29 March 2019 Stuff’s Hamis McNeilly: Former refugee family placed in damp Dunedin home feels abandoned

2 April 2019 by Jason Quinn

You would think this is rare and something that you need to go looking for but it is not abnormal in NZ

The windows of the North East Valley flat stay open all day – and night – just to clear the smell which lingers in the home.” “That smell is likely caused by the rising damp, which left the carpets sodden and mouldy, and which attracted worms.”

“The 44-unit Sirocco Apartments on Church St were built in the late 1990s for $7 million. The eleven-storey building has six levels of apartments atop five levels of parking. It has carpeted, open-walkways that connect two parts of the building. ” “Building surveyor Andrew Gray’s inspection of the building found 23 of the 44 apartments have documented leaks. Seventeen had been identified before Roberts registered his interest in buying an apartment.He said body corporate records “clearly showed widespread systemic weathertightness issues unrelated to the walkways at the Sirocco Apartments.Gray said he understood the owners of apartments, within Sirocco, were now considering the cost of repairs and the possibility of knocking the building down. “

“An Opotiki tenant who lived in an apartment that was not meant to be inhabited, without heating, or windows that could open and no carpet has been awarded $4147 by the Tenancy Tribunal.” “While it was furnished, it had concrete floors, just two windows, one on either end of the apartment, and only skylights in the bedrooms, which continually dripped with condensation.” “Tony Koia, who is director and shareholder of Koia Investment Opotiki Limited, the landlord of the property, backed out of attending the tribunal’s hearing just an hour before it began.Koia is an award-winning architect who has become well-known for building affordable homes. ” “Throughout her five-month tenancy, Williams raised concerns about a lack of carpet, heating, the leaks and condensation forming and water dripping from the skylights in each of the three bedrooms, including other issues with chattels not working, but most of her requests were ignored.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *