RAW THE RENT

NZ Truth, 5 October 1918, Page 2

RAW THE RENT

Church Trustees as Landlords

(From "Truth's" Christchurch Rep.)

From what "Truth" knows of landlords, it is not surprising to hear of instances where a greedy-grab-all attitude is adopted, but few would be prepared to learn of church trustees doing the same. Yet this is just what has taken place m Christchurch, and "Truth" is inclined to think that the same trustees have over-stepped the mark. The Church Property Trustees m Christchurch, a coz'porate body, is the fortunate possessor of much property, . and, like all church property, is ■ ' '-■■-; v^FREE OF RATES. ;.-A Included m the possessions are. several houses, arid those concerned at present are situate m Kilmore-street. :i ; As houses go the dwellings are ' passably good, but they are by no means modern residences, which suggests they ■ are of long standing. Recently the tenants, or perhaps it would be more correct to say some of them, received notice that from. September the rentals- would be increased, in' one case the increase being from £4 11s 8d per month to' £5 6s Sd. As the increase would benefit no particular individual, the houses being church property, the step taken appears to be, to say the least, a grasping one. But "Truth" is not concerned with the business instincts of the trustees. The point is whether the step taken is legal or not, and this paper is inclined to the latter view. Now, even if the rent previously paid was not "equal to 8 per cent, of the value of the property, there can be no increase ..'unless a valuation is made to the satisfaction of the tenant, or structural alterations, to the dwellinghave been made. |3o far as can be learned there have been neither alterations nor a valuation, but on the other hand the properties have been put up for sale •■by.., auctipn and passed m, which fact puts a lower estimate of their worth than is held by the trustees. A "Truth" rep. ' interviewed the secretary of the trustees, Mr. Smith, last week, and that gentleman ADMITTED THE INCREASES m the rents, and opined that the cause of poor bidding for the properties when offered at auction was the low rentals being paid. Maybe Mr. Smith is right, maybe he is wrong, but what "Truth" would like to know is whether the Church Property Trustees of Christchurch are within their rights m raising the rentals of properties m Kil-more-street? In any case, the attitude adopted is hardly likely to receive favor from the public.