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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 1. 28th February 1973

[Introduction]

A Report from the Tenants Protection Association

Many Tenants were conned into voting Labour last November by the promises of glib politicians. Kirk promised immediate and effective action against rack renting landlords and Fraser made noble and heartwarming speeches about the exploitation of tenants. Since Labour's victory, Kirk and his con-men have shown callous indifference to the plight of the tenants it pledged to assist. Rent review regulations have been introduced which are not only weak but farcical. They are worded so ambiguously and obscurely that even the bureaucrats in the Labour Department cannot agree on their inter-pretation.

For example, the regulations state that it is an offence for a landlord "to demand on account of rent in advance, or by way of "bond", more than the equivalent of one month's rent". According to a Labour Department clerk at the Hutt Office this means a landlord can charge one month's rent in advance, PLUS a bond. His counterpart at the Wellington office interprets the regulations to mean that the bond and rent com bined cannot exceed one month's rent. It is four and a half weeks rent. The regulations don't cover "administration fees" or key money. A landlord can charge $500 and be within the law. (If a tenant is silly enough to pay $500 key money he deserves every-thing he gets" said the Hutt Labour Department Spokesman, "think of it as an admission fee-like a sports club-you've got to consider the landlord too.")