A New Plymouth family has resorted to putting their mum up in hotels to give her some respite from her neighbours. (file photo) Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
A New Plymouth family says Kāinga Ora tenants living next door to their elderly mother are making her life a misery and the agency just fobs off their complaints.
The woman, who is about to turn 80, feels unsafe in her own home and the family has had to put her up in hotels to give her some respite from her neighbours.
She has lived alone in the leafy inner-city street for about 10 years after down-sizing from the family home nearby.
Her son - who asked they not be identified because they fear retribution - said problems with the Kāinga Ora tenants next door began about three years ago.
"Their noise, their cars, people coming all hours of the day, revving cars, fires, banging, hammering, screaming, shouting, and all the rest of it."
He said they had called noise control dozens of times and made multiple complaints to Kāinga Ora, all to no avail.
It was taking a toll on his mother.
"Her nerves are shattered so to speak. She is very anxious about these people next door. Her mental health has suffered a lot, she has had to go on anti-depressants and sleeping pills to deal with anxiety she's experiencing."
Even the personal approach had failed.
"I'm afraid of them. The one time I did go over it wasn't good and previous tenants have actually come on to our property and we've had to call the police and get trespass notices against them."
The family had resorted to putting their mum up in hotels to give her some respite.
"We've had to get her out of the place and provide her with emergency accommodation such as hotels and lodges and so forth, places to stay to give her a break from where she's living which is becoming unliveable for her."
'A stressful and upsetting situation' - Kāinga Ora
He could not understand why Kāinga Ora was not able to move unruly tenants on more quickly or vet them more carefully in the first place.
Kāinga Ora regional director Graeme Broderick said the vast majority of its 200,000 tenants were good neighbours and members of their communities.
But he acknowledged in a small number of cases, disruptive behaviour caused highly stressful and unacceptable conditions for neighbours.
"We are aware of this situation and are aware that it has been a stressful and upsetting situation for the neighbours. Neighbours cannot be expected to put up with intolerable situations and we are committed to effectively responding to disruptive behaviour when it occurs."
Kāinga Ora's first approach was to support a change in the behaviour of its tenants, but it could and did move people on where necessary, Broderick said.
It was working hard on a solution in this case, he said.
Citizens' Advice Bureau deputy chief executive Andrew Hubbard said under the Residential Tenancy Act, Kāinga Ora could seek to move anti-social tenants on or terminate tenancies.
He advised distraught neighbours to find out whether either of these steps had been taken.
"You could ask whether or not they had issued a warning under Section 55a of the Residential Tenancy Act about anti-social behaviour and that can often be a trigger point for a change in behaviour if the tenant is aware that if they have received three of those, their tenancy could be ended."
It was not unusual to hear of disputes with Kāinga Ora tenants, Hubbard said.
"It's very tricky of course for Kāinga Ora that wants to maintain people in housing, which is absolutely essential, to try and resolve these issues. It is difficult for them."
Meanwhile, the New Plymouth family was seeking legal advice about whether it could seek recompense for hotel expenses incurred giving their mother a break from her neighbours.