ER22 The New Zealand rental sector (August 2017)

This report contains the results of a three-phase study of the New Zealand private rental housing sector that:

• used Census data to investigate demographic trends in tenure status nationally and in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin
• surveyed a random sample of tenants and landlords in the same cities
• conducted follow-up interviews with a subsample of those surveyed to understand more fully their experiences, priorities and plans within the private rental housing sector.

To make renting a viable alternative to owner-occupation will require both a perceptual shift back to viewing a dwelling as primarily a home, rather than predominantly an asset, and for this to be reflected in legislation that affords tenants secure occupancy. This is separate from the issues of the current shortfall in housing, the impact of immigration and government policies that facilitate investment in property and privilege it over other forms of investment.