THE HOUSING PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 263, 31 July 1920, Page 7

THE HOUSING PROBLEM

JUSTICE FOR THE LANDLORD. A houso and land agent of many years' standing in the city has offered a new point of view in respect to the Rent Resection Act, which discloses cases of absolute hardship to the landlord. - "Ono of my clients is an old man, who, as the result of hard work, has been able... to purchase two or three small houses, as an investment for his declining years,' said the estate agent. "He, like everyone else, has been hit by the cost of living; ho finds the cost of repair work trebled; an increase in the rates - last year and this; and yet ho is prevented from getting a few extra shillings per week out of Jiis houses. I say that this sort of thing is a real hardship, and iustico is' not being done such people. J have had a very long and close experience with Wellington properties, and I 6ay freely and frankly that the congested state of the houses is not the fault of tho landlord, but of the '.enant, who, in many cases that could be mentioned, packs up every room with sub-tenants, and not only often lives rent free, but makes a Eood incomo out of it. let is is such people who are being protected and it is such people who have brought about the stale of things complained of by tho Rentpayere' Association to tho Prime Minister. "Another easo I could mention is a particularly hard one. A client of mine has tried hard to remove a tenant out of a suburban houso of his. This man nnd his family have knocked the place about, and actually gone as far as to burn part of the fittings for firewood, vet, as he has a largo family, it has been up to tho present impossible to shift Wm. The owner wishes to preeervo his property, and wants to put it in repair, but cannot do so with such a tenant in possession, and all the time tho rates are Koing up. It is snrcly a case of justice for all-even to the harassed landlord, who -has put his good money iui':o tho property." ■