14 March 2025
Hone
[FYI request #29962 email]
Kia ora Hone
Thank you for your Official Information Act request of 3 February 2025 to Kainga Ora – Homes and
Communities, via the FYI.org.nz website, seeking the following information:
1. The number of complaints received about Homes and Communities tenants in the
Owairaka and Mt Albert suburbs of Auckland, broken down by month, over the 12 months
to the end of January 2025. Please categorise the complaints by their nature.
2. The number of complaints in the same area and period that resulted in a formal warning
being issued to a tenant.
3. The number of complaints in the same area and period that led to the eviction of a tenant.
Kāinga Ora is the country’s largest social housing landlord with over 76,000 properties providing
homes to about 190,000 New Zealanders, most of whom are good neighbours and members of
their community. We only receive concerns about a very small proportion of the people who live in
our homes. The complaints raised with us are mostly about minor things that are common sources
of tension between neighbours across the country, such as noisy cars or loud music.
We also get complaints raised with us about more serious things which we consider disruptive
behaviour. A range of things fall under this category, including behaviour that is aggressive,
threatening or intimidating to neighbours, other tenants, or Kāinga Ora staff. We have interpreted
your question as relating to disruptive behaviour of this nature.
Please find out response to your questions below:
1. The number of complaints received about Homes and Communities tenants in Owairaka
and Mt Albert suburbs of Auckland, broken down by month, over the 12 months to end
of January 2025. Please categorise the complaints by their nature.
You have requested information about the number of complaints received about tenancies in
Owairaka and Mt Albert. We note that Owairaka is not a listed suburb in New Zealand address
records. Instead, addresses in this area are listed as being within Mt Albert, which is how they are
reflected in our records. As a result, we provide complaints data about tenancies in Mt Albert,
which includes Owairaka data.
Between February 2024 and January 2025 (inclusive), Kāinga Ora received 118 serious disruptive
behaviour complaints regarding tenancies in Mount Albert, Auckland.
Please note that some of these concerns were later found to have no merit, did not require any
action by us as a landlord, were duplicates or were later withdrawn.
Please find the following breakdown:
Complaints received
Month
Alleged Alleged
Alleged
Alleged
Harassment And
Illegal
Threatening
Verbal Tota
Intimidation Activity
Behaviour
Abuse
l
February 2024
1
1
4
6
March 2024
1
4
3
2
10
April 2024
4
1
6
1
12
May 2024
2
1
3
1
7
June 2024
4
1
2
1
8
July 2024
2
6
1
9
August 2024
4
3
2
9
September 2024
1
1
4
2
8
October 2024
2
2
3
7
November 2024
3
2
6
1
12
December 2024
5
1
3
6
15
January 2025
3
2
7
3
15
Total
32
16
50
20 118
When there are allegations of criminal activity, that is a matter for police. In those situations, we
work closely with agencies as required and take action as a landlord where appropriate, in keeping
with the Residential Tenancies Act.
2. The number of complaints in the same area and period that resulted in a formal warning
being issued to a tenant.
We can make it clear to tenants that their behaviour is unacceptable, and their tenancy is at risk by
issuing a Section 55A notice under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). If a tenant receives three
Section 55A notices within a 90-day period, then we will apply to the Tenancy Tribunal to end their
tenancy.
There are specific requirements in the RTA that must be met in order to issue a notice to a tenant –
this includes ensuring there is evidence of the disruptive behaviour and that the behaviour can be
clearly linked to the either the tenant or someone at the home with their permission.
Between February 2024 and January 2025 (inclusive), Kāinga Ora issued 27 Section 55A notices
to Kāinga Ora tenants following a complaint during the same period. Our experience shows that
after receiving a notice, tenants typically decide to change their behaviour so further notices are
not required.
3. The number of complaints in the same area and period that led to the eviction of a tenant.
Over this period, Kāinga Ora also introduced a new disruptive behaviour policy which implemented
a new approach to managing tenancies and strengthened our approach to disruptive behaviour.
This includes making earlier and more frequent use of the tools available under the RTA to
encourage behaviour change and provide a clear deterrent for disruptive behaviour.
Where disruptive behaviour is persistent or creates a significant safety issue, Kāinga Ora will apply
to the Tenancy Tribunal to terminate the tenancy, and we will not provide the tenant with another
home. Over the last 12 months, there were three tenancies in the Mount Albert area that were
terminated due to disruptive behaviour following a complaint within the same period.
Eviction is a specific process involving the Tenancy Tribunal and District Court, which only happens
if a person refuses to leave the property after the tenancy has ended. There have been no
evictions for Kainga Ora tenancies in Mount Albert during the period.
Please note that Kāinga Ora proactively releases our responses to official information requests
where possible. Our response to your request may be published at
https://kaingaora.govt.nz/publications/official-information-requests/ with your personal information
removed.
I trust this information is helpful.
Kind regards
p.p Rachel Kelly
Manager, Government Services
