Rotorua's rental shortage hitting home for house hunter

House hunter Kirsty Quin, with her 11-month-old son Zachary. Photo/Stephen Parker

Kirsty Quin is starting to think something has to give if she wants to find a home for her family.

The Rotorua mum of three, and her husband, have been forced to look for a new place to rent because their current rental property is for sale.

The family have been living in the house for four years and knew the landlord was going to put the house on the market. They were also expecting another child so had been looking for somewhere else on and off.

Quin said when she hears about rents rising more than $20 in a month, she "freaks out".

"Well $23, that's taking food away from my kids," Quin said.

"I'm sure there are people in worse situations that I am."

The family includes a 14, 9 and 1-year-old, plus a small, old terrier which is blind in one eye.

"Because of the dog no one wants to look at us," Quin said.

She said there were a lot of things to weigh up when looking for a rental; how close it was to work and school, and the cost.

"I'm on a part time wage and my husband, he's just started a new job so we're not on high wages," she said.

"We're just trying to find something that works.

"There are so many things to weigh up and look for."

Quin said the family had "plenty of references" and hadn't had issues finding a house to rent in the past.

She said it was frustrating when she applied to view a house then got an email saying it had already been rented. Owning their own home also wasn't on the cards, she said.

"We're not at that point [of desperation] yet but it's starting to hit home we're going to have to lose out on something to make it work."