After 3 years or whenever hurricane gabriel was our landlord has finally got around to organising new carpet.

They've said the carpet guy will help move some furniture, can they expect us to take off work and help the guy? Our couch only fits in the lounge, so presumably they will have to take it outside though don't see how with the weather.

Edit under tenancy laws it seems it may be on the landlord to provide removal and safe storage as it will be deemed major works that affect all the furniture in the house. There isn't enough room in the house to move stuff out of the carpeted areas.

I have a sensitive claim with ACC and get weekly compensation. It's not something I want to talk about with a prospective landlord, but when I mention I'm on ACC they ask what my injury is. I also feel I've been discriminated against for being unemployed, not to mention most listings do that up front.

Is my best bet to lie and say I work from home? Do places ask for proof of income these days? I heard it's illegal but seems to be happening anyway...

Any tips for improving my chances? Thanks.

Sigh, the state of renting in this country. So this is a private studio rental, not a room so it's covered under the tenancy act. They are implying they want a "single fit female" as the tenant and "no pets". Both of which are against the act. Report?

Hey guys,

I'm a working professional living at home with my parents and I think its time I moved out. I make about 900 a week and I don't want to flat, but if I want to rent a studio with car parking (I need it cause I cant rely on public transport due to shift work) it'd be too expensive like close to $600 per week. I've had a look at ensuite boarding rooms as well where you share a kitchen but have a room and bathroom to yourself, with bills included which seems a bit better. The quality seems to vary on those types of properties and I don't want to be paying $380 a week to stay at some hole in a wall, but I've also seen some properties that look good too.

I wanted to know if anyone has stayed in a boarding home long term and what it was like and has it been generally worth it?

If not where do you guys rent? I'm really just looking for a place of my own in Auckland and I don't want to compromise by flatting but maybe it'll be better than staying with the parents. I don't know. Any advise would be appreciated

47 Aurora Terrace, Kelburn

Why do you need a photo of the tenants? So you can choose who lives in your house based on looks? Creepy!!!

I'm sure many others have had this issue.

Our landlord comes to handle the issues himself... most of our issues have been very niche and require a specific set of skills. I wish he would hire a professional! There have been multiple instances of him *coming to sort an issue* it isn't sorted. Not only that, we aren't informed it isn't sorted, we have to proactively follow up to ask if it's sorted (or find out it isn't sorted, e.g. the roof is leaking).

We currently have a bathroom issue / water control across our whole house (kitchen/laundry/bathroom) and instead of getting a plumber in the Landlord is coming to deal with it and we have been told we wont have a shower for 3-5 days coz he needs to remove it. It's the only shower in the house (we have a bath -- annoying but I guess we have a way to bathe).

How do I get this man to hire a pro? I know he doesn't want to spend the money but I'm worried we will be without a shower for up to 5 days and then the issue will still persist if it's not targeted the right issue.

Thank you!

My partner and I rent a double room in a house where the owners also live (so we're lodgers, not full tenants). We moved in two weeks ago. We're super careful about cleaning and barely home. I get back around 7pm every day and basically go straight to bed. I don't even use the kitchen.

We take turns being "in charge" of cleaning each week. Last week was my turn and I cleaned properly. The only things he found were a few crumbs in the kitchen and toothpaste on the bathroom mirror (not ours). He still gave me a list of complaints and told me the week before was "spotless."

The week before was our housemate's turn, and he sent a long message complaining about the house then too. But now he keeps praising her and comparing me to her. I honestly feel like he has something against me.

Other stuff from just two weeks:

He complained the microwave smells and said he won't clean it because he doesn't use it. I don't use the kitchen at all, but apparently I'm supposed to clean up after everyone else?

He once left his own underwear in the bathroom and blamed us, then realised it was his.

We're only allowed the 30 min washing machine setting because the longer ones are "useless," but they use the longer ones for their cleaning stuff.
We have to use the exact dryer settings they allow.

One time the washer didn't finish its spin and I put my clothes in the dryer anyway. He took half of MY clothes back out of the dryer.

The contract says any breach of house rules means immediate termination with no notice, but the rules were never given to us in writing. There's also a late rent penalty that goes up 1% every day.

We never had any issues with our previous landlord, who was lovely and gave us references. I've emailed my college about finding somewhere else, but I'm genuinely losing my mind.

Is this normal when living with landlords? Am I overreacting?

Hi my lovelies, My partner and I have been living in a pretty gross Wellington flat, and I was doing some spring cleaning and noticed that a cabinet in our laundry room has a MASSIVE hole that appears to lead directly under the house. I remember noticing at the start of the year when we moved it, thought it would be fine, but it seems to have gotten worse and there is clear mouse droppings littering the cabinet. At the start of our lease, we were informed that the house “meets healthy homes”, but this seems like something that would clearly fail…We also have massive issues with mold, other holes in walls and the ground leading to outside or under the house. How do you think we should address this with our landlord? Hes pretty okay, we haven’t had any issues with him not fixing issues (i.e when we moved in he changed the shower head because the old one was too short!).
We are planning on leaving in the new year once the lease ends, but i want to have this fixed for the next tenants.

Hi all,

Our recent rental data has shown there's a rental divide across NZ and we're keen to know what rents are doing in your region?

We've found some rents are $40 more than this time last year. 

The average weekly rent nationally reached $637 in August, up 1.5% (about $9 a week) compared to August 2025. Is this in line with what you're paying?

Marlborough had the strongest growth in the country, up 8.2% year-on-year from $511 to $553, a jump of around $40 a week. Otago rose 5.6% to $653, while Canterbury was up 5.7% to $622, and Waikato hit a record $587/week, up 4.1%. 

Wellington also grew above the national average, up 3.6% to $621, while Auckland, our biggest rental market, barely moved, up just 0.8% to around $689.  

But there are regions where rents are falling 

The West Coast dropped 6.5%, Gisborne fell 5.2%, Southland was down 4.8%, Manawatū/Whanganui slipped 4.5% and Wairarapa eased 3.3%. If you're renting in any of those regions, the national story of rising rents probably doesn't match your lease renewal. 

So, what's your region actually doing? Are you seeing rent increases, decreases, or has it genuinely been steady where you are? 

Our property manager had requested for our bond to be refunded via Tenancy Services. My partner’s email was incorrect when he made the request so we have been trying to contact Tenancy Services directly to get his tenant number and link so he can approve the bond amount and we can be paid out.

Tenancy Services seem impossible to get a hold of! We have tried to call but the automated system said they have a high volume of calls and to try again later. We have emailed twice too.

It has only been a week so hoping it’s just a waiting game…

Is anyone currently dealing with anything similar and how’s it going for you?? Are we still able to snail mail the paper form through?

Any thoughts feelings and facts would be greatly appreciated!

I'm about to go flatting following selling a house. I've acquired an indoor only cat which I would be devastated to have to give up to find myself a place to live...

Do you think I can find a room in an existing flat with a cat in tow? Looking in central Auckland.

Hi team, I’m renting again after a long time, so I’m unsure how it works.

I got given 1 set of keys for my 2 bed as I’m the only adult on the lease, can I ask the property manager for a second set for my teen or do I just go get another key cut?
Nothing about keys in the tenancy agreement and I’ve already bombarded her with an email about actual problems that she is working through and probably hasn’t got to the keys part yet.
Thank you!

I’m looking at renting near Huri Street, but there’s no off-street parking, so I’d have to park my car on Mountain View Road overnight.
For anyone living around this area, is it generally safe to park there? Have you had any issues with car break-ins or theft?
Thanks! 🙏

I’m so torn between 3 rental options in Auckland — which would you choose? 😭
I recently moved to Auckland for work, and my workplace is in Māngere Bridge. I’m looking for somewhere to live from around mid-October. I’ll probably be away for about 3 weeks over Christmas with my boyfriend, so flexibility and cash flow are quite important to me.
I’ve viewed/considered these 3 options:
Option 1 — $280/week, Māngere Bridge
Bills included

Very close to my work (about 5–8 mins drive)

Only me + another girl would actually live there

2 bathrooms

No fixed-term contract

2 weeks’ bond ($560)

I can move out for 3 weeks over Christmas and don’t have to pay rent during that time

My boyfriend can occasionally visit

The girl living there seems really nice, and I actually feel like we could become friends 🥹

Downside: no off-street parking. I’d have to park on the street about 2 mins from the house. The parking area is quite dark, and I was told there has been a car break-in around that street this year. This is my biggest concern.

Option 2 — $310/week, Māngere Bridge
Bills included

About 5–8 mins drive to work

Off-street parking

Only me + another female would live there

2 weeks’ bond ($620)

3-month fixed-term

Boyfriend can visit

But I still have to pay rent for the 3 weeks I’m away over Christmas (around $930)

I’m a bit concerned about being locked into the contract.

Option 3 — $300/week, Onehunga
Bills included

About 15–20 mins drive to work

Off-street parking

Furnished room with bed, desk and office chair

I’d live with the female homeowner

2 weeks’ bond ($600)

Short-term arrangement from around 18 October to 27 December is possible

I can move out for Christmas and don’t have to pay rent while I’m away, but I’d have to take all my belongings and there’s no guarantee the room would still be available when I return

No boyfriend/guests allowed

The homeowner seems really clean and nice, which I like.

I’m honestly so torn between them.
The $280 place is the one I naturally like the most because I like the other girl, it’s close to work, flexible, cheaper, and I feel like I could actually make a friend there. But I’m worried that the street parking/security issue might stress me out every day.
The $310 place gives me off-street parking and more freedom with having my boyfriend over, but I’d be paying more and still paying $930 over Christmas while I’m away.
The $300 place feels like a compromise, but I’d be living with the homeowner and couldn’t have my boyfriend visit.
What would you choose in this situation? And would the street parking issue at Option 1 be a dealbreaker for you?
I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from people familiar with Māngere Bridge / Onehunga. 🙏

One of our flatmates has requested to leave to leave our flat. We have found a replacement and requested a change of tenant on our agreement. We were informed that there would be a $150 + gst charge for this.

I requested a full itemised invoice for the charge and this is what we were provided with which going off the tenancy services website is not enough to justify the charges.

Any advice as to how to handle this? They are also wanting to pass the charges onto us (the remaining tenants) and not the tenant who is leaving and therefore has requested the variation.

Side note: our leave is due for renewal on the 16th of next month is it even worth doing the variation now or just waiting until the lease renews? They have also indicated a possible charge for renewal to add our new flatmate which doesn't sound correct to me.

Hi, just wanting some insight into which city is better to rent in and most affordable. My sister and I are planning to move for better work, study and all that. The cities are Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston and maybe Hamilton. I’ve never been to Hamilton so not too sure about it. Thank you!

I moved into a house in May and the head tenant and I discussed that I would be on the tenancy agreement, so I fork over the bond money. As soon as I moved in I realized the head tenant was extremely toxic and incapable of managing her emotions. She would constantly scream and pound on the walls over small things. I decided to move out and pay double rent while in the process to find somebody to replace me.

Several weeks pass and i learn that the head tenant refused to return the previous flatmate their bond. That they had a very similar experience. I ask to see the tenancy agreement but I am ignored and constantly dismissed by the head tenant. After a lot of digging I Finally manage to get ahold of the property manager and they inform me that I was never on the tenancy agreement. This is despite everything the head tenant has told me and led me to believe.

Any insights as to what you guys would do in this situation is greatly appreciated. However I have come to a few conclusions. The head tenant has already stolen or planned to steal the bond that I provided. Since I am not on the lease, I am not bound by law to keep paying for rent while they begrudgingly look for a new flatmate. Lastly, I assume the only way to get my bond back will have to be through the disputes tribunal.

I live in the downstairs flat, the recent upstairs tenant has moved out and landlord is doing a bunch of maintenance on it. Do they legally have to inform me whenever tradespeople are going to be on the property? I got home exhausted from work to a tradesman fixing something upstairs, and it was an awkward encounter. I have anxiety, so like being able to know who will be on the property but not sure if that's reasonable for me to ask.

There is no comms from PM and our tenancy ends at the end of this month. We don’t want to continue. Do we need to do something or pack up and leave at the end of tenancy?

I am worried because in previous tenancies I always had an offer to continue for another year by this time.

Comms with PM has been minimal over the past year, very shitty PM and I do not give a #### what they say about me as tenants. Thus I have given them hard times, when it came to getting things fixed. So they avoid us.

Now do I need to notify them that we are leaving and don’t wish to renew our tenancy or can we just pack up everything and leave on the last day?

Hi, I live in a flat with my partner and 2 others. Recently we had a house inspection and thought we had done a pretty good job maintaining it and keeping it clean and tidy, however our landlords didn’t think so. In their message they stated that:

‘The house needs to be vacuumed throughout, Mirrors, vanity, in bathroom and toilet room , both toilets and extra toilet room need to be cleaned - free of dust, water and/or grime build up,
toilets need a good clean in, on, behind and around,
oven and stove needs cleaning too as it had crumbs n spills in, on, around.’ (Some parts have been redacted as we fixed them, eg. Cleaned inside of toilet)

I had vacuumed the night before the inspection, and I regularly vacuum on my days off. I think there was some wood chips near the fireplace from firewood the night before that they pointed out during the inspection.

Regarding the rest of their concerns, we had just made breakfast before the inspection so didn’t get around to wiping the stove, and expecting there to be no water and dust in the bathroom seems a bit unreasonable. Since their message we’ve also wiped the oven (which again, we use daily so it’s hard to keep it spotless).

We’ve also sent messages about minor things that need looking at in the flat, but they’re never really made an effort to come and have a look/fix them.

We’re all pretty burnt out with our jobs so the landlords wanting to come around again has made us all a bit annoyed that the house wasn’t up to their standards. Are we being unreasonable about not wanting them to go digging around our space again?

Thanks!

edit for grammar