Tenants to be actively encouraged to provide emergency contact details
Housing New Zealand (HNZ) tenants will be actively encouraged to provide emergency contact details when they first sign
up to a property, an internal review has confirmed.
The review was instigated by HNZ after last month’s release of the coroners’ findings into the death of Peter Heathcote,
who died last July in his Riccarton, Christchurch, flat but was not found until weeks later.
South Island regional manager Symon Leggett confirmed some operational changes will be made. He was pleased the review
had been completed so swiftly.
Although HNZ requests and updates emergency contact details from applicants and tenants through a number of methods, it
has no powers requiring tenants to provide this information, nor does it have any policy refusing to house any
applicants who decline to provide emergency contact details.
But Mr Leggett said tenancy managers would “actively encourage” tenants to provide these details when first offered
tenancy.
Those emergency contact details will be rechecked and updated, if necessary, by tenancy managers and through the
Customer Service Centre.
A revised process regarding follow-up checks will also be implemented, Mr Leggett said.
ends