STATE HOUSES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 36, 11 August 1937, Page 12

STATE HOUSES

BALLOT COMPLETED

WELLINGTON DWELLINGS

NEW TENANCY FORM

The 380 houses included in the first contracts are now well advanced in construction under the Government's housing scheme at Miramar, Lower Hutt, and Johnsonville. A ballot has been held in the office- of the State Advances Corporation and the result will be .forwarded without delay to all applicants, aggregating over 2000. "It is only right in view of the great demand for these State houses that all the applicants, whether successful or not, should be notified," said the Acting Minister of, Finance (the Hon. P. Fraser) today. "It is expected that the first group of houses at Miramar will be ready for occupation in the course of the next two or three weeks. As the succeeding deliveries are about to be made available by the contractors, the State Advances Corporation, as early as practic -hie, will advise the tenants successful in the ballot for the particular groups, so as to enable them to terminate their existing tenancies and otherwise complete arrangements for their early occupation." ADMISSION TO OCCUPATION. The Minister said it would be understood that admission to occupation of all the houses would extend over some little time, ,this depending upon the rate of delivery by the several contractors of the completed house units under their respective contracts. "It- is not necessary for applicants who have lodged applications for State rental houses to renew their applications for subsequent ballots," continued Mr. Fraser. "The State Advances Corporation has already arranged to bring forward all such applications again when any further ballots are to be taken for houses in the locality applied for. "A new standard form of tenancy acknowledgment is to be used," added the Minister. "The acknowledgment is in book form and has been based largely on a similar production in use by the London County Council, but adapted to suit New Zealand conditions. Each tenant will be required to complete this tenancy acknowledgment before entering into possession of the premises drawn at the ballot. "The acknowledgment itself is an interesting departure from the usual type of tenancy agreement used between landlord and tenant. Not only does it set out fully the conditions of the tenancy in a form that can be readily understood, but it also offers advice to the tenant on general matters pertaining to the care of the house, grounds, and so on, and it is hoped will prove of much assistance to the. tenant in the enjoyment of his home and to the Corporation in the management of the State asset." OVER 2000 APPLICATIONS. The Minister .referred to the' fact that over 2000 applications for State rental houses had been received and dealt with by the Corporation for the houses now being erected at Miramar, Lower Hutt, and Johnsonville. As recently announced, a contract for an additional five houses at Johnsonville had been let. Tenders would be called as soon as possible for the erection of houses on land recently acquired by the State at Waterloo, Lower Hutt.