The Kahikatea St resident, who did not want to be named due to safety reasons, said she became aware of a \u201cprowler\u201d wearing a beanie standing on her doorstep.<\/p>\n
The man, roughly 180cm tall, tried to enter the her home but woke her by triggering a makeshift security system, she said. <\/p>\n
He fled when she jumped from bed to slam and lock her door. <\/p>\n
The resident said she \u201cdoesn\u2019t scare easily\u201d but had taken days to recover. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt has left me a tad shaky.\u201d <\/p>\n
She is now taking security more seriously and ensuring doors and windows are locked at night.<\/p>\n
She contacted the police. <\/p>\n
Rawhiti Flats on Miller St are just some of the council’s 152 pensioner housing units in Rotorua. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n
She said that other residents told her homeless people were sleeping around the property\u2019s empty pensioner units.<\/p>\n
Council staff inspected the property. They found sleeping material near vacant units at the block\u2019s Miller St end, she said.<\/p>\n
She said it was \u201ca bit disconcerting\u201d, adding, \u201cIf they were occupied, it wouldn\u2019t be a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rotorua police Inspector Phil Gillbanks confirmed a report was made but there were \u201cunfortunately no further lines of inquiry\u201d.<\/p>\n
Gillbanks was \u201cnot immediately aware of any particular instances of suspicious activity\u201d at any of Rotorua\u2019s other pensioner housing blocks.<\/p>\n
Rotorua Police area manager of prevention, Inspector Phil Gillbanks. Photo \/ NZME <\/p>\n
\u201cOur advice to anyone who notices suspicious activity, or activity that makes them feel unsafe, is to ensure your own safety first and call 111 immediately.\u201d <\/p>\n
Rotorua Lakes Council group manager of infrastructure and environment Stavros Michael confirmed some \u201cpersonal items\u201d were found behind wheelie bins nothing was found inside vacant units.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe units are locked up and linked to a master system, and council staff or contractors are regularly at the pensioner unit complexes.\u201d <\/p>\n
A second resident told Local Democracy Reporting her car had been stolen twice and she felt \u201cscared\u201d and \u201cisolated\u201d as the only person in a block of four units. <\/p>\n
In August, the council announced a new partnership with Ka Puta Ka Ora Emerge Aotearoa.<\/p>\n
Other vacant units at Kahikatea St are in better condition but remain unoccupied. Photo \/ Mathew Nash<\/p>\n
The community housing organisation will take over property management responsibilities, but the council will remain the landlord. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost vacant units required a complete refurbishment before they can be tenanted, and refurbishments occur as council budgets allow,\u201d Michael said.<\/p>\n
Upgrades \u201cwill need to align with any long-term redevelopment plans\u201d as part of their Emerge partnership. <\/p>\n
Under the partnership, residents will be required to sign a new tenancy agreement with Emerge, which includes raising their rent to market rates from February. <\/p>\n
The agreement was initially scheduled to begin on October 1, but has been pushed back amid complaints regarding a lack of clarity on how rent rises will be covered<\/a>.<\/p>\n The council and Emerge have assured residents the arrangement will allow for easier government help and that people solely dependent on superannuation would be \u201cno worse off financially\u201d for two years.<\/p>\n