Nelson Weekly
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Wednesday 22 January 2020
Skate tour hits town
Pages 14-15
Page 5
Smashing Saiko
Page 22
Rental squeeze forces people into cars Kate Russell
Diving for glory The Nelson Surf Life Saving Club held its annual carnival at Tahuna Beach over the weekend. The carnival pitted young surf life savers in Junior, Senior, IRB and Pool Championships Competition with the IRB Endurance Race proving a highlight on Saturday afternoon. Other events included beach sprints, mixed beach relay, run wade run and board races. Here, Rae Murphy and Penny Anderson from the Kotuku Surf Life Saving Club dive for the win during the beach flags competition. Photo: Barry Whitnall/Shuttersport.
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The rental squeeze continues to hit Nelson hard as the pressure of the housing market makes an increasing number of people homeless, with some even resorting to hiring vehicles to live in. The problem is being highlighted once again by social agencies as Nelson City Council and central government continue to fight homelessness in the region. Philip Chapman from The Male Room says it not unusual to find people living in vehicles because they have nowhere else to go. “There is lots of it going on, in cars and tents. I knew of a guy living in his car with three dogs, and it’s women and couples, too. We had one guy parked out the back here living out of his van.” Some people are even renting cars to live in, instead of a house. “A man who came through here said, for him, it was cheaper for him to rent a car from a car hire company on a long-term contract. He just slept on a mattress in the back and stopped at the airport every morning for a shower. He had it all mapped out,” says Philip. Property management general manager at Summit Real Estate, Stewart Henry, says they are seeing a constant demand for rental properties. “We are getting around 10 - 15 people viewing each rental and around five will apply. But, one third won’t be accepted after credit checks.” He says private listings are becoming harder to find. “More landlords are listing their rentals through agencies. It’s becoming more complicated because of all the law changes, so they say, ‘can you just deal with it for us, please?’”
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