Mike joins the One Roof Radio Show again, this time discussing the challenging state of the rental market for landlords, tips for how to get your property rented, and he delves into the upcoming pet law change, and how it will be difficult to say no to pets.
What Was Covered
- Properties are sitting empty for longer. The figures discussed on the show had rentals taking about six days longer to let than a year earlier, with Auckland averaging a little over three weeks and some regions past a month.
- Why: more supply, fewer tenants. Listings were up by roughly a third nationally and about a quarter in Auckland year on year, while enquiry was down, so tenants had more choice than at any point since the pandemic.
- “Some other problem.” Mike’s point was that a long vacancy is rarely just the market. It is almost always one of three things: the price is set to last year’s market, the presentation is off (maintenance, cleaning, photos), or the process is passive, with enquiries waiting days for a reply.
- The pet law change. The Residential Tenancies changes then before Parliament: a landlord would no longer be able to refuse a pet without a reasonable ground, a pet bond of up to two weeks’ rent would be allowed, and assistance dogs could not be refused at all.
- The catch. Mike’s concern was enforcement. The Tribunal has historically treated a lot of pet damage as fair wear and tear, which makes the extra bond hard to actually claim against.
What It Means for Landlords
If your property has been advertised for more than a couple of weeks without a strong application, change something. Start with the rent (a rental appraisal will tell you where the market is), then the listing itself (our guide to rental listing optimisation covers photos, copy and timing), and make sure every enquiry gets a same-day reply and a viewing offered. The full checklist is in how to tenant your property quickly.
On pets, the rules Mike was previewing here have since come into force. The background is in our guide to the tribunal rulings on pets in rental properties, and Mike went back on the show in December 2025 to talk through the rules as enacted: Pets in Rentals.
Listen to the Full Segment
The interview aired on Saturday 17 May 2025 on The Weekend Collective, Newstalk ZB, and runs about 40 minutes. If the player above does not load, listen on the Newstalk ZB website.
