21 state houses in Dunedin unoccupied

Twenty-one state houses remain unoccupied in the wider Dunedin area while they undergo repairs and maintenance as the waiting list continues to climb.

Several readers have contacted the Otago Daily Times recently regarding unoccupied state housing in the city.

A Housing New Zealand spokesman said yesterday the most recent figures show that of the 1390 homes in the Dunedin City Council boundary area, a ''small number'' of 21 were vacant.

''These could be anything from undergoing routine maintenance between tenancies to major renovations and/or repairs due to fire, flood and refurbishment.

''The timeframes will vary from several weeks to a number of months to make sure local council building consents and other health and safety guidelines standards are met.''

Dunedin's social housing waiting list is 155, which is the highest on record.

In 2016, the Crown entity planned to sell 30 properties in Murray St, Mosgiel.

However, only eight properties were sold because of a subsequent surge in demand for housing in that area.

The Dunedin City Council housing waiting list sits at 244.

Council group property services group manager David Bainbridge said the units were generally fully occupied, apart from a short turnaround time between tenancies.

''For example, as of 22 March, there were three under offer to new tenants and another three ready to offer following renovation.''