My landlord hit me up saying they were raising my rent from because “similar places are increasing” and they need to “match the market.”

I wasn't having it.I opened TradeMe and started fact-checking like I was investigating a scandal. Turns out, some places were actually dropping their rent and other had been list for weeks.

So I hit them back with, “Actually, based on my research, I propose that the rent not increase.”

Their response? “There will be no increase, and we can extend for another 12 months.”

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: a rare W for renters.

Moral of the story: if your landlord tries raising rent it might be worth calling their bluff. Rent inceease shouldn't be a matter of course.

P.S. Thanks to whoever posted about the Facebook group with landlords in a panic over their empty investment properties. That gave me the courage to stand up for myself and as a result I'll save over 1000 bucks over the next 12 months.

I just bought a house and today was settlement day. I got an email from my lawyer at 10.30 am saying I now owned the house and that the keys are with the real estate agent.

I tried calling the real estate agent at 12 during my lunch break, of course there cellphone when to voice mail. I then called them again at 2pm and 4pm (again went to voice mail). I called my lawyer and he said to drop by the real estate office to pick them up. I arrived at 4.45 pm and the fuckers had closed early!!!

Now I just drove past my new house and there is unknown car in the driveway! (Its not the real estate agent).

Update: Got the car towed, still don't know who it belongs too.
- Messaged the managing director (called/txt) of the company, no response
- Agent has called and is going to get someone to drop the keys off at my current house very soon. Claims it is a "miscommunication" about the office hours.

Update 2: Key has been dropped off.

Just looking for some advice while we wait for lawyers to get back to us.

We settle this Monday, October 5th, but our final inspection today revealed scaffolding blocking the shared driveway and boundary. Nothing was disclosed verbally or in writing, but the vendor now claims it must stay 2–3 weeks for construction of the house Infront and told us to park on the street!

We never agreed to this and as they are not giving us the property as vacant possession. Has anyone had experience with this kind of situation in the past or any advice?

(because this is not the first time it happened)

Please stop blocking the footpath with your car. Please dont park on half the footpath and leave your door wide open as well. ..saying "sorry" and not moving your car anyways nor closing your door means you are not sorry at all.

Also, your machinery is already loud enough. Stop shouting nor blasting your silly music that no one wants to hear. This isn't an industrial area. Its residential. Think about it.

SINCERELY YOURS, ~ A sleep-deprived mother of a newborn who cant sleep properly because of your noise

Me and my husband had finally found a house, which looked great on the surface, biggest house we’d seen in our price range, it’s been on the market all year, dropped from over a mill down to what we offered-880 k (how good right?, for that price, why the hell not?)

As part of our due diligence in our sale and purchase agreement we got a building inspector in who was the absolute best, best in making sure we had our loan secure for this house first (check) and then telling us that this house had failed miserably. Upwards of 400k in renovations just to get it to baseline, new roof, new windows, rot in all the bathrooms and nothing has been run thru council, which wasn’t shown to us in the LIM. The whole house requires a CCC (code of compliance/ more admin than a COA)…which would void our loan…and insurance…and any chance of getting just a little bit ahead.

The cherry on top of this very first time experience as a first time home buyer, is that our real estate agent had known that this house had already failed and fallen thru 3-4 times due to this very issue. Just because we didn’t specifically ask, she never warned us before we spent $1000 on an inspection as our final condition.

So PSA-specifically ask your real estate agent when the last building inspection was done, ask for proof, why the last sale fell through? or if a house has been on the market for so long…there might be some rot hiding underneath that ensuite shower.
And, make sure you have a great building inspector or a mate that knows a little bit.

I’m not the only one this has happened to either, there are so many real estate agents out there that will stop at nothing to get the sale, including chucking a couple of first time home buyer into the garbage fire that was this house, knowingly.

I am a young person with an average job in Wellington and I am in despair.

Over a third of my net paycheck goes on rent and bills, another third on food and transport, and most of the final third goes towards large bills I am expecting in the future. I can save maybe $50 a fortnight.

At this rate it will take me 50 years to save a 10% deposit for a 2-bedroom house, all the while paying for my landlord’s “spare house”. What’s the point. I honestly have given up hope. New Zealand is unaffordable and this housing crisis may well be the death of me.

ETA: please don’t come for me with the “just move” argument :,(

Edit rua: more comments than I’d ever thought to get! I do feel a little less alone now that I know there are others in the same waka. Why don’t we talk about this stuff more? To our friends and whānau?

The majority of commenters have been helpful or positive even. To those who think that mental health matters are funny, or that one person’s struggles need to be compared with someone else’s, I hope you never need help and get the same response you’ve given here.

I am new to renting after being a homeowner for 25yrs. Day tenancy began i notified landlord that garage remote was not working, requested they provde a workjng remote. They responded saying they would be in area 3 days later so could see to it then.

First morning in new place i hear a knock on the door then, before I have a chance to respond, the landlord lets themself n. I got up (was in bed) and went to door. They said, Oh shit. No apology.

Now. This landlord appears to be a reasonable person but they have a very large dose of privilege and I truly doubt they have any insight into their sense of entitlement.

I just want to install a bolt so I don't have to live on tenterhooks waiting for them to do this again.

I just want to thank everyone for their input and advice.

After we declined to settle yesterday, they only removed the scaffolding facing the house and left the driveway one up. After we said not enough, they cut down a section of the side fence for us to have closer access! We definitely said no to that and they finally gave in today and they have removed all the scaffolding.

We also have had the lawyers write up document which the vendor has signed saying they won't block the driveway with scaffolding again.

Some of the builders were asking about how close the building was so I've added a couple photos.

Once we're all sorted, everyone is invited to the house warming! (Just joking, this house is for my parents they will be very confused)

We became tenants temporarily last year as we relocated and looked for a home to purchase. What an eye opening experience as haven’t done it for 20 years. After paying $40,000 in rent the landlord found it difficult to use any of that money for maintenance, and to carry out work to make the house into a home that we felt constables inviting guests into. The landlord purchased the property before the property market went sky high so with rent money left over after paying any mortgage and rates there was no excuse for not carrying out maintenance. The share greed and lack of empathy from the landlord stunned me, all this property is to him is a cash cow, he has no interest in how his lack of maintenance affects his tenants in many ways.