Green Party pledges landlord register, rent control measures

A national register of landlords, a limit on rent increases and an acceleration of public housing builds.

Those are among what the Green Party calls a "pledge to renters", with one co-leader saying housing was a "get rich scheme for a lucky few" and a "source of misery" for hundreds of thousands.

Announcing the election policy in central Wellington today, the party pledged that, in the first 100 days of a new government, it would introduce a Renters' Rights Bill, aimed at ensuring "everyone who rents always has a safe, healthy and affordable place to call home".

Green co-leader Marama Davidson said the rental market more closely resembled "a game of Monopoly than a public good".

"It is landlords who hold all the cards.

"For far too long, inaction by successive governments has forced thousands of people to pay through the roof to live in cold, damp, and unhealthy homes that are making them sick.

“This didn’t happen by accident. It is the consequence of decisions made by successive Governments. These decisions are disproportionately hurting the 1.4 million New Zealanders who rent in this country."

She said in government, the Greens would "take action to guarantee people’s rent is always fair and affordable, and homes are warm, dry and healthy".

"We will build thousands of new affordable, environmentally-friendly homes in the places where people want to live."

She said while other political parties may make pitches to improve housing in New Zealand, they would only "tinker around the edges of the problem".

The Green Party would take "bold action" to fix it, she said.

“The solutions are as clear as they have always been, controls on rent increases, a rental warrant of fitness, and thousands more new homes.

“In the first 100 days of a new government, we will introduce a new Renters’ Rights Bill to give effect to these changes."

She said the announcement was the second part of the party's plan to "end poverty in Aotearoa".

“The Income Guarantee will ensure no one's income ever falls below $385 per week after tax, and the Pledge to Renters will give everyone a decent place to live."

She said combined, the policies would "lift every single person out of poverty".

“The Greens have spent years pushing for these changes, and we will keep fighting for the government we need to make it happen. The time is now to get more Green MPs into Parliament and more Green Ministers sitting around the Cabinet table."

Co-leader James Shaw said access to a warm, safe home was a human right, but had become a "get rich scheme for a lucky few" and a "source of misery and expense for hundreds of thousands".

“For decades, we have normalised a standard of housing in Aotearoa that is so bad it puts people‘s health at risk. Thousands of children are admitted to hospital each year for respiratory illnesses from living in damp, mouldy homes.

“Any party that stops short of promising to make everyone’s home healthy and affordable, is actively choosing to make life harder for thousands of people.

“Renters deserve better."

The Government estimates about 574,000 households rent in New Zealand, mostly from private landlords.

A Stuff report in 2021 stated that, based on MBIE data, in that year there were 120,330 bonds lodged, and of those landlords, the number who lodged one bond was 93,706, suggesting the vast majority of landlords owned one property.