Chch tenants’ assn busy

Press, 17 December 1982, Page 8

Chch tenants’ assn busy

The end-of-term exodus of students from Christchurch created extra work for the Tenants’ Protection Association last month.

A spokesman for the association, Mr Robert Buchanan, said that it had had 42 inquiries from tenants about the non-repay-ment of bond money, more than half of them involving “substantial • disputes.” Five tenants had been

advised to take their grievances to the Small Claims Court, he said. Landlords had in most cases refused to return the

bond money because the premises had been damaged by the tenants, many of whom claimed they were entitled to repayment because the damage was no more than normal wear and tear.

The total number of inquiries received in November exceeded 200, Mr Buchanan said. Those concerning breaches of the rent freeze had been referred to the Housing Corporation which administered the regulations.

Notices to quit had accounted for 42 calls and eviction notices for 21, 12 of which were found by the association to be invalid, he said. The tenants were advised to ignore them.