You can never have enough...

[Lilith7]

Yes, but these are 'affordable' flats - which I am informed is the new speak for social housing, since the Nats have done away with subsidies, and providers have to access the private market for new tenants. Sad about the homeless who cannot afford 'affordable', which is set at half the assessed market rent - $500 being the same here in this leafy suburb of Auckland. It will be interesting because I cannot help but think if I could pay that affordable rent, instead of the 30% of gross my rent is fixed at,  I would be looking for bigger than a 30 sq m bedsit with shared and limited facilities. Which btw, is smaller than the UN mandated space for a single adult, lol. But for those of us on limited incomes it is absolutely a sanctuary, albeit a tiny, 60's built one.

One of the other interesting things that came out of yesterday's conversation, was the matter of the planned refurbing of legacy units like mine, that Haumaru inherited as part of the portfolio. Because I came in under the old council regime mine hasn't been updated, like others when tenants have died or moved on, allowing for stripping out and replacing kitchens and bathrooms, floor coverings and curtains etc. So we were told our somewhat tatty flats would be redone over the next year or so, which was both exciting and worrying, with us being moved out temporarily, then moved back in to the update space. The prospect of a new kitchen certainly appeals, but moving? Having my lovely polished floors carpeted? Commercial blinds in place of my home made curtains? Not so much... But now it seems those refurb plans are on hold, because the income stream without the government subsidies makes future planning for these bigger housing providers more challenging.

Heavy sigh of relief by this tenant, mixed with regret over that new kitchen thing, lol...

Life is such a fascinating process. Nothing stays the same, always something new to challenge us, even in the quietest corners of our world.

Good grief - is it just me being a 'bleeding heart', or is it actually bordering on evil to knowingly price rents which are well out of reach for most people, solely to make money...?

Sometimes, our species just isn't even slightly reasonable. Or nice, or kind.