Lorraine Moon (left) and Pauline Sheddan have bought flats in Sandringham as part of Auckland Council's 'own your own home scheme'. Photo: RNZ / Amy Williams
Pensioners who bought their homes under an Auckland Council affordable housing scheme are worried for its future, as units stay empty amid a housing shortage in the city.
The Own-Your-Own Unit scheme was set up in the 1970s and designed to provide an affordable housing option for superannuitants.
It allows the council to buy back the flats and on-sell them at 80 percent of the market value.
But in 2022 Auckland Council said, after assessment, that the scheme was "no longer fit for purpose" and that new retirement homes and villages were "more appealing".
It decided it wanted to divest itself of the scheme - but hasn't had any luck finding an operator who wants to buy in.
Through the process, sales of units across the 14 villages were stopped, leaving half of them empty and some in a state of disrepair.
Residents Pauline Sheddan and Lorraine Moon say that's having an impact on the community they've built in these villages, and the Council has a moral obligation to look after its residents.
