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The Blog

Rent crunch goes on - and single mothers say they're feeling the pinch

April 30, 2019

Industry News

Single mothers say they face an extra burden in a rental market that is becoming increasingly competitive in many parts of the country. One woman, Stefanie Gschnitzer, broke up with her partner last year and had to live with a friend for two months because she could not find a rental property to live in. […]

National weekly rent edges closer to $500

April 29, 2019

Industry News

New Zealand’s national median weekly hit $495 in March after climbing 5.3 per cent on last year, as every region in the country experienced an annual increase in rent, according to the latest Trade Me Rental Price Index. Trade Me’s Head of Rentals Aaron Clancy said the country’s rental market was looking very healthy and […]

Housing Minister Phil Twyford unveils new standards for all NZ rental homes

February 24, 2019

Industry News

New Government rules will require every rental home in New Zealand to have a heater in the living room and an extractor fan in the kitchen and bathroom. The new requirements are part of the Government’s healthy homes standards, announced by Housing Minister Phil Twyford this morning. The Green Party has welcomed the new rules, […]

REINZ warns landlords they have less than 6 months to insulate rental properties or face a $4,000 fine

January 13, 2019

Industry News

As people slowly make their way back to the office, the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) is warning landlords that they now have less than six months to insulate their rental properties or they could face a fine of up to $4,000 from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). Any landlords […]

Hawke's Bay rents rocket up $57 a week in a year

November 21, 2018

Hawke's Bay

Costs of renting property in Hawke’s Bay have gone up $57 a week since last year and renters will have to add another $10 a-week on top of that next month. Data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment shows that last month the average mean rent in Hawke’s Bay rose from $338 a […]

Now's the time to get into New Zealand property market - experts

November 12, 2018

Industry News

Property experts believe now is a strategic time to get into the New Zealand market. Confidence in house price growth across most of New Zealand has peaked, according to a new ASB Bank survey, which shows expectations are lowest in Auckland and Canterbury, reflecting flat or falling prices. ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley says new […]

Letting fees to be axed, who picks up the bill?

November 3, 2018

Industry News

Up to $47 million could be put back into the pockets of Kiwi families by the banning of letting fees for tenants, the Government says, but Bay of Plenty property bosses are not convinced. Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced the law change on Thursday and said the ban was a “good first step in […]

Bill passes meaning letting fees will be gone by Christmas

November 1, 2018

Industry News

Letting fees charging hundreds of dollars to new tenants will be abolished before this summer, after a Government bill passed its final reading. But the National Party is warning that the Residential Tenancies (Prohibiting Letting Fees) Amendment Bill will only lead to higher rents. The bill, which passed its third reading today with support from […]

Tauranga rentals increase $255 over 20 years

October 29, 2018

Tauranga

Tauranga’s rental prices have jumped up by $255 in 20 years – and looming law changes and insulation requirements could push them up even higher. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment data released by CoreLogic showed the average rental price in January 1998 was $193 per week. But 20 years and $255 extra later, the […]

Rent rising faster in Hawke's Bay than anywhere else in NZ: Trade Me stats

September 28, 2018

Hawke's Bay

Hawke’s Bay tenants have endured New Zealand’s highest hike in rents over the past year, new figures reveal. The latest Trade Me Rental Price Index shows the national median weekly rent was up 6.7 per cent on last year, remaining at a record high of $480 for a third consecutive month. “Every region in the […]

Landlord group embarks on alternative to rental WOF

September 10, 2018

Industry News

Property investors are concerned that a compulsory rental WOF as championed by the Greens at the weekend might be too difficult to meet. But a group of Wellington landlords is already taking the initiative and proposing an alternative system to uphold certain standards. Wellington Property Investors Association president Richard Bacon said his members were starting a landlord accreditation scheme. “It’ll take […]

Rental housing availability could drop next winter as insulation deadline looms, expert says

September 5, 2018

Industry News

The Government released a set of proposed minimum standards for landlords yesterday designed to make rental housing more comfortable for New Zealanders.   But it’s the looming deadline for a 2016 regulation put in place by the previous Government that could see a reduction in rental housing next winter, predicts Palmerston North City Council’s eco-design […]

New rules proposed to bring rental homes up to adequate health standards

September 4, 2018

Industry News

Rental properties will have to be warmer and more weather tight under proposed minimum standards. Housing and Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford revealed the proposed standards in Wellington on Tuesday, saying they were designed to eradicate the tens of thousands of health complaints resulting every winter from “damp, cold and mouldy” rental homes. The proposed regulations, […]

Ministry of Health dismissed concerns meth test levels should be relaxed

July 24, 2018

Industry News

The Ministry of Health dismissed concerns the meth testing standard was unnecessarily stringent, documents show. People have been evicted from private and Housing NZ homes, with millions of private and taxpayers’ dollars wasted on unnecessary cleaning, a report fronted by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor Peter Gluckman found in May. The critical error had […]

Tenancy Tribunal sticks to existing meth standard

July 15, 2018

Industry News

The report by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Sir Peter Gluckman, which came as a shock to the industry and certainly raised a lot of questions seems to have not persuaded the Tenancy Tribunal. The Tenancy Tribunal has published the first orders on meth contamination to be issued following the release of the Gluckman […]

Renters United announces plan to fix renting in New Zealand

July 11, 2018

Industry News

Renters United has released a detailed plan of how to “fix renting” in New Zealand. The organisation is proposing 36 specific legislative changes to existing laws, laid out in what’s called ‘The Plan to Fix Renting’. It says the country is facing a “once-in-a-decade opportunity” to fix rental laws, which it describes as “broken”. “Renters can […]

Landlords worried as Government moves on compulsory heating in rental properties

June 5, 2018

Industry News

The Government is pushing ahead with new rules to get heating into nearly 500,000 rental homes – a move which landlords fear will force them to install heat pumps and critics say will push up rents. Housing Minister Phil Twyford told the Weekend Herald the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment would soon call for feedback on […]

Real Estate Institute: Help renters by regulating property managers

May 23, 2018

Industry News

New Zealand’s Real Estate Institute says the government should regulate property managers, not focus on banning letting fees, if it wants to help renters. Submissions close on Wednesday on the proposal to stop landlords charging letting fees to tenants who want to secure a property. These fees are often equal to a week’s rent, plus […]

Rents rocket to an average $400 a week in Hawke's Bay

May 22, 2018

Hawke's Bay

Sky-rocketing rents in Hawke’s Bay are among the highest in New Zealand, and with letting agents and landlords facing increased costs over the coming year the situation does not look like slowing down. Online data from Trade Me released yesterday shows rents across Hawke’s Bay have leaped 14.3 per cent over the past year to […]

Rents rise as rentals become scarce in some regions

May 21, 2018

Industry News

New Zealand’s national median rent has hit a record­ $475 per week in April, driven by strong demand in the regions, according to data from Trade Me. Head of Trade Me Property Nigel Jeffries said rents typically cooled in autumn and winter, but April bucked the seasonal trend. Nationally, the median rent was $475 a week, 5.6 […]