Trust easing the rent pain with rent freeze
In response to the economic and social impact of the Covid-19 lockdown Trust House has put a freeze on planned rent increases and introduced other additional support for tenants.
With 483 rental properties in Wairarapa and Tararua, Trust House is one of the largest community housing providers in New Zealand.
Trust House chief executive Allan Pollard says rent increases of on average between $20 – $25 had been planned to take effect from the end of March.
“It became clear that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures to combat it were going to hurt people financially, so we acted pretty much straight away and put them on hold,” Mr Pollard says.
The March rent increases, that were signalled in December last year, only related to tenants who are not on an Income Related Rent Subsidy. The rents that Trust House charge remain among the lowest in New Zealand, according to Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment data.
Mr Pollard says the organisation is very conscious that a number of their tenants will be doing it “really tough” during this time of tremendous uncertainty.
“We have been phoning all of our tenants weekly to make sure that they are okay and have everything they need.”
As an essential service Trust House has kept its Rental Housing office on Queen Street in Masterton open Monday to Friday, 10am – 1pm, to be available to tenants who require further support.
Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD
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Some Choice News!
Many New Zealand gardens aren’t seeing as many monarch butterflies fluttering around their swan plants and flower beds these days — the hungry Asian paper wasp has been taking its toll.
Thanks to people like Alan Baldick, who’s made it his mission to protect the monarch, his neighbours still get to enjoy these beautiful butterflies in their own backyards.
Thinking about planting something to invite more butterflies, bees, and birds into your garden?
Thanks for your mahi, Alan! We hope this brings a smile!
Poll: Would you participate in local initiatives aimed at stopping plastic from reaching our oceans?
Volunteers will be scouring the foreshore, riverbanks, and islands for rubbish on Saturday the 13th as part of the Clean Up the Hutt event.
This initiative helps stop plastic from reaching our oceans and makes our waterways cleaner and safer for everyone.
We want to know: Should this be rolled out across all coastal cities in Aotearoa? And more importantly… would you get involved? 💚
Want the details? The Post has you covered.
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69.9% Yes!
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14.6% Maybe ...
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15.5% No.
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