Test Area

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I was reading an article this week about a car rental company independently testing tourists, before allowing them to drive rental cars. Eight questions are asked about the NZ road rules and tourists have to pass all eight. Actually not a bad idea. Read more here http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/queenstown-car-rental-company-to-test-tourist-drivers-2015030519#axzz3oq29p8ar

it made me think of a conversation I took part in during a recent OmFax 'Your Call' session (see http://tonysmiththathousingitguy.blogspot.com/2015/10/your-call-so-good-Omfax.html ), with a big group of call and service centre professionals. One topic of conversation was how difficult it was to do tenant inductions. Tenants, understandably just wanted their key to their new home.

One had tried to introduce a test, but this was problematic and difficult to enforce. Obviously in NZ, this test before being able to drive has some obvious parallels. Again, all the people want is their key, not more hoops to jump through. In the article, Greg Wensley from Wai Hire Cars states, "If we have to turn down the odd customer because we don't think they're safe. The money we might lose is a lot less than the cost of damage done to a car,".

I bet those drivers are slightly more careful after going through that exercise. If it was enforced, surely our tenants would be more aware of their rights, responsibilities, what constitutes being a good tenant, neighbour and how their social landlord can assist them in times of difficulty. Of course, so it would be no surprise, RSLs would tell applicants this was a requirement at CHR or CBL waiting list stage. It would not then come as a total surprise.

Enforcing it is perhaps the hardest thing, although I seriously doubt that an extra 45 minutes at sign up, would be any worse than 15 extra, when trying to get on the highway in your hire vehicle in Queenstown. I can imagine some of the strands of that tenant test. What repairs are rechargeable, how fast we will chase you when they get behind with rent, what is ASB & how we deal with it, statutory right to service gas appliances and issue a CP12 Gas Safe cert to keep tenants safe.

The test need not be dry either. Decent e-learning resources with avatars or other animations, that can increasingly be found in use at social housing, could easily be used to  make this less onerous.
The investment of an enforced induction test could potentially pay for itself with the first (potentially) rechargeable repair prevented or not reported. Alternatively the first gas service completed on the first appointment, not after three no-accesses. Think about it. Maybe we should be making it harder for those new tenants to pick up that key.

Broadcast - Test Area - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx68wDmJaDk