Free talk on rental rights

Tenants and property owners who are unclear on their rights are being encouraged to attend a free public information session this week.

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) Queenstown chairman Jon Bitcheno said the ski season traditionally attracted hundreds of would-be renters to the resort and the bureau wanted to ensure tenants and landlords knew their rights and responsibilities.

The information session with Invercargill-based tenancy resolution mediator May Morrison would tie in with the national Citizens Advice Bureau Awareness Week, which runs from today until Sunday.

Mr Bitcheno said, on average, CAB Queenstown dealt with almost 200 tenancy inquiries a year and figures showed the busiest months were April, June and September.

Some of the regular problems included disputes over rent payments, disagreements over damage and inspections and problems with repairs to the property.

''One of the most common problems we see is with flatmates who do not have a flatting agreement.

''While the tenants have a contract with the landlord, flatmates are in a much stronger position if they have a flatting agreement between themselves and the head tenant.

''We had a case of a person who moved into a flat, did not sign a flat-sharing agreement, handed over a bond in cash without receiving a receipt and suddenly found their circumstances had changed.

''After giving the head tenant a month's notice, they were told they had to stay for two months `as had been agreed upon'.

''The client wanted to know their rights,'' said Mr Bitcheno.

Another person had offered to let a person with several pets stay for ''a week or two'' until they found alternative accommodation, but found themselves unable to get the new flatmate to leave several weeks later.

''Again, there was no written agreement.

''The situation can get particularly tricky when you move in with friends and things go wrong. It is really important to always have a written flatting agreement, which you can get from calling in to the bureau or downloading from our website, and make sure you know your rights and responsibilities.''

Mr Bitcheno said there were ''a few simple rules of thumb'' to prevent issues arising.

It was a legal requirement to have a tenancy agreement in writing, a copy of which should be kept for the tenant's records.

Any changes to the agreement - for example, extending the tenancy - also needed to be recorded.

''If you do have any problems, raise them as soon as possible with your landlord or tenant.''

• The free CAB Queenstown information/training session with May Morrison will be on Friday, March 22, at St John, Douglas St, Frankton, from 10am until 11.30am.