Engaging the voices of residential property managers in understanding and improving issues in the Auckland rental market : this thesis is presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Health Science in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
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Date
2024
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Massey University
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Abstract
In Aotearoa-New Zealand (A-NZ) renting accommodation has become a lifelong prospect for many households. In a context typified by rental unaffordability and unavailability, poor housing quality, and tenant insecurity, renters face worse physical and mental health outcomes than owner occupiers, with these issues disproportionately impacting Māori and Pacific peoples. Property managers (PMs) currently manage almost half of the rental properties on behalf of property owners in A-NZ and given the current rental context they exist in a dominant power position in relation to tenants. Despite this, very little research has been conducted on this stakeholder group. This study therefore considers the field of property management by exploring the experiences of PMs working in the Auckland region. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six PMs, interviews addressing a range of core topics, including personal responsibility, discrimination, the experience of being a PM, power differentials and current legislation. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyse transcripts. Participants discussed systemic issues within the property management industry, including discrimination against Indian people, single mothers, South Aucklanders (including Māori and Pacific peoples), and those who use social support resources such as state housing. Responsibility for rental issues was typically externalised onto tenants utilising notions of personal responsibility. PMs also revealed how systemic issues impacted themselves, often leaving them in disempowered positions which could impact their health. They spoke of being treated as disposable, being given little training or support, being assigned excessive rentals to manage, and being worked for maximum profit regardless of the impact. In part, the above can be seen as enabled by the lack of property management legislation or requirements for entry into the profession. While participants supported some level of legislative protections for conduct within the property management industry, there was a general anti-legislation sentiment. This, along with the emphasise on personal responsibility, accords with contemporary dominance of neoliberal notions which counters legislative regulation and systemic understandings of social issues. Despite this, there was near universal agreement that some form of PM licensing was important for the professionalisation of the industry. This study argues that this is necessary for the health of both tenants and PMs. Further, increased legislation of the industry is generally required, otherwise tenants will continue to be reliant on the individual ethics of PMs and racist and discriminatory trends in the management of rental housing will continue.
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Master of Health Science