‘Flexible’rent appeals

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33450, 4 February 1974, Page 14

‘Flexible’rent appeals

New rent appeal boards have been appointed by the Government, with an eye to I local knowledge in fixing ( rents. i Mr A. T. Bell, a solicitor, has been appointed chairman jof the Christchurch rent [appeal board, the other memI bers being Mr A. Ross, secretary of the Canterbury Painters’ Union, and Mr A. [Gray, a public valuer. Mr Bell is a former Coroner and chairman of the North Canterbury Catchment Board. The appointments were . announced by the Minister of [Labour (Mr Watt) when he [named the members of the rent appeal boards to replace [the rent review authorities: set up last year at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. They are effective from February 1, when the Rent Appeal Act came into force. The Minister said that the boards would be charged with the job of fixing equitable rents for houses on application from either a landlord or a tenant. Application forms would be available from all district offices of the Department of Labour, or post offices. The chairmen of the other boards are Mr R. A. Kerr (Auckland), a former Principal of the Auckland Technical Institute; Mr W. A. Fox

(Wellington), a former Minister of Housing, and Mr J. M. Conradson (Dunedin), a solicitor. The formula to assist the boards is not a rigid one, such as appears in the Tenancy Act. 1955. The fixing of the rent on a dwelling house will depend on the locality of the premises, the standard of accommodation, other rentals charged locally and the value of the premises as a dwelling house, not the value of the property in terms of commercial, industrial or other purpose. This will enable boards to make “common-sense decisions,” which will take into account all the circumstances, other than purely personal, applying to the letting of a house. I If the equitable rent fixed: by the boards exceeds the | rent being paid under the; tenancy for the period in which the assessment is in force, a landlord may increase his rent to the amount not exceeding the equitable rent. If the rent fixed by the board is less than the rent payable under the tenancy, the landlord must reduce his rent to the amount not exceeding the equitable rent. A landlord may apply for an assessment of a dwelling house, even though the premises is not being let. Every assessment of rent made by a board will continue in force for 12 months

■or for a lesser period if the board decides for special reasons. Any money paid for rent which has subsequently been found to be more than equitable can be recovered by the [tenant at any time within 12 months after the date of payment, as a debt due to the tenant. The act makes it an offence for a landlord to determine a tenancy or evict a tenant because the tenant applies for [a rent assessment, or where [the tenant has started action [for the recovery of excess rent or bond. A limit has [ been placed on the amount of [rent in advance and bond that can be stipulated by a landlord. Under the act it will be an offence for any person to refuse to let a dwelling house on the ground that it is intended that a child will live in the dwelling.