Tenants of Clutha District Council-owned housing units will find out on September 11 how much their rent will rise and what kind of improvements will be made to their flats.
The Clutha District Council's districts assets committee last week recommended spending more than $600,000 installing heat pumps, improving insulation and other urgent upgrades but what this will mean to the rents of individual tenants will not become clear until the full council meets in two weeks.
Tenants have regularly complained about the frigid conditions in the flats, prompting the council to employ a consultant to consider what improvements can be made and how much they will cost.
The consequence of that will be a rent rise, but exactly how much each tenant will be expected to pay is still being decided.
The report tabled to the committee recommended spending just under $600,000 on upgrades regarded as urgent but corporate services manager Alan Dickson told the meeting the council could not claim back the GST on the amount, meaning the total cost to the council would be closer to $670,000.
This forced the committee to recommend the improvements still go ahead but it wanted more clarification on exact costs and implications when the report is tabled again at the full council on September 11.
That report is also expected to consider whether a rental differential - which effectively offers discounts to older tenants - should be retained.
