Inspectors were left "disappointed" after finding "significant non-compliance" with rental standards during visits to boarding houses across Auckland last month.
Investigators from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), joined by Auckland Council and Fire and Emergency NZ, inspected 15 propertiues in south and central Auckland as part of a three-day operation to check for compliance with the law.
Brett Wilson, national manager of the Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team at MBIE, said inspectors found "significant non-compliance" with the law and maintenance issues at most of the properties visited.
Wilson said the issues mainly involved structural upkeep of the properties, "such as doors, windows and guttering, as well as the condition of kitchens and bathroom facilities".
Photos shared by MBIE showed one property with broken cladding behind an occupied unit, and another with a water-damaged prefab shower room attached to the main property.
One property had a water-damaged shower and an extractor fan attached to a wooden board. Poor drainage had caused water to pool on the floor of another property's bathroom.
Properties also showed signs of poor repairs and damaged guttering.
“These properties will require moderate to extensive repairs to bring them up to the required standard," Wilson said.
One landlord disputed that their property was subject to the law and asked inspectors to leave.
Despite this, MBIE, the Council and FENZ all noted the majority of landlords were "very accommodating during the inspections".
"These targeted visits were an opportunity to assess compliance at a selection of properties, including some that were previously assessed as meeting the standards."
He said it was important that boarding houses met healthy homes standards, as tenants are "typically among the most vulnerable" and lacked knowledge of the law.
The Ministry would continue to work with landlords to assess issues identified during the visits and assured it had the right to "take further enforcement action if these issues are not addressed".
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