What You Need to Know Before Renting in New Zealand

With New Zealand’s red hot property market, finding a rental home in New Zealand is a stress for expats and returning Kiwis. Getting settled quickly is a higher priority than ever for people relocating to New Zealand during the pandemic, but housing is too important to get wrong. 

Rental listings don’t show the whole picture

Layout and scale are hard to judge virtually.

While homes listed for sale typically share current photos of every room and floor plan, rental listings tend to have fewer photos and often from several years (and tenants) prior. 

The layout of a house makes a big difference to how it functions, especially for families wanting a particular arrangement of bedrooms. We toured one house that looked fabulous in photos but our in-person tour revealed bedrooms tucked into impractical places around the house. Another house featured a dark, damp “bedroom” completely detached from the rest of the house and a refrigerator outside the kitchen. 

Surroundings matter.

Your enjoyment of a property will be impacted by its neighbourhood and by things that you can’t necessarily see from an online posting or even a virtual tour. 

How do you feel about living near the fire brigade, under the airport approach path, or near a school? Are there seasonal traditions or major events that will change the neighbourhood atmosphere for a portion of the year? Is the neighbourhood demographic - other families, young people, students, professionals - a match for where you’re hoping to live? 

It really takes a local’s knowledge to get to the bottom of this. We liked a house close to the beach and restaurants, and our advisor warned us that noise is a known problem during summer evenings. Every time I hear about noise complaints in that area, I am grateful that we were able to avoid the inconvenience. 

You need to do more than just see a property to know what you’re getting. 

The standard of the Kiwi housing stock is highly variable, so it’s not always possible to gauge build quality - for better or worse - until you’re standing in the property. 

For example, insulation, heating, and cooling are not a given in New Zealand homes. Because of the damp climate, a drafty place can be really uncomfortable during the winter months, even in more northern parts of the country. And a beautifully sunny place has potential to be unbearably hot in the summer without a good cross breeze. You can’t know what you’re getting until you use your senses to investigate. 

It’s good to get a feel for the property management situation as well. Will you be subject to regular inspections? Will you be working directly with the landlord or with a property manager? How responsive and dependable are they when you’re interacting with them? What aspects of the tenancy are negotiable? 

Location, location, location

A property’s location impacts many aspects of life, from commute to neighbours to educational opportunities. 

Maybe you dream of biking into the CBD only to discover that the terrain in your target neighbourhood makes that a bigger challenge than you’re willing to tackle on a Monday morning. Maybe you want to be near a cafe, but you can’t differentiate between meh and your new favourite from afar. Maybe you’re really set on a particular neighbourhood only to tour the local school and feel it’s not a good fit for your child. 

All of these considerations are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that need to come together at the same time as you’re choosing your next home. 

Educational decisions, in particular, go hand-in-hand with finding a property due to geographic zoning. During our search, we toured and interviewed schools at the same time as searching for a property. While we were happy with all of the schools we visited, we could clearly rank them, and that ranking influenced our opinion of the houses we were considering. 

Your home is your haven

Whether you’re adjusting to living in New Zealand for the first time or readjusting after being away for a while, being out in the community takes a good deal of energy. 

Ideally, you’ll be able to come home to a place that feels like home to you, with familiar items, people you care about, and customs from the culture(s) you’ve brought with you. If you end up in an uncomfortable living situation, it’s hard to feel that sense of security and relaxation. 

This is even more important for families because home becomes the stable place you create. You’ve been through a lot, and making the right house your home is worth getting right. 

If you’d like more tips to help your relocation to NZ, download our FREE Move to NZ Checklist HERE.

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Want a local expert to help you find your home in NZ? Mobile Relocation helps returning Kiwis and newcomers to NZ find their new home and so much more. 

Contact us today to talk about how we can carry your relocation burden.  

Bridget is a New Zealander who has lived and worked as a diplomat in Singapore and India.  After experiencing all facets of the relocation experience, she founded Mobile to work with private individuals moving to NZ and leading local and international businesses bringing in offshore talent.  bridget@mobile-relocation.com

Amanda is a former US immigration attorney who moved to NZ with her Kiwi partner and three children during COVID. She enjoys making the journey easier for those following a similar path and providing the perspective of someone who’s recently been there. amanda@mobile-relocation.com

Ready to move to New Zealand? Get our FREE Move to NZ Checklist HERE.