RAISED RENT

NZ Truth, Issue 604, 13 January 1917, Page 6

RAISED RENT

A Case Under the War Regulations Ladd Goes to Law And Asks the Reason Why A case, the first of its kind to be tried m New Zealand, was heard before Mr. W.-G. Riddell, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, on Friday, December 22, 1916, w f hen T. G. Ladd, a waterside worker, applied ,under the War Legislation Amendment Act, 1916, to have; the capital valuation' of a house situated at No. .5 Lmdrum,terrace,' determined. The owners were Messrs. George Winder, Robert Pearson and _Frank Wills. The applicant was represented by Mr. D. G. Hoggard, and the owners were represented 'by Mr. T. W. Hislop. • Mr. Hoggard said that Mr. Ladd was the tenant, and, up till recently, he had paid a weekly rental of 25s per week. The Government valuation showed it to be assessed at £510. That was m March, 1913. The Act provided that the rental must not exceed 8 per cent on the capital value, which would amount to £40 16s per annum. Mr. Ladd, however, had : BEEN PAYING £65 PER ANNUM, which sum amounted to 11! per cent, on the capital value. On October 6 his client received a letter from the agents announcing that the rent would be raised from that amount to 32s 6d and, subsequently, it was raised to 355. Mr. Ladd,, being unaware of the provisions of the Act, had paid the rent demanded. Afterwards he became aware of the provisions of the Act and refused to pay the, increased rate any longer, as that amounted to, approximately, 15% per cent; on the capital value. He produced evidence to prove that, to put; the house m a proper state of repair it would take about £150. Robert Pearson; one of the owners, said that he had never consented to sell the house (which was one- of three) under £1000. He valued it at about £1150, and for the three he was, not willing to take less than £3000. The mortgage on the three houses amounted to £1650. ' > . ; : In answer to /the magistrate as to his KNOWLEDGE OF THE x REGULATIONS, the witness said that he thought that 30s per week was a fair rental. To Mr. Hoggard: The syndicate for which Mr. Winder and Mr, Pearson were the' trustees had become possess^' ed of the property from a man residing at Taw 4 Flat from whom they had bought it but he could not remember the name of the man. After some further discussion it was arranged to adjourn the case so as to allow of the court appointing a valuer and to hear the evidence of the syndicate. In the meantime the tenant was to pay rental at the original sum —26s per week.