Many residents are responsible for the repairs and maintenance costs of the operator’s chattels – but if it needs replacing then that is the cost of the operator. However, many villages do NOT have a replacement policy. An 82 yr old gentleman and his wife were required to pay a $600 bill for repairing an 11 year old dishwasher (and they had only lived in the unit for 3 years) because the contract repairperson for the operator said he “didn’t like the new F&P models”. The manufacturer publicly states the dishwasher has a 6-10 year lifespan and the NZ IRD allows full depreciation for dishwashers after 6.67 years – but the operator doesn’t have to replace it.

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