1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,599 Speaker 1: Caying of Order cracking down on tenants who aren't paying 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: their rent, but also at the same time going to 3 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: wipe about half of the debt they currently owed and 4 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: rent arears. The state Housing agency will start evicting tenants 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: have more than twelve weeks rent outstanding and aren't making 6 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:18,279 Speaker 1: an effort to repay their debt or keeping in contact 7 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: with the agency. Matt Crockett is Coying Order's chief executive. 8 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: He's with me this evening. 9 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 2: Good evening, Good evening, Ryan, how are you good? 10 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: Thank you. We'll start with the wiping of the renter rears. First, 11 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: Why are you wiping basically eight million dollars in rent hode. 12 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,919 Speaker 2: Yeah. What we want to do here is incentivize our 13 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 2: customers to get onto a repayment plan. And for many 14 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 2: of the customers that have like long we have about 15 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 2: two thousand customers who have more than twelve weeks, it 16 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 2: just becomes too daunting to even deal with it, and 17 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 2: it's a disincentive to engage. So this is about incentivizing 18 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,520 Speaker 2: them to engage and lowering the debt to a level 19 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 2: they can actually repay you realistically. 20 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: But aren't you incentivizing them by wiping the debt for 21 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: anything that's more than twelve weeks and sent advising them 22 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: to get to more than twelve weeks, so it gets 23 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: wiped again. 24 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 2: No, because with the go forward policy, we're not going 25 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 2: to allow anyone to go beyond twelve weeks, and we're 26 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 2: going to intervene and manage it more closely earlier so 27 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 2: that we never have customers who get more than twelve weeks. 28 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 2: So this is about cleaning up the situation we've got 29 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 2: at the moment and resetting to move forward with a 30 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 2: more pragmatic approach. 31 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,279 Speaker 1: So anyone who gets to twelve weeks and they haven't 32 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:32,039 Speaker 1: paid their rent for twelve weeks, you'll start the eviction process. 33 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 2: Yeah, and will it be engaging with them earlier than that. 34 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 2: So obviously when someone misses their rent payment, will be 35 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 2: discussing why, and as long as they're engaging and moving 36 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 2: towards a repayment plan, that's fine. But if they're not 37 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 2: engaging or they're not forming a repayment plan, then we 38 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 2: will actually issue a Section fifty six notice and eventually 39 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: take it to the residential Tribunal to actually have the 40 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 2: tendency terminated. We want to avoid that and will wherever 41 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 2: we can, but our tenants have to come to the 42 00:01:58,000 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 2: party and pay their rent. 43 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: Right so that this only starts after twelve weeks or 44 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: are you saying that process could start, you know, after 45 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks of missed rent. 46 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, it will start earlier, so that by the time 47 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 2: a tenancy is terminated there won't be more than twelve weeks. 48 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:14,519 Speaker 2: We'll do everything we can to avoid getting to that point, 49 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 2: but we will not allow the tendency to go beyond 50 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 2: that point. 51 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: Was the sustaining tenancies policy of the previous government as 52 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,639 Speaker 1: ridiculous as it seems in the press release that you've 53 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 1: put out today. You know, you went from about three 54 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: million dollars in rent areas to twenty million dollars by 55 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: the beginning of last year. This is from twenty nineteen 56 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: to the beginning of last year. Part of the problem, 57 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: you said, is sustaining tenancies. In other words, you weren't 58 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: kicking enough people out. You weren't being hard enough on this. 59 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, I think we have to remember that during 60 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 2: that period we had the COVID pandemic, we had the 61 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 2: cost of living that came after that, and as part 62 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 2: of that there was the policy of the day was 63 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 2: the sustaining tenancies. And you know, in hindsight, those boundaries 64 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 2: not being clear have led to that growing and this 65 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 2: has been a consequence of that, and we're now dealing 66 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 2: to that and just coming up with a clearer, go 67 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 2: forward set of policies that everyone can manage to, including 68 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 2: our tenants. 69 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: Matt, thank you for that, Matt Crocket, Chief executive at 70 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: Caying at Order. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, 71 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: listen live to news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, 72 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.