"NO CHILDREN"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2922, 7 November 1916, Page 5

"NO CHILDREN"

THE LANDLORD AND THE PARENT.

"I have tried to' rent several houses 3iere," writes, a Wellington woman, "and, the; people have almost always asked me how I thought I could get a house if I had a family of young children." Some Wellington landlords, if they are to he judged by their advertisements, do not like to have children in their dwellings. "No children'' and "adults only" are stipulations -that fire often added to-the announcements of houses and flats.to let, and parents complain that an additional burden is thus placed upon them.

Speaking -to a Dominion reporter on this subject yesterday, ; a Wellington house agent 'said there' was nothing new about the ."no children" • rule, though its application'seemed to have extended of late. The landlord who had recently renovated a house for letting purposes preferred to find adult tenants, since, he knew from experience that children spelled depreciation. This was particularly the case with furnislir cd houses, which were let more, frequently in . Wellington than in other centres. Sentimental.considerations did not count at all in th© matter, and it seemed scarcely fair to' ask the individual landlord, to regard his own business from, a .national standnoint.

"It is-the old story," added the agent, "There is a shortage of houses in Wellington.particularly'a shortage of Rood houses, and the man who has a house to let can choose his tenant .in most rases. A stipulation regarding children as seldom made in the ens? of ordinary houses.. But if a', dwelling is expensively decorated, or well furnished, the owner is likely to look for. an adult family- to occupy it. Look- at the advertisements in this Christchurch newspaper. Seven-roomed house, 17s. 6d. par week; five-roomed bungalow, with quarter acre, 205.; four-roonied cottage, 9s. 5 and so on. There are houses to spare there, and no. honest tenant will ne turned aside on account of his children. But the position in Wellington, unfortunately,! is very different."