Renters’ rage on the rise

‘Desperate’, ‘anxious’ and ‘helpless’ – these are the words renters use to describe how they feel. “The psychological perception of even a small increase of $10 per week can push some renters to the brink of despair,” said allrealestate.co.nz's general manager Shaun Di Gregorio.

‘Rent’ has been coined a dirty four-letter-word by many New Zealanders, giving rise to a social divide between renters and homeowners which, according to this research is worsening.

“A significant drop in housing affordability over the last 10 years has forced many people to stay in rental accommodation, and high rental prices are making it impossible for prospective first home buyers to save enough money to think about buying a house," says Di Gregorio.

The survey revealed:
§ 55% of renters expressed “anxiety” over their renting predicament
§ 35% of renters felt “helpless” in their current rental situation, while one in five admitted a feeling of rage and fury
§ A dismal 9% of renters are happy with their current accommodation
§ A mere 1.7% feel well cared for by their landlords
§ 65% believe they are paying more than they really can afford on rent
§ 56% of prospective tenants are being deterred from applying for properties based on the number of people at inspections
§ 34% of renters feel that given the current housing market, they will never be able to purchase their own property
§ The majority of respondents would rather stay in sub-ideal rental properties than chance their arm in the market.