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.")

Loopholes for Landlords

The regulations provide that in any case where the rent has been increased since March 31 1972 the tenant or someone on his behalf may apply to the rent review authority, for a determination as to whether the increase has been justified. But the landlord gets over this by evicting the old tenant and putting the rent up for the new tenant who has no way of checking what the old rent was.

There have been only 208 appeals to the authority since they were introduced and most of them have been instigated by members of TPA. Of those appeals lodged, many have been rejected, there have been no prosecutions and only 50 have been determined"

Easy Victims

Maoris and Islanders are easy victims for unscrupulous landlords. They are charged huge rents and often have little knowledge of their legal rights. One family in Newtown (Samoans who have been in NZ six months) rented a three bedroom unfurnished house for $38 Per week. They signed a three page lease that included two clauses giving the landlord power to throw them out after 3 days if they had anything to do with the rent strike or any person associated with it, and power to throw them out within seven days if they got one day behind in the rent. This clause also gave the right to seize their belongings. This family has little English, no knowledge of the law and didn't understand what they were signing. The landlord extorted from them $174 before they could move in. They were $60 short for the bond so they are paying it off at $10 a week.

Is this what Kirk meant when he said on election night "We will look after the little people"?

The "little people" are getting very angry, Mr Kirk.