The number of new rental listings in Auckland rose from 8049 to 10,805 in a year. Photo: RNZ
Househunters are being offered $500 grocery vouchers or a free week's rent by Auckland landlords keen to lure them - but are being told to hold off for more.
TradeMe statistics showed the number of new rental listings in the city in February was up 34 percent on the same time last year - from 8049 to 10,805.
Aspire Property Management managing director Mike Atkinson said the market was like musical chairs.
"At the moment there are a lot more chairs than there are people playing the game so it's a lot easier to get a seat," he said.
Aspire had about 1000 properties on its books, most of them in Auckland.
Atkinson had noticed more little sweeteners enter the mix.
"Food vouchers, like Countdown vouchers for $500, we have a couple of properties at the moment offering one week's free rent. That's particularly common amongst apartments," he said.
RNZ also found properties on Trade Me advertising two weeks free rent, and several houses that had dropped their weekly rent by up to $60 a week.
Atkinson said would-be tenants would probably be better off in the long term by negotiating a lower weekly rent.
"If you find a property that you think is a nice property, that you'd like to live but its $20 a week more than you think you can afford to pay, then definitely put an offer in to the agent or landlord," he said.
One of the biggest things landlords could do to help get tenants was to allow pets, he said.
Atkinson said "new listings" figures did not tell the full story because many homes were are sitting empty for longer than they were a year ago, further increasing the pool, he said.
Figures Aspire used, showed and an almost 60 percent increase in available rentals in South Auckland.
Those working in property said there was a mix of reasons - including Aucklanders moving overseas, moving back in with their parents, or putting their own homes up for rent when they could not sell them.
RNZ visited a Mount Roskill viewing to ask house hunters what they were seeing.
Prashitesh and Palvi were searching for a family home and had noticed some of the incentives but they were not enough to lure them.
"Either its not the area we want, or its not the type of house we want," Palvi said.
Flat hunter Parush, who was looking with two flatmates, noticed there was a lot more choice than when he last looked two years ago.
"We've already looked at 20-25 houses so it good, there are lots of options," he said.
Latest figures from realestate.co.nz showed the growing renters market might be having an impact on weekly rents.
The average rental Auckland in February fell four percent on the previous year to $689 a week.
But Zac Thomas, the president of advocacy group Renters United, said talk of a renters market was not all it seemed to be.
There was still a power imbalance that meant very few renters were negotiating cheaper prices, he said.
"If you are a renter that knows about these statistics then, great, there are the odd instances, but its not something we are seeing across the board," he said.
His advice to renters who did get a good price was to lock it in their contract for as long as possible.
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