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A property management company that got into trouble for a “deaf” email to tenants at the beginning of the closure is under fire again after a letter “inviting neighbors to rat out” tenants.
Quinovic’s letter informed neighbors that the new tenants had moved into their area and encouraged them to contact the company with “any concerns about the property and its management.”
It was delivered to residents of a Hutt Valley street and was signed by Quinovic Hutt Valley manager Maritza McCrae and sales manager Helen Vance.
The letter drew harsh criticism after it was shared on Twitter on Tuesday.
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“We got a letter from the Quinovic slum bastards saying they rented one of the houses on our street inviting us to snitch on the tenants. More b … that should be illegal, ”the original post read.
SCREENSHOT
The property management company Quinovic is under fire after delivering a letter advising neighbors to contact them with “any concerns” about a recently rented property.
Multiple responses labeled the letter “disgusting” and questioned whether it was a violation of tenants’ privacy.
Others called for the establishment of a tenants union.
These stories about property managers are wreaking havoc on my blood pressure. Every day someone tweets a shockingly scary new story about PM. We badly need a tenant union, ”said one person.
“This information would be really helpful for someone trying to organize clients of specific property management companies into a tenant union,” wrote another.
The letter was delivered to the Hutt Valley properties.
Quinovic COO Paul Chapman said it was not unusual for property managers to deliver letters to neighboring properties.
“The letter is nothing more than a courtesy note to inform the neighbors that Quinovic is responsible for the management of the property. As an added courtesy, the letter also says: ‘If you have any concerns about this property and its management, we encourage you to contact us.’ The intent is that if the neighbors have any concerns about the management of the property, Quinovic would like to hear about them so he can address those concerns. “
Renters United spokesman Robert Whitaker said some renters already had a hard time feeling part of a community and that being singled out upon arrival would not help.
“I was a bit surprised to see them say, ‘Get in touch if you have concerns,’ as if there were concerns because they are tenants,” he said.
“It seems a bit unethical, but it is the result of not having any regulation in this sector, but the Labor Party promised to change that if they were re-elected and we will be watching very closely.”
The letter is the latest in a series of controversies over Quinovic this year.
The company was criticized at the beginning of the shutdown for emailing tenants reminding them to pay their rent or likely to receive a 14-day notice.
And in January, Quinovic was criticized for charging a “new tenant fee” of $ 250 that he said was allowed under section 44 of the Residential Leasing Act.
Lease fees have been illegal since December 2018. However, Tenancy Services said that owners and property managers could request “reasonable” payments when new tenants move in, or people sublet or terminate fixed-term contracts before weather.
