From 31 August 2020, some common building projects no longer need a building consent, now could be the best time to build your carport faster and easier, and with lower costs.
Building consents will no longer be required for a number of projects, including:
Single-storey detached buildings (a maximum floor area of 30 square metres): sleepouts, sheds, greenhouses and other similar structures
Carports up to 40 square metres
Ground-floor awnings up to 30 square metres
Ground-floor verandas and porches up to 30 square metres
There are also many other projects that don’t need a building consent, such as:
* Permanent outdoor fireplaces or ovens * Flexible water storage bladders * Ground-mounted solar panel arrays * Small pipe supporting structures * Short-span (small) bridges * Single-storey pole sheds and hay barns in rural zones
An Auckland woman Melanie Griffith discovered the cockroach infestation after moving into the Māngere East property in February.
She raised the issue with her landlord, but the landlord did nothing about it.
Griffith had to call in pest control herself and paid $184 to them to get rid of the roaches, she also claimed her landlord promised to repair water leaks in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry, but never did.
Water damage began before Griffith moved in and continued thought out her tenancy. The kitchen bench was rotten and dangerous to be used because of water leaking. In the bathroom and laundry, leaking water had made the floors soft and unsafe.
The landlord did not address the maintenance issues and Griffith was not able to fully use the property, and the landlord even gave Griffith a 42-day notice and asked her to leave using the ground of selling.
The landlord also failed to lodge Griffith’s bond without any explanation, which is an “unlawful act” if not done within 23 working days of it being received.
Finally, Griffith was awarded a total of $2454.44 in damages and compensation.
The Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill was passed on August 5 2020, among a series of changes it introduces is a limit on how often rent can increase, from currently 6 months to 12 months, this will take effect at the end of the Covid-19 rent freeze.
It will provide tenants with more certainty and allow them to plan their finances in advance, as a result, landlords may issue more significant rent increases. Let’s keep a close eye on the rent changes over the coming months.
House prices have continued to surpass predictions for how they would perform post-COVID with median house prices across New Zealand increasing by 9.2% in June to $639,000, up from $585,000 in June 2019 and up from $620,000 (3.1%) in May 2020, according to the latest data from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ), source of the most complete and accurate real estate data in New Zealand.
Single-storey detached buildings (a maximum floor area of 30 square metres): sleepouts, sheds, greenhouses and other similar structures
