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Annual Report 2007/08

Chief Executive's overview

Part 1:

Part 2: Performance information

Part 3: Residential Tenancies Trust account

Part 4: Additional information

alternative format

Download the Annual Report 2007/08 [PDF 891 KB, 134 pages]

Statement of Service Performance

for the Department of Building and Housing for the year ended 30 June 2008.

Residential Tenancy Services

This output class involves the administration of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. It includes providing information, education, advice and dispute resolution services. It also involves undertaking compliance activity and administering residential tenancy bond monies.

Output: Residential Tenancy Advice and Guidance: Provide information, advice and guidance to residential landlords and tenants.

Actual 2006/07¹	Measures	Standard 2007/08	Performance to 30 June 2008
	Quantity
237,744²	Number of tenancy advice enquiries	220,000-240,000	Not achieved 219,458 telephone enquiries for tenancy advice received. This is a volume-driven deliverable and is slightly below the anticipated range.
	Quality
88%	Percentage of tenancy advice that meets or exceeds quality standards	85%	Achieved 90% of tenancy advice met or exceeded quality standards.
	Timeliness
6%	Call abandonment rate for tenancy advice	Not to exceed 7%	Achieved The call abandonment rate was 7%.

Output: Bond Management: Manage bond lodgements, refunds and investment as required under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.

Actual 2006/07	Measures	Standard 2007/08	Performance to 30 June 2008
	Quantity
217,329³	Number of bond lodgements	200,000-220,000	Achieved 200,330 bond lodgements were received.
211,049⁴	Number of bond refund requests	185,000-205,000	Achieved 196,620 bond refund requests were processed.
213,150	Number of bond advice enquiries	181,450-200,550	Achieved 224,010 calls for bond advice were received.
	Quality
New measure for 2007/08	Percentage of bond lodgements processed to agreed quality standards	95%	Achieved 99% of bond lodgements were processed to agreed quality standards.
New measure for 2007/08	Percentage of bond refund requests processed to agreed quality standards	95%	Achieved 100% of bond refund requests were processed to agreed quality standards.
93%	Percentage of bond advice that meets or exceeds quality standards	90%	Achieved 92% of bond advice met or exceeded quality standards.
	Timeliness
Revised measure for 2007/08	Percentage of bond lodgements processed within 10 working days of receipt⁵	98%	Achieved 98% of bond lodgements were processed within 10 working days of receipt.
Revised measure for 2007/08	Percentage of bond refund requests with the correct information completed within 2 working days	95%	Not achieved 82% of bond refunds were refunded correctly based on information held at the time of refund, and were completed within 2 working days. Unplanned staff absences in the third quarter caused year-to-date result to fall below target. Results for May and June are 100% within 2 working days.
5%	Call abandonment rate for bond advice calls	Not to exceed 5%	Achieved The bond advice call abandonment rate was 5%.

Output: Compliance: Investigate and respond to alleged breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.

Actual 2006/07	Measures	Standard 2007/08	Performance to 30 June 2008
	Quantity
42	Number of investigations	60-70	Achieved 118 investigations were undertaken. The higher number reflects more active engagement with the sector by the Department.
	Quality
95%	Percentage of compliance interventions resulting in voluntary compliance	90%	Achieved 100% of compliance interventions resulted in voluntary compliance.
	Timeliness
100%⁶	Investigations completed within 20 working days	95%	Achieved 100% of investigations were completed within 20 working days.

Output: Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution: Provide timely dispute resolution services that are accessible to our clients and connect with the different communities we serve.

Actual 2006/07	Measures	Standard 2007/08	Performance to 30 June 2008
	Quantity
45,874⁷	Forecast volumes of Tenancy Tribunal applications	46,000-51,000	Achieved 47,667 Tenancy Tribunal applications were received.
	Quality
69%⁸	Percentage of applications for dispute resolution resolved out of court (excluding vacated positions)	65%	Achieved 69% of applications for dispute resolution (excluding vacated positions) were resolved out of court.
New measure for 2007/08	Percentage of Tenancy Tribunal applications resolved through telephone mediation	5-10%	Achieved 8% of Tenancy Tribunal applications were resolved through telephone mediation.
	Timeliness
63%	Percentage of applications referred to mediation that are scheduled within 10 working days of receipt	80%	Not achieved 79% of applications referred to mediation were scheduled within 10 working days of receipt (80% excluding vacated hearings).

Output: Residential Tenancy Public Information and Education: Provide information and education to consumers and providers to enable them to make informed decisions.

Actual 2006/07	Measures	Standard 2007/08	Performance to 30 June 2008
	Quantity
New measure for 2007/08	Number of information seminars for landlord groups	25	Achieved 26 landlord seminars were delivered.
New measure for 2007/08	Number of advice clinics for tenant groups	25	Achieved 47 advice clinics for tenant groups were held.
	Quality
New measure for 2007/08	Attendees satisfied with landlord seminars based on formal feedback forms	75%	Achieved 95% of respondents rate the seminars useful or very useful.
New measure for 2007/08	Attendees satisfied with tenancy advice clinics based on formal feedback forms	75%	Achieved 100% of survey respondents have rated the clinics as satisfactory or very satisfactory.

Output: Tenancy Tribunal Administration: Provide administrative support for the Tenancy Tribunal.

Actual 2006/07	Measures	Standard 2007/08	Performance to 30 June 2008
	Quantity
24,297⁹	Number of Tenancy Tribunal hearings scheduled	23,000-28,000	Achieved 23,148 Tenancy Tribunal hearings were scheduled.
	Quality
Guidelines met¹⁰	Percentage of hearings scheduled in accordance with the guidelines and standards set by the Principal Tenancy Adjudicator	95%	Not achieved 94% of hearings scheduled were in accordance with the guidelines and standards set by the Principal Tenancy Adjudicator.
	Timeliness
54%	Percentage of tenancy applications proceeding to the Tenancy Tribunal have a hearing within 20 working days (excluding vacated applications)	80%	Not achieved 67% of tenancy applications proceeding to the Tenancy Tribunal had a hearing within 20 working days (excluding vacated applications). Results for this measure were particularly low at the start of the year due to the increase in applications, and a mismatch between application numbers and availability of Court time in key areas, particularly Manukau. The Department has worked with the Ministry of Justice to address the issue of Court availability, with more Court days now being available.
New measure for 2007/08	Percentage of Tenancy Tribunal applications resolved through the telephone mediation process resolved within 24 hours	75%	Not achieved 46% of Tenancy Tribunal applications resolved through the telephone mediation process were resolved within 24 hours. It is often difficult to get tenants on the phone to conduct the mediation within the 24-hour period. Many tenants call back the Department outside the 24-hour period. Rather than schedule these applications for standard mediation, the Swift process is used. This allows mediations to be scheduled and resolved more quickly than if they had followed the standard applications process.
	Quantity
4	Number of appeals	1-5	Achieved Six appeals were received and held.
	Quality
Standards met	Administration of appeals meets the standards set by Principal Member of the Authority	Standards met	Achieved Administration of appeals met the standards set by the Principal Member of the Authority.
	Timeliness
Measure revised for 2007/08.	Hearings held within 30 working days of application	100%	Not achieved 83% of hearings were held within 20 working days of receipt of the application. One of the six hearings was outside the targeted timeframe due to difficulties obtaining agreement from all parties to a particular hearing date.

Financial Performance

2007 Actual $000		2008 Actual $000	2008 Main Estimates $000	2008 Supplementary Estimates $000
1,064	Revenue - Crown	37	725	37
134	Revenue - Departmental	170	146	159
17,858	Revenue - Other	21,900	17,074	20,987
19,056	Total Revenue	22,107	17,945	21,183
18,222	Total Expenses	19,732	17,945	20,173
834	Net surplus/(deficit)	2,375	-	1,010

1 All 2006/07 percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

2 The target was revised for 2007/08. The target for 2006/07 was 200,000-220,000.

3 The target was revised for 2007/08. The target for 2006/07 was 180,000-200,000.

4 The target was revised for 2007/08. The target for 2006/07 was 205,000-215,000.

5 Bond cheques are separated from bond lodgement forms and banked within 24 hours of receipt.

6 The target was revised for 2007/08. The target for 2006/07 was 100%.

7 The target was revised for 2007/08. The target for 2006/07 was 43,000-50,000.

8 The target was revised in 2007/08. The target for 2006/07 was 65%-70%.

9 The target was revised for 2007/08. The target for 2006/07 was 22,000-27,000.

10 The target was revised for 2007/08. The target for 2006/07 was 100%.