Rental inquiries increase

Press, 18 November 1981, Page 6

Rental inquiries increase

The Christchurch Citizens Advice Bureau is receiving an increasing number of calls about rental housing problems, says the bureau’s publicity officer, Mrs Ruth Shaw. Many calls were made because tenants were suddenly asked to pay a greatly increased rent, for example, a rise from $35 to $6O, or from $3O to $5O, Mrs Shaw said. Sometimes there were several rises in rent in a short period, and often quite soon—six weeks or so—after the tenant had moved in. Eighteen calls in October were prompted by sudden and apparently unexpected notice to quit a flat or house. Many of these cases related to a change ip ownership of the building, the owner wishing to select his own tenants and charge an often justifiably higher rent, she said. Such cases presented particular problems for pensioners, young families, and tenants who might have lived in the building for some years.. - Christchurch bureau inter-

viewers who attended the recent national annual* meeting at Rotorua had found that these problems were showing up nationally, Mrs Shaw said. , Tenancy and accommodation inquiries were the third most popular for the month, accounting for 12 per cent of the total inquiries. Family

and marriage inquiries were first, accounting for 15.8 per cent, followed by legal inquiries, which accounted for 12.7 per cent. More than 76 per cent of inquiries were from women, 23 per cent from men, and 0.7 per cent from couples. Most were made by telephone and during the day.