Minor dwelling request
Question from Hugh updated on 23rd September 2019:
My tenant has asked me whether she can put a cabin in the driveway for six months for her brother who is trying to find somewhere closer to her to live but with no luck. The cabin is portable so it will need to connect to the house for power and so on.
I don’t think it's a good idea as they already have six people living in the house. Plus it's a quiet neighbourhood. They also want to add a gate to the fence to keep their kids inside. So I want to say no but in a nice way. Any suggestions?
Our expert Bernard Parker responded:
If you consider that the addition of a cabin in the driveway is undesirable for any reason, it’s best to tell your tenants the truth. It may be aesthetically unacceptable, or it may be that the six months might drag on to a longer term, or there may be a number of reasons that make you uncomfortable.
The tenants may be fine, but it is a different story to have another occupant come in and live in a separate accommodation. Have you reference-checked the brother to see if he fits your desired tenant profile? In the final analysis, the decision is yours… if you don’t think it’s a good idea, decline the request.
Bernard is principal of Quinovic – Kapiti-Mana. Quinovic's outstanding people and systems provide the most professional, effective and reliable residential property management service in the NZ market for over 30 years.
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