Tauranga home owners are renting out their family homes over Christmas and New Year to cover their rates and bills.
The number of Papamoa and Mount Maunganui home owners enquiring about offering their homes as short-term holiday rentals has increased 10-fold since last year at one popular company.
Leslie Preston, founder and general manager of Bachcare, said owners of permanent homes were renting them out to fund their own travels or cover their rates and basic expenses.
Last September the company took inquiries from four property owners in Papamoa and Mount Maunganui about renting their houses out - this year there have already been 45 in just the first two weeks of the month.
The huge increase was driven by new home owners in the area who had recently purchased as a semi-investment, as well as existing holiday homes owners who had tried to sell but could get the price they wanted.