Rent for Longer and Bring Your Pet with You
Illustration by Context Architects of some of the long-term rental housing currently under construction at Hobsonville Point. Image / Supplied
Nestled among the 208 "affordable homes" being built in Hobsonville Point, several will be available for families to rent for up to seven years, with the potential to bring their family pet.
A housing consortium has developed a rental model to offer young families greater security, dedicating a quarter of the development—47 houses—for long-term rental.
Insecurity of tenure was a major theme highlighted in the People's Review of Renting released today. New Ground Capital managing director Roy Thompson stated that the project aims to alleviate some of these concerns.
"The New Ground Living long-term model recognizes that 50 percent of Auckland households are renting older homes, often with poor terms and little or no security of tenure."
Once built, the rentals, a mix of apartments and standalone homes, will offer leases of up to seven years. Rents will be set at market rates for the first year, adjusted by inflation for the following two years, and reset to the market rate every third anniversary.
North Shore mum Monique Hiskens, 23, says she'd move to Hobsonville in "a heartbeat" if it meant she knew the home would be hers for the next few years. Photo / Doug Sherring
The stability provided by this rental model is particularly beneficial to families with young children, ensuring security of tenure and stability in schooling.
"In doing so, these families will be able to make their house their home," Thompson said.
Managed by New Ground Living, the properties also allow tenants to bring their pets and modify the home with prior approval.
"Of course, it's not always possible to accommodate every request, but our starting position is 'let's see if we can say yes'."
Monique Hiskens, 23, a single mum living in a rental property on the North Shore, expressed her frustration with the lack of security.
An open-ended lease means she is reluctant to invest too much into the house or garden, fearing a 90-day notice could end her tenancy at any point.
"I hate the feeling of loving looking after my house, but knowing that could come to an end at any point," she said.
"My daughter and I love gardening, but I don't feel confident investing in seedlings because we could be out in the next 90 days."
Hiskens, studying full-time while working part-time in the mental health sector, said she'd move to Hobsonville in "a heartbeat" if it meant securing a home for the next few years. The option to have a pet also appealed to her, allowing her daughter's father and the family dog to visit more often.
"Not being able to bring animals over makes things difficult and has definitely influenced how easy it is for us to spend time together."
The housing project, developed in conjunction with New Ground Capital, NZ Super Fund, and Ngai Tahu Property (the development manager), expects the first homes to be built later this year and ready by 2018.
Originally published in the NZ Herald