Rent Restrictions Act

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 4, 29 September 1939, Page 11

Rent Restrictions Act

Sir —As there are amendments now being made to the Rent Restrictions Act, might I bring to the Governments notice the great injustice and hardship that this Act has placed upon some unfortunate owners, of which the following is a typical case: — The owner of a State Advances house who had voluntarily vacated the property in order to let the State manage it, found that his house was leased to a large family toward the latter portion of the depression. The rent obtainable at that time was 2/6 a week short of the actual outgoings. Just as the lease was up the above-mentioned Act came into •force, and the State Advances, having made no move to terminate the lea’A continued to let the tenants have the property. The result is that instead of the property being now allowed to pay its wav (which it could more than easily do if the Act was not in force) the owner is instead being saddled with added debts by mounting arrears. The tenants of the property are at present bringing iuto the home a considerable sum in wages between them, and the injustice of it all is that the owner, besides losing on the proposition, is being burdened with debts that the tenants should meet--viz., a reasonable rent. In fact, they are living on the property at the owner’s expense. Besides the abovementioned loss the owner has to meet increased rates and do all repairs, etc. I think that the Government should immediately amend the Act so that unfortunate owners who can prove that the rent is insufficient to meet the out goings be allowed to increase the rem to cover same, which should also in elude a small allowance for upkeep.— I am, etc., „. . T . "FAIR DEAL.