Radio NZ contacted Aspire to discuss the state of the Auckland rental market. They interviewed Managing Director, Mike Atkinson, and a reporter attended two of our property viewings to get feedback directly from house-hunters.
What RNZ Reported
- A third more listings. Trade Me figures cited in the piece put new Auckland rental listings in February 2025 up 34 percent on a year earlier, with South Auckland up by around 60 percent.
- Asking rents down. The average asking rent in Auckland had fallen about four percent year on year, to $689 a week.
- Incentives. RNZ found landlords offering supermarket vouchers, a week or two rent-free (common on apartments) and reduced weekly rents to get homes let.
- Mike’s advice to renters was to take a lower weekly rent over a one-off sweetener, because a week free is worth much less than a modest weekly reduction over a whole tenancy, and to make an offer under the asking rent on a property they liked.
- Pets as a lever. Allowing pets was one of the most effective ways for a landlord to widen the pool of applicants.
- At the viewings. The house-hunters RNZ spoke to said incentives did not change their decision; the right property in the right location did. Everyone agreed there was far more choice than two years earlier.
What It Means for Landlords
When tenants have choice, a one-off incentive is rarely the answer, and it tends to attract the applicant who is shopping for the incentive. Price to the market, present the property well and respond to enquiries the same day. Our guides to tenanting a property quickly and what makes a good rental property cover both.
Read the Article and Listen
The report aired on RNZ Morning Report on 18 March 2025: New deals to lure Auckland renters: ‘there are lots of options’.
