Tenants told they must pay their rent

Nervous tenants in Christchurch are being told they must keep paying rent unless the property they are leasing is deemed unlivable.

Legally tenants can only end their tenancies if their building has been partly destroyed, condemned or is unsafe, in which case they can give two days notice or landlords can give seven.

Property managers are largely trying to assess the damage over the phone and acknowledge that some of their tenants are living elsewhere.

"Some people are a bit tough to get hold of at the moment because they're not at home but we do know of people who have moved or are staying with friends, particularly on the east side if they don't have water or power," Nigel Bowden, one of the owners of Harcourts Accommodation Centre in Christchurch, said.

Martin Evans, president of the Property Investors Federation and a Christchurch property manager, said he was letting distressed tenants end their tenancies, but it was impossible for some people to get removal trucks down their streets.

- © Fairfax NZ News