Housing NZ tenant Grace Neill is urging the organisation to let her swap her Porirua house for her recently-deceased dad's state home where he had lived for 37 years because of her emotional bonds to the property where she grew up.

Grace Neill will do anything to swap her state home for the one she grew up in - the same house her father recently died in.

But Housing New Zealand (HNZ) has told the 37-year-old mother-of-two that, while it acknowledged her loss, the organisation said there were other families that needed her father's old three-bedroom Titahi Bay house in Porirua.

Neill and her 11-year-old son, Mighty Neill-Blance, will soon be joined again by her teenage daughter at their three-bedroom HNZ unit across the city at Cannons Creek.

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Grace Neill, 37, with her son Mighty, 11, hold a family photo with her father, David Neill, who recently died in his state home.

Neill wants to give up the unit she's lived in for the past nine years to take over the lease of David Neill's house after he died last month.

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"If they're willing to give a family a place to move in, well, why can't they give them mine and let me move back home to the place I was raised?

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Grace Neill, left, with her 11-year-old son, Mighty, wants to swap her state home tenancy for her unit for the one covering this house she grew up in at Titahi Bay.

"This place means the world to us because we've been here for 37 years. We've had birthdays, parties. I've grown up here. My kids have grown up here. All our animals have lived here."

Mighty found his 65-year-old grandfather, also known as Burger because of his long career as a chef, dead at home in June.

Since then, the family - including Burger's dog Coco and their dog Smokey - has been under pressure with funeral arrangements and clearing the house out under deadline.

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF David John Neill, 65, died at his home at Titahi Bay in Porirua in June.

"Most of the times he'd look after the kids if I needed time out. The kids and my dad had a strong bond. They'd stay over here and he'd teach them maths.

"[Now] it feels like someone's rung up and said, 'Hey, Dave's dead - can we have the house?'

"If I felt there was another family moving in, I'd be really upset because my dad's passing has just happened. It would be really sad if there was another family that moved in."

HNZ area manager Kathy Furfie offered her sincere condolences to the family along with more than the agreed three-week moving out period if needed.

"This notice has been given to Ms Neill to give her space at this difficult time to organise any family arrangements, as well as to be assessed for her housing eligibility and any other needs with the Ministry of Social Development.

Like all tenancy agreements, the agreement for the property was with the registered tenant, Mr Neill, who sadly passed away recently.

"Porirua is an area of high demand and very few available homes so there are high numbers of people with severe housing-need waiting."

Furfie emphasised Neill is already "suitably housed" in a same-sized property.

"I am confident our staff have followed the correct process throughout and also showed compassion and empathy to the family at this difficult time."

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