Increasing demand and higher insurance costs have forced landlords to increase rent prices.
Enquiries by the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend also show the most expensive rental on the Bay market at the moment is a six-bedroom house with two bathrooms in Windemere - for $1400 a week.
The cheapest three-bedroom rental property on Trade Me was for $260 a week in Welcome Bay.
Real estate agents say rent increases are justified because demand for rental properties continues to be strong.
Craig Hilton, branch manager at Eves Realty on Cameron Rd, said the rental market had been active this year, particularly properties in the $200-$400 range.
"This is putting more pressure on other tenants because there is a demand for good, clean, rental properties in good areas," he said.
"When people put their property on the market or have it rented and get multiple views, it's an indication there's interest there and that can give them confidence to say the market is moving and charge a bit more."
A national property investor survey released this week showed landlords had increased rents.
The survey, conducted by landlords.co.nz and Mike Pero Mortgages, showed 40 per cent of the survey's 753 respondents had increased their rents in the past six months.
Of this group, 320 people increased rents by 1 to 5 per cent and another 197 increased rents by 6 to 10 per cent.
There also anecdotal evidence Western Bay tenants have faced rent increases of about $10-$20 a week this year.
Landlord Amanda Lawson increased the rent by $10 at her two Brookfield investment properties about two months ago to cover higher rates and insurance.
On the Bay of Plenty Times Facebook page, Tauranga's Vanessa Wright said her rent was about to go up $20 a week.
Kathryn Chow said her rent went up $10 a week because of rates.
Former Tauranga resident Clementine Cuppen said landlords had been upping the price of rent for years. She said her family left the Bay because they "could no longer afford the rent on a half-way decent house, or even a not so half-way decent house".
"The amount of rent one has to pay should never exceed a third of one's income. If it does, other normal basic bill payments can no longer be met. Greed is the name of the BOPlenty game," she said on Facebook.
LJ Hooker Tauranga franchise owner Neville Falconer said demand for rental properties justified rent rises but the situation could easily backfire if the increased price was unaffordable.
"It's one thing to put up rent $30 a week but tenants have to agree to pay that. It's got to be affordable otherwise you end up with rent not being paid for four or five weeks and having to chase that up is unrealistic," he said.
"If a property is well looked after, rent increases are justified but if things don't work and taps leak, those who rent can go to the Tenancy Tribunal and have their rent reviewed, saying it does not represent market value."
Mr Falconer said tenants were willing to pay more for a clean, tidy, well-kept property that was in a good location. For a good property in a desirable suburb, such as Otumoetai and the Avenues, tenants could expect to pay around $350 a week for a tidy three-bedroom house.
This week, 70 properties were advertised in the Bay of Plenty Times and Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.
At midday on Thursday, on the property section of the website Trade Me, there were 599 Tauranga properties and 206 Western Bay properties available to rent.
A property investor, who would not be named, said high volumes of people were interested in his rental properties but it was getting harder to find good tenants.
He had owned residential rental properties in the Western Bay for about 20 years and said in the past two years he was left out of pocket by a string of tenants who damaged property or refused to pay rent.
The man understood why landlords increased rent, as it covered potential risks, increasing insurance premiums and rates and the change in depreciation tax law.
But there is some good news for prospective renters. One Otumoetai landlord has been forced to reduce the rent at his Pillans Point investment property because of lack of solid interest.
The Trade Me advertisement had gained more than 350 page views but this had not translated into enquiries, owner Greg McDowell said.
"I was told it would be snatched up but it's coming up four weeks," he said.
"From previous experience and me coming down from Auckland, I'm learning renting levels are much lower here and I've been trying to get a reasonable price but people here aren't able to meet it."
He bought the property about a year ago and completed extensive renovations inside and outside the house. After four weeks of advertising, he dropped the rent from $450 a week to $420 a week.
"If I'm not able to get that money, I'm not able to cover the mortgage, so it is frustrating."