An enterprising landlord has been swamped with inquiries about his modest rental property after offering a free holiday as a sweetener to prospective tenants.

House rental prices in Auckland could rise up to 50 per cent in some areas because new mortgage lending restrictions are pushing would-be home owners to rent.

The prices of necessities such as shelter and food are rising at a faster rate than non-essential items, particularly manufactured goods, writes Peter Lyons.

A West Coast woman who told a court she could only afford to pay $2 a week to her former landlord was caught out trying to buy $62 of cigarettes by a judge at the supermarket.

The Cornwall Park Trust Board has extended an olive branch to cash-strapped ground renters, offering to change the terms of 110 controversial leases.

It's no secret that Kiwis have a love affair with property. Any spare money goes into bricks and mortar, rather than a weighty investment portfolio.

Single dad Tommy Sutton has looked at about 10 rental properties in two weeks in South Auckland but all have been out of his price range.

An unseasonably warm winter has pushed rental prices up in 25 of 30 Auckland suburbs, forcing some families to share with each other.

Sleepouts built in China are due to arrive in New Zealand in containers in the next two months.

Residential rents could rise and historic buildings might be abandoned, say property chiefs who have mixed feelings about real estate changes in the Budget.

The head of Auckland's main landlord group says TV2's Sunday night Renters reflects reality.

A tenant advocate is appalled at TV reality programme Renters, which has featured machete-wielders, rent absconders, hoarders and neighbourhood nuisances.

The red zone cordons around quake-damaged Christchurch city centre have been eased further back today.

The manager of Christchurch's Tenants Protection Association says she's not surprised by new figures that show there could be more than 7000 people classified as homeless in the city.

Auckland renters tired of facing crowds competing for the best properties have a new option for securing their dream home - pay top dollar by tender and it's yours.

Landlords increased weekly rents for homes of every size in all but two of Auckland's 30 suburbs, a four-year comparison shows.

Auckland rents are outstripping wages and rising faster than inflation, a four-year comparison shows.

Renters could be in luck, as a turnaround in the market has seen a flood of listings and brought prices to a standstill.