant. Owners are digging further and further into their pockets to upgrade their investment properties, and tenants are adjusting to the new regulations and an incredibly competitive rental market.

In most instances, the rental experience goes well, and within Property Brokers, we have seen a gradual increase in the level of customer satisfaction from both our owners and tenants. Our current NPS score of 69 is way above the industry average of -15, indicating that we are getting it right more often than wrong. It also confirms that our property managers work for all parties involved and treat anyone we deal with daily with respect. No matter their background or circumstances.

Concerning Trend

However, we are seeing a dangerous and highly concerning trend emerge across New Zealand as the housing crisis takes a further stranglehold of our country. We are seeing more and more adjudicators ruling against legitimate cases raised by the landlord or their agent to physical or verbal abuse, violence and anti-social behaviour.

We all know there is a housing shortage, and we all know that it is becoming increasingly challenging to secure a home. (Evidence of this is our incredibly low vacancy rate of 1.5% or roughly four days between tenancies throughout New Zealand.) It can be said that adjudicators are ruling in favour of tenants due to the accommodation shortage, knowing well that evicting tenants will only put further strain on housing, which we can all appreciate. How many more motels can the Government buy?

But what we can not understand and watch go unpunished is when physical assault becomes acceptable. At what point did violence become ok? It is only ok if you let it be ok and showing leniency towards this behaviour only empowers people to continue to act in this manner.

In a recent court order ruled against an agency, the adjudicator referenced that a property manager should expect some level of physical and verbal assault as part of their role. The statement formed part of the order, in writing, there for everyone to read. It is appalling. In this instance, our female property manager in her 20s was assaulted by a shovel-wielding tenant that has also abused and threatened the neighbours.

Tenant Let Off

This tenant was let off, which renders us useless in managing the property and puts all the neighbours in a dangerous position. Imagine what would happen if a landlord or agent assaulted a tenant? To the adjudicator that made this ruling – where does this end if this behaviour is deemed acceptable? It can only escalate.

No one wants anyone to be homeless. Every Kiwi deserves to live in a warm and safe home, but this does not need to be at the expense of people’s safety. If this continues to happen for a small minority of tenants, the gap will only widen. Across provincial New Zealand, where it is much harder to be anonymous, people will be run out of town and will never get a rental property in the future.

“Generation Rent” is a reality as we see the average tenancy fast approaching 30 months in duration, and inevitably it will continue beyond five and 10 years in the future. But, if New Zealand draws a line in the sand and sends a clear message to all stakeholders that any assault is unacceptable, people will quickly learn.

We are calling on the Humans Rights Commission to mandate that no matter the pressure or influencing factors, violence is never ok.

As the General Manager for Property Management at Property Brokers, Will Alexander is passionate about this industry and innovation - focused on implementing solutions that improve operations, customer experience, and business profitability. He is a staunch believer in; people, property and working smarter.