Tamaki Regeneration Company prepares for transfer of 2800 state houses

Thursday, 24 March 2016

One of the largest transfers of state houses to a social housing provider is about to take place in Auckland.

In April 2015 the Government controversially announced it would be transferring the ownership and management of 2800 states houses to the Tamaki Regeneration Company (TRC).

The decision means that from April 1 state housing tenants living in the suburbs of Glen Innes, Pt England and Panmure will have a new landlord.

TRC, previously known as the Tamaki Redevelopment Company, is a joint venture between the Government and the Auckland Council.

Following the transfer TRC will manage the housing and tenants through its Tamaki Housing division.

Neil Porteous, Tamaki Housing general manager, says the organisation has been busy handing out information packs to tenants.

He says Tamaki Housing will be employing 15 tenancy managers for the area, while under Housing New Zealand only eight were employed.

'Tamaki Housing tenancy managers will have smaller portfolios of properties to manage which will allow them to spend more time in the community engaging with the customer.'

Porteous says six out of the eight Housing NZ tenancy managers who are currently working in the area have agreed to join Tamaki Housing.

For most tenants the transfer will be seamless, Porteous says, and some tenants will have to change their rent payments. Those affected have been sent a letter with information.

Glen Innes housing lobbyist Sue Henry says she's spoken to many tenants who are concerned about the transfer.

'A lot of tenants are really concerned that their Housing New Zealand files with personal health details and confidential information will be handed over.

'I mean, we do not even know if TRC is subject to the Privacy Act or the Official Information Act.

'It is like a bad April Fools' joke to me,' Henry says.

Porteous says information relating to the provision of tenancy management and property management services will be transferred over.

'Any information held by Housing NZ which does not meet this criteria is not being transferred,' he says.