A group of Wairoa retirees are gearing up for a legal battle, saying their landlord has breached a Tenancy Tribunal order against rental increases.
Already financially stretched by living off their pensions, the retirees fear that any unreasonable increase to their current rent will leave them without the means to survive.
The group received a letter before Christmas advising them their rent would increase from $360 to $415, starting on January 27 this year.
The retirees were adamant that the rent hikes were unreasonable and planned to go to court to prove it. The group have had two years of legal battles against their landlord and property manager.
The most recent Tenancy Tribunal order in August 2024 found a planned increase was “above market rate”, so the rent was locked at $360 until at least February 6, 2025.
Despite the order, the Australian-based landlord and Property Brokers Hawke’s Bay sought to increase the rent prior to the date.
The landlord declined an interview with 1News but, in a statement, Property Brokers said it had withdrawn the notices for three properties after discussions with the owner. Property Brokers said rental increases were the landlord’s decision, and property managers ensured compliance with the law.
Living on donated cans of food
It is not how the group of Wairoa residents envisioned their retirement life — sorting legal documents and scraping money together to get by.
While showing 1News the group’s living conditions, Mark Crarer pointed out canned food that was donated to his family during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown and 2023 cyclone.
He and his 89-year-old father still relied on canned food to get by and opening the fridge was just as bleak.
“There’s bugger all food in there and in the freezer, that is all we’ve got,” Crerer said.
After paying rent, the group said they were left with $125 a week from the pension. They said it was a constant stretch, wondering whether they could eat or afford power.
Retiree Jock Crarer has lived in the granny flats for almost 20 years and said the continued rental pressure was taking a toll on his health.
“Makes you feel really badly, it is not good, I’m not a happy man. I’ll be less happy if the rent goes up because there is nowhere else to go.
“It’s on your mind all the time. I would go to bed, go to sleep and wake up at 3am, just couldn’t get back to sleep, and I’d be stressing out because Mark, my son, was trying to calm me down saying take it easy.”
Wairoa was facing a housing crisis after Cyclone Gabrielle ravaged the town two years ago. Still without a rest home or aged care centre, many were forced to move town or stay with cramped family living conditions.
Aged Concern Wairoa manager Jan Little reported five daily walk-ins by the older residents needing desperate help.
“They’re very proud people and, to put them in a position where they have to come begging for help or food, it’s just not acceptable for our elderly.”
“The lack of housing that we have here, lack of respite care, and the burden being placed on families to care for the elderly, which they’re not trained to do. But there are no options. There is no option for people to go into care so places like the granny flats are vitally important and to put these people at risk of having to move. Where are they going to move to?”