An affected Accessible Properties tenant, who spoke on the condition she was not named, told the Bay of Plenty Times she first noticed black mould in her home about 11 years ago and told her tenancy manager at the time.
“The next minute, I had a couple of painters in, painting that room.
“It did stop it for a while, but then it came back again.”
She said black mould grew in the bathroom and laundry.
The woman moved to another Jacaranda Close home in 2022.
“There was no sign of any mould in that, but there was on the outside.”
She said testing revealed “water was getting in”, and she was told in August she had to move out.
“It was just basically a bloody bombshell.”
She moved out “not knowing what the heck was going on”.
“I was more in shock than anything else.”
The woman said she was now living in another Accessible Properties home in Tauranga.
‘Major structural issues’ found after weathertightness testing
The woman received a letter from Accessible Properties tenancy services general manager Tania Wilson on August 18 informing her she needed to move to temporary accommodation for her health and safety.
Accessible Properties would help her move her possessions before her tenancy was terminated on August 25.
The letter, sighted by the Bay of Plenty Times, said an “independent expert report” advised the property had “major structural issues”, making it “uninhabitable and unsafe to live in”.
It said Accessible Properties did “extensive weathertightness testing” after one property became vacant.
“The results for that property raised serious concerns, so we undertook similar testing in the other eight properties with monolithic cladding in the complex.”
Investigations revealed weathertightness issues.
“In several areas, the timber framing is damaged, and in some parts, it is so advanced that it raises concerns about the structural integrity of the buildings.
“These issues pose potential safety risks.”
Accessible Properties ended all tenancies at the affected properties due to the seriousness of the issues.
Remediation, redevelopment or sale of site considered
In a statement to the Bay of Plenty Times, Wilson said one of its properties became vacant in July.
“Given the age, design, and cladding of the properties, we took the opportunity … to carry out more extensive weathertightness testing than would have been possible while tenants were living there.
“When the testing and an in-depth building survey revealed significant damage, we met with all tenants on August 5 to share the findings and explain that a structural engineer’s assessment was still to come.”
Once the report confirmed concerns with the buildings’ structural integrity, it was required under the Residential Tenancies Act to issue seven-day notices on August 18, she said.
“We understand how disruptive and unsettling this was.”
Wilson said most tenants chose to move immediately to either temporary or permanent accommodation. A small number remained for the full notice period.
“We arranged all the accommodation to support people through the transition.”
Wilson said all 11 tenants were now settled in permanent accommodation Accessible Properties had found for them in Tauranga – two with other providers and the rest in Accessible Properties homes.
“We covered their moving costs and have stayed in close contact with them to make sure everyone is well settled.
“We’re currently working through next steps for the properties, which could include remediation, redevelopment or sale of the site.”
Wilson said Accessible Properties informed Kāinga Ora of the issues in July.
A Kāinga Ora spokesperson confirmed Accessible Properties advised the agency in July about the weathertightness issues it had identified in homes similar to those Kāinga Ora owned at Jacaranda Close.
“Since then, we have been working alongside Accessible Properties on next steps.”
Kāinga Ora central region deputy chief executive Daniel Soughtton told the Bay of Plenty Times last month the next steps for the homes could include remediation, redevelopment or potential divestment of the site.
The spokesperson this week said there was no update on what would happen to the homes.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.