Demand for rental granny flats post-cyclone has gone ‘crazy’

New Zealand’s largest builder of short-term emergency housing units and transportable granny flats says business has “gone bonkers” since Cyclone Gabrielle hit two weeks ago, with more than 10,000 people estimated to have been displaced.

Bryce Glover of HouseMe in Takanini says the company’s Hastings showroom was instantly inundated with people turning up on the doorstep desperate for temporary housing. “They were asking if we could rush them through the production schedule. People are just trying to survive. They have nowhere to go, and they are doing everything they can to get a roof over their head, and they’re making their own decisions.

“We have 180 units in our rental fleet that come and go and there’s always a queue for them, but this is proving to be the biggest month we’ve ever had.”

Glover says the company, which builds 500 units a year, is relocating 20 hire units to Hawke’s Bay in addition to its current rental fleet. They come with a kitchenette and bathroom facilities – the Hawke’s Bay units are $395 a week. The units are being delivered via Palmerston North, due to the closure of SH5, which is a nine-hour trip.

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“Every half day, things are changing. There are council by-laws for temporary accommodation, and most councils have been more accommodating due to the crisis. However, one of our customers in Gisborne did the right thing and talked to council, only to have an official turn up at his house and put a yellow sticker on the property. The official said he would come back every week to make sure he wasn’t living there, and may even red-sticker the house.

“It’s commercial suicide to be kicking someone out of a house when they’ve already lost everything.”

Glover says 99% of the temporary housing is arranged through WINZ or MSD, and MBIE has established the Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) to access resources and funding needed to find accommodation for anyone who needs it as a result of the cyclone.

MBIE has also established Designated Areas that allow a local authority to take specific actions under the Building Act to manage buildings in an emergency. These areas are the Auckland region, from Warkworth to Pukekohe, including Great Barrier Island, Thames-Coromandel District, Whangarei District, Port Waikato – a portion of Maunsell Road, Kaipara District, Hastings District, Napier City, Wairoa District, Central Hawke’s Bay District and Tinui (Masterton District).

Glover says these should ease the way for temporary rentals. “We advise everyone to have a chat with their local council. They all have different interpretations of the law. We are trying to work with local and central government to help find a solution, but they need to act now.”

Glover says not everyone is going to be able to take a unit. They need to have access to power and a solution for sewage.

“Ideally, the temporary housing units are connected to existing services on a property, but Glover says it is possible to have waste disposed of via a temporary holding tank, or you can use a Portaloo. Getting a water connection can be as simple as connecting a hose to a tap.”

The HouseMe units heading for Hawke’s Bay have a 10.4m x 2.76m footprint, which is slightly under 30m². They have two bedrooms – one at either end, a separate bathroom with shower and toilet, and a living area. (The measurements on the plan include roof overhangs.)

The company has supplied many units to Aucklanders already this year, but says tenants are not wishing to be contacted. “Everyone is still feeling a bit flustered and negative.”