SCARCITY OF HOUSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17145, 26 April 1919, Page 11

SCARCITY OF HOUSES.

PROBLEM IN AUCKLAND. DEMAND EXCEEDS SUPPLY. POSITION GROWS ACUTE. No. I. Houses are so scarce in Auckland that the position is acute. It is, indeed, difficult to see how it is to be prevented from becoming actually serious unless Government or municipal action is taken, The chief shortage is for houses to let, tout the supply of dwellings for sale is 'likewise very limited. Not only the cot;tage of four or five rooms, but the more pretentious house' of six or seven rooms is almost impossible to obtain. According to land and estate agents, the ■present situation is unique. Some of them declare that never in the history of the city has the demand for residences so greatly exceeded the supply. The City Council was advised by certain firms of land agents three or four months ago that there were then plenty -of houses available suitable for the workers. For that reason the council shelved a scheme it had under consideration for the erection of workers' homos. Its advisers on that occasion pointed out, however, that, with the return from abroad of the soldiers, the position would •become more acute. To-day these same ■firms are justified in their prognostics.tion. They are finding that their -counters are daily besieged by scores of "house-hunters, many of whom are willing to pa}' more rent than tenants in possession, are paying, and numbers of whom would willingly pay a premium to anyone finding them an empty dwelling. Small houses, which were " hanging fire" on their books when they advised the City Council of the then position, havo now all been snapped up, and the more acute position that was anticipated has come about.

Sale of Many Properties. All houses op to a weekly rental of £1 .are in demand, yet the agents declare •that for periods varying from six weeks to two months they have had none to •offer to their clients. During the war period many people placed houses they • owned in the hands of agents to let., Now owners of properties do not need the help of the agents. Their houses are the most disposable things imaginable. They are scarcely empty before they ere applied for by someone else. One firm has at present nearly 200 people on its books awaiting word of houses to let. Of •course, one result of this state of affaire as that many people have been induced •.to buy houses when they can, and several ;are changing hands on the paymrat of i small deposits. This is not relieving the .situation, however, for in most cases the houses so purchased have resident tenants, who, on being required to vacate the premises, simply join the large army of home-seekers outside.

Some of those who a/o having rented bouses sold over their heads hare had to bay others on the best terms they could make. This has caused a great demand for dwellings purchasable on the payment of a deposit of £50 or £100. Naturally it is not everyone who can put down even ••the smaller amount. Many of the tenants 'have just been able to pay their re/its, and have not been in a position to lay aside savings against the day when they ; should find themselvts without a root over their heads. Fewer still have the capital available to purchase a house outright. -Another difficulty is that tenants, on taking other houses, after being required to leave their former ones, have to run the risk of those also being sold to people with the necessary cash to invest which they themselves lack. ;

Soldiers and Families Seeking Homes. In c-;• <••>«, tie owners of houses ftre :not display i..j r-v keen desire to sell, unles3 they are »-.:< >« v i;? to move away from Auckland, or haw ■.; :o other good reason. The return of the soldiers is makV-> the ! situation more and more acute, In nuu.cr- j ous cases the wives of men going away , gave vo their homes and went to live with friends on the house-sharing plan. Others migrated to the various boardinghouses. New that the husbands are coming back from the war the natural result is that they and their families want to reinstate themselves in another home of their own. Their ranks are swelled by many men who, before the war, were engaged in farming, but who have returned incapacitsd for that occupation, and are, in consequence, seeking residences in the ■city or suburbs. The houses the city dwellers left empty have long ago been taken by new tenants, and none of these are prepared to give them up again. Several soldiers in this position have been searching day after day, and night after night, for weeks past, for somewhere tc ■make a new home. Very few of them have been fortunate enough to find what they wanii. A certain number of the soldiers have •been provided with houses by the Government or the Repatriation Board, but here again it lias simply been a case of turning •cut tenants who in turn have to commence the search for a place in which to live. In short, for nearly every person who secures a house to-day, another person and his family are deprived of theirs. Tendency of Bents and Land Values. Nor is even this process being found too simple. Many house-owners who before the war would have been content with £50 deposit on a house are demanding as much as £150 and £200 to-day, particularly in cases where the Government is the buyer on behalf of a soldier. The consequence is that several would-be purchasers •cannot afford the terms asked. The reason given for the higher deposits required is the increased costs of balding material. This must be faced by people who sell and build anew. Rents have not increased to a great extent in the last few years. In the case of the small house tbe rise is to £1, from 15s before the war. .That may be taken as the average, although in numerous cases, especially in regard to larger bouses, the tendency has been rather the other way. Just now there is a grave danger that the competition for house property may lead to increased rentals. When peopie are willing to give more than the tenant in possession for a house it is hardly to be •expected that many landlords are going to reject the offer. The price of land, comparing it with pre-war times, has not reached an enhanced value. As a matter of fact, the men who bought sections before the war would probably be very glad to get their money back for them to-day. Landlords Averse to Building Cottages. One reason why houses are so scarce is that landlords have been badly treated by unscrupulous tenants. This has caused them to consider it not worth while to build cottages for letting purposes. Cases are reported of tenants of such dwellings who have taken off the wainscotting and parts oi the mantel-pieces, etc., and used them for firewood. The thing seems scarry credible, yet it is vouched for on unimpeachable authority. Not only that, but some of tenants have gone so far as to chop the timber so torn down on the hearths of the houses they rent. Others have pulled down fences, broken windows, and left the places in a deplorably dirty state. The result of this is that landlords are frequently called upon to spend a good deal cf money in putting places to rights which were perfectly clean and in good order before their tenants went in. It is also contended for the landlords that the law is unfairly balanced against them in favour of tl.e tenants. In many of the poorer quarters, if a man will not pay his rent the landlord cannot put the bailiffs in. because the law says he must leave £50 worth of furniture in the house, and there is not £50 worth to leave. If the landlord did distrain under such circumstances he wejoJ4 bft liable to an action for