State House Rents

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31441, 7 August 1967, Page 8

State House Rents

Sir,—Now that the Government agrees in principle with and puts into practice the ruling-rates system of paying salaries and wages in line with those paid by private enterprise, it is time to apply the same system to the rents It charges for State houses and bring them into line with rents charged by private landlords. The time for heavilysubsidised rents is long past. Perhaps the Minister would care to comment on this suggestion. Any State tenant—and no doubt other tenants —who find it a real hardship to pay ruling-rates rent may apply to the Social Security Department for special assistance.—Yours, etc., REALIST. August 1, 1967. [The Minister for State Advances (Mr Rae) replies: “I announced on February 10 that further consideration had been given to the then defects of State rental policy whereby there was no provision for - regular review and adjustment of rents in accordance with improved financial circumstances of tenants. Dur* ing April this year all rentals were increased 12) per cent Commencing April, 1968, a review will apply to all tenants of more than three years’ standing, and an increased rental will be payable by those whose income exceeds the limit of eligibility for a

3 per cent housing loan—at present 82080 plus $lOO for each dependent child.”]