QUESTION

What is a Tenancy Agreement?

ANSWER

At the beginning of your tenancy you will have signed and received a copy of an agreement with us that outlines both our and your responsibilities for living at that address. If you require another copy of the agreement please get in touch with us and we’ll send you one as soon as possible. Below are some of the key points of that agreement:

CORT Community Housing, as the landlord, will:

• Ensure the property is in good condition – it should be secure, functional and adequate for your needs.

• Sort out all repairs in a timely and effective way

• Respect your privacy and your right to quiet enjoyment of your home

• Give you reasonable notice before any house inspection or planned maintenance

You, as the tenant, will:

• Pay your rent in full and on time

• Keep your home reasonably clean and tidy – including the outside and gardens

• Call us when repairs are needed

• Not let anyone else rent your house or let anyone other than you and your family live there without our permission

• Be considerate of your neighbours

• Pay for any damage that you cause to the property

• Organise your own power and phone/internet service

• Pay for your water usage (if your property is individually metered)

QUESTION

How long does my tenancy last?

ANSWER

Nearly all CORT tenants will have signed a Periodic Tenancy agreement. This means your tenancy will continue indefinitely until one of the parties (you or CORT Community Housing) gives the appropriate notice to end the agreement.

QUESTION

What happens if I want to end my tenancy?

ANSWER

To end your tenancy agreement you will need to provide at least 28 days notice in writing. Once you have given us notice we will be in contact to support you to end your tenancy in the correct way. Remember:

• You have to pay rent up to the last day of your tenancy.

• You need to leave the property in a reasonable state of cleanliness and repair.

• So we can refund your bond – it is important you leave us forwarding information for your new address.

QUESTION

What are emergency repairs?

ANSWER

Some repairs may be an emergency – and we aim to complete these repairs within 1 day of being notified. Examples of emergency maintenance may include:

• Fire/flood/disaster (call emergency services if required – Dial 111)

• No power (Check your fuse-box switches and/or call Vector on 0800 832 867 to check for faults)

• Electrical sparks/shocks

• Gas leak

• Burst water pipe

• Blocked or broken toilet (if another toilet is not available)

• Broken window or glass (external only)

• Faulty door lock (access cannot be gained to property/persons trapped)

• Major roof leak (water entering the premises)

• Fault or damage that makes premises unsafe or insecure

• Fault likely to injure a person, or cause damage or extreme inconvenience

QUESTION

Who do I contact if it’s an emergency?

ANSWER

If you require emergency repairs please contact us immediately on 09 376-3049 – this number will connect you to an on-call staff member for out-of-hours emergency maintenance.

QUESTION

What happens with other repairs?

ANSWER

Other non-emergency maintenance will be scheduled as quickly as we can arrange contractors to carry out the work. Your co-operation in providing access is crucial to ensuring we sort out any issue you may have.

QUESTION

What happens if I misplace my keys or lock myself out?

ANSWER

If you misplace your keys or lock yourself out you can either arrange a locksmith yourself or call us and we will arrange a new key for you. There will be a charge for replacement keys.

QUESTION

How often do I pay rent?

ANSWER

Your rent should be paid as per the terms of your tenancy agreement. Usually this means paying every week and two weeks in advance. Your tenancy manager can give you more information about how often and how much rent you need to pay.

QUESTION

What happens if I don’t pay my rent?

ANSWER

It is your responsibility to ensure that your rent is paid in full and on-time. If you are having trouble paying, we may be able to help. The first step is always to contact your tenancy manager and discuss your situation. Please note, if we cannot come to an arrangement that works for both parties we will pursue all rent arrears via the Tenancy Tribunal which may lead to an end of your tenancy.

QUESTION

How often do you carry out inspections?

ANSWER

Generally we carry out routine inspections once every 6 months.

If you are in a leased property (not owned by CORT) or if you are not maintaining your home to a reasonable standard we may need to schedule more frequent inspections.

We aim to give you at least 7 days’ notice of any routine inspection.

QUESTION

My tenancy agreement talks about “peace, comfort and enjoyment” – what does that mean?

ANSWER

This is a reference to being a good neighbour. This is an important part of living in your community – and an important part of your tenancy agreement. We encourage all our tenants to act as good neighbours.

Generally speaking a good neighbour is:

• Considerate – respects people’s rights and privacy

• Tolerant – understands that people have different ways of doing things and that is okay

• Concerned – notices when something is wrong and does something about it

• Responsible – for the actions of their families, guests and pets

• Law abiding – does not engage in and reports illegal activity to the Police

QUESTION

What should I do if my neighbours are disrupting my “peace, comfort and enjoyment”?

ANSWER

In the first instance you might try talking to them about the issue – and if possible ask for advice about how to do this. If the problems are on-going you can:

• Call noise control (in the event of unreasonable noise) 09 301 0101

• Call the police (if you feel threatened or witness illegal activity) 111

• It can be helpful to keep a record of any disturbances

If you are not happy with any aspect of CORT’s service, we will deal with your concerns quickly and fairly.

If you want to make a complaint you can:

• Talk to your tenancy manager or phone 09 376 3049

• Email info@cort.org.nz

• Get a friend or support person to assist you to make a complaint

• Write a letter of complaint or complete CORT's official Complaint Form. 

Post or email your letter or completed form to the Head of Operations of CORT Community Housing. You'll find contact details on our Contact Us page. 

We also welcome your compliments and your suggestions about how we can improve our service to you. Please be aware that you will in no way be penalised for making a complaint.