LANDLORDS’ DIFFICULTIES

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1931, Page 9

LANDLORDS’ DIFFICULTIES

TENANTS WHO DO NOT PAY. LAW THE LAST RESORT. ' Following upon recent attempts to evict from houses tenants who are a good way behind with the rent, some inquiries were made of Wellington land agents regarding the present relationship between landlord and tenant. “Oh, this is the day of the tenant,” said one well-known agent to a representative of the Dominion. “Compared with two years ago, rents have gone down about 25 or 30 per cent, for houses, and in-some cases 50 per cent, for flats. It is simply a reflection _of the extraordinary time we are passing through. It must be admitted that the landlord had a pretty good innings while tlio house shortage prevailed in Wellington. It was a case of the old eternal law of supply and demand. Since the shortage has been made up, and even before the depression made itself manifest, rents were moving downward. . ,

“That nxovepxent has been acccntu 5 ated by the depression,” he continued, “Very jnixcji so, I am afraid, in many oases, and some landlords I know are having a . pretty rough spin through not being able to collect thejr rents at all. This has led to a good deal of trouble all round, and now and again the bailiffs have been kept busy trying to get some rent out of the tenants. The final recourse is an order of court for ejection. This is not often resorted to, as landlords, ae a class, do not care to go to such lengths, though tney are legally within their right in so doing. It has to be remembered that many elderly men rely on the rents of one or two houses to keep them going,; 'They hpve worked all their lives, and have Invested their money in houses as'ft provision against old age. Their investment is just as legitimate as that of the man who goes in for stocks and shares, pr the man who invests in goods for sale; and there is no reason why he should bo imposed upon any more than tradesmen. His stock-in-trade is a house or two. Why should people be allowed to use such places free of charge? They would not get goods of any kind free ■from others. Yet there are gome people in politics who lose no chance of abusing the landlord, and actually defend those who are paying no rent; yet that landlord lias still to . pay. the upkeep, rates, land tax, and income-tax on his properties.”

’“There are some cases that are amusing,” he continued. “I know of one landlord of a house in Island Bay, There was some £lB owing (on a reduced rent) and seeing no chance of getting anything out of the people, he made them a sporting offer. If they woxild vacate he would sign thejr rent book as having been paid up to date. He even went further by telling them where another- house could be secured, and then when they did not have the money to pay for the cartage of their furniture, he paid for it—anything to get them out without recourse to the courts.

“■Some people might blame that landlord, but was he to blame? He saw his means of livelihood drifting away from him altogether through a characteristic reluctance to exert the full power pf the law, and he simply took that means of endeavouring to regain it. There are hundreds of cases where landlords have been most tolerant and lenient; others, of course, where they are not.” ' '

“It has been suggested that in order to protect themselves a property-owners’ league should be formed, in order to secure some measure of proteetioiv-against a certain class of tenant who is taking advantage of the existing order of things. No one desires to be unjust under the present circumstances, but there must be a lijriit to which tenants impose upon indulgent landlords. “Aly experiences of tenants as a collector of rents is that there are two distinct classes; the honest tenant, who has paid his rent regularly for years, as his book shows, will, when up against it, lay all his cards on the table, and ask for leniency.' Invariably he get® it. Then there is the other class, who take a house, pay rent, for a couple of weeks, then gradually drop behind until they pay nothing. They stay on until it is made too hot for them, and then move on to some other house, and play the same game at the expense of someone else. There is a good deal of that sort of thing going on in Wellington just now and if a league were formed, such people could be listed.”