Housing New Zealand
New Role
and
Customer Journey
National Refugee Resettlement Forum
10 July 2014
Karen Hocking – National Manager Tenancy Support Services
Julia Campbell – Area Manager
Social Housing Reform
• Independent review of the sector in 2010
• Budget 2011:
– Social Housing Unit set up
– reviewable tenancies introduced for some tenants
• Budget 2013 initiatives:
– moving housing needs assessments to MSD (14 April
2014)
– extending income-related rent subsidies (IRRS) to
community housing providers (from 14 April 2014)
– introduction of new social housing legislation
(November 2013)
HNZC’s role from 14 April 2014
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Continue to be a major housing provider (landlord)
Strong relationships with MSD
Contributing to building community housing sector
Undertake major developments and redevelopments
Mixed tenure including social housing
Opportunities with other providers
Warrant of Fitness for homes
HNZ - Customer
• Customer presents to MSD and completes a housing
needs assessment
• If eligible the customer is confirmed to the MSD waitlist
by priority (no change in previous criteria)
• HNZ’s interaction with the customer begins once we
have a property for offer
• Property vacated and Maintenance work completed
• New acquisition/build
Customer Journey
• Based on the priority of the customer’s
housing need and the location of the
vacant property a list is produced of
eligible customers
• The customer with the highest priority is
then matched against the property
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Customer journey continued
• HNZ makes offer to customer
• The customer is given the opportunity to view the
property
• The customer decides whether they will accept or
decline this property offer
• If accepted arrangements are made for bond/rent
advances and signing of the customer to the tenancy.
HNZ and Tenant Interaction
Ongoing interaction points with customer who is now
the tenant
• Within first six weeks the HNZ Tenancy Manager does
initial “welcome” visit - covers maintenance requests
and provides opportunity to connect Tenancy Manager
with tenant for ongoing relationship
• Annual inspections – checking for maintenance/property
related issues
• Adhoc tenancy visits for various tenancy matters (e.g.
maintenance issues, complaints, anti-social behaviour,
rent payments)
HNZ – Vacation of tenancy
• The tenant must provide 21 days written notice to leave
their tenancy
• The Tenancy Manager will visit property for pre-vacation
inspection and discuss obligations on vacation of
tenancy
• On the final day of the tenancy the tenant returns the
keys to the Tenancy Manager
• The tenancy is now ended
HNZ – Refugee customer
Current Refugee customer journey
• Refugee intake arrives at Mangere resettlement centre
• MSD complete the Housing needs assessment
• HNZ allocates vacant properties where possible
• HNZ staff meet on site at Mangere to sign up new
tenants
• HNZ regional staff work with Red Cross to ensure
access to the home prior to the customer leaving
Mangere
HNZ Decent Home Standards
Statutory Obligations
• HNZ is required to provision and maintain its dwellings to
the standards set by legislation
• Key legislation
– Housing Improvement Regulations 1947 (Provisioning)
– Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (Condition)
– The Building Act 2004 (Performance)
• Going forward – Warrant of Fitness
HNZ Programmes
Tenant Obligations
• We have a call centre which provides a language line
– Our tenants can get help here to sort any maintenance
problems or problems with paying rent or damages
• Our Welcome packs set out obligations
• Our tenants need to contact us if there are maintenance
issues associated with their homes or if they damage
something
• Rent must be paid on time
• Be a good neighbour and be responsible for their and their
visitors behaviours
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