How is the Council using its rights under the Public Health Act to inspect rental housing properties?

Aaron Packard made this Official Information request to Queenstown-Lakes District Council

The request was successful.

From: Aaron Packard

Dear Queenstown-Lakes District Council,

Last month, the Wellington City Council tabled a report* looking into the powers that the council has to inspect and report on unsanitary or unhealthy housing. The report showed that the Council has significantly stronger powers to enforce healthy and sanitary housing that it had been aware of or was practising. These powers are applicable to all local, unitary and district councils. You can read the legislative basis for these powers in the appendix below.
Renters United is a national organisation of renters campaigning to improve conditions for all renters in Aotearoa. We are concerned that many councils around the country are not adequately using their powers to ensure housing is healthy and sanitary, particularly private rental housing.
We write to request the following information under the Local Government Information and Meetings Act 1987:
1. In the past five years, how many times has the Council used their rights under the Public Health Act to inspect rental housing properties?
2. In the past five years, how many times has the Council exercised its powers to issue a repair or closure notice to landlords whose properties do not meet the Housing Improvement Regulations?
3. How do you identify which rental housing properties to inspect under the Public Health Act?
4. What is the process for tenants to request the Council inspect their rental housing property under the Public Health Act and provide a written report on its condition?
5. What information is available on your website or in your publications on rental housing inspections provided by the Council?
6. What is your process for engaging with the Tenancy Tribunal to provide reports on the rental housing inspections you conduct?
We look forward to hearing from you as soon as reasonably practicable.
Thank you.

Aaron Packard
Renters United Organiser
027 3519994

Appendix:

The legislative basis
The Housing Improvement Regulations 1947, originally made under the Housing Improvement Act 1945, are now in force under the Health Act 1956 (s120c). These regulations require that, for example, housing is free from dampness, fitted with an approved form of heating, provided with sufficient windows, provided with a toilet, and that rooms are of a minimum size. Many of these regulations are encompassed in more recent legislation, including under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 and the Residential Tenancies Act (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019. Under the Health Act 1956, local bodies are directed and empowered to enforce the regulations in their district (s23d). If housing does not comply with the Housing Improvement Regulations, local bodies can issue a repair notice or a closure notice**. The council’s public health team should inspect properties upon request and provide a written report for tenants or the Tenancy Tribunal on their observations of the state of the property.

*Wellington City Council, ‘Safety of Housing in Wellington’, in Ordinary Meeting of Strategy and Policy Committee, 2020, pp. 245–52 (p. 251) <https://wellington.govt.nz/~/media/your-...>.
**Barry Barton, ‘A Warm and Dry Place to Live: Energy Efficiency and Rental Accommodation’, Canterbury Law Review, 19 (2013), 1–25 (pp. 10–13).

Link to this

From: QLDC Services
Queenstown-Lakes District Council

Thank you for your email.

 

Should your enquiry be urgent, please phone Queenstown 03 441 0499 or
Wanaka 03 443 0024.

 

Kind Regards,

 

The QLDC Customer Services Team

Link to this

From: Information Request
Queenstown-Lakes District Council


Attachment image001.png
3K Download

Attachment image006.png
33K Download

Attachment Acknowledgement letter PACKARD A.pdf
460K Download View as HTML


Mōrena Aaron,

 

Thanks for your information request. See attached letter.

 

I’ll be in touch once I’ve sourced the information.

 

Ngā mihi,

Poonam

 

 

Poonam Sethi  [1]Description:
| Governance cid:image003.png@01CEA7D7.20704940
and Official
Information

Advisor | Chief
Executive’s
Office

Queenstown
Lakes District
Council

P: +64 3 450
0379

 

[2]A picture containing drawing Description automatically generated

P  Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail 

 

 

show quoted sections

Link to this

From: Information Request
Queenstown-Lakes District Council


Attachment image001.png
3K Download

Attachment image002.png
33K Download

Attachment image003.png
9K Download

Attachment LGOIMA response PACKARD A.pdf
615K Download View as HTML


Mōrena Aaron,

 

Please see our attached response to your information request.

 

Regards,

Maddy

 

 

Maddy Patterson | Senior
Governance and Official
Information Advisor
Chief Executive’s Office |
Queenstown Lakes District
Council

DD: +64 3 450 1738
[2]QLDC-Logo_CMYK_Blue[3]www.qldc.govt.nz
E:
[1][email address]

 

Please note that my days of
work are: Mondays, Wednesdays
and Thursday mornings.

 

P  Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail 

 

 

 

 

From: Information Request
Sent: Wednesday, 16 September 2020 9:25 AM
To: [FOI #13809 email]
Subject: RE: Official Information request - How is the Council using its
rights under the Public Health Act to inspect rental housing properties?
[#E62DB]

 

Mōrena Aaron,

 

Thanks for your information request. See attached letter.

 

I’ll be in touch once I’ve sourced the information.

 

Ngā mihi,

Poonam

 

 

Poonam [4]Description:
Sethi | cid:image003.png@01CEA7D7.20704940
Governance
and
Official
Information

Advisor |
Chief
Executive’s
Office

Queenstown
Lakes
District
Council

P: +64 3
450 0379

 

[5]A picture containing drawing Description automatically generated

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

 

 

show quoted sections

Link to this

Things to do with this request

Anyone:
Queenstown-Lakes District Council only: