Renters in Northland are having to fork out more for a "quality" home, as weekly rents climb on houses in the upper end of the market.
Trade Me's Rental Price Index shows the asking price for median weekly rent in Northland was $315 in March this year - a 13 per cent increase on the $280 asked for in March 2014.
Barfoot and Thompson Whangarei branch manager Martin Dear said there was high demand for quality homes while there was relatively low demand for homes at the lower end of the market.
"Rents in the upper range of rentals have increased because there is not a huge supply of upper-market houses," he said.
"The dearer houses are more sought after and are getting better money but I don't see much change in the cheaper rentals."
Mr Dear said it was easy to get a rental property of lower quality but hard to get upper-market housing.
"When we get a property that is in very good condition, we generally get seven or eight people chasing at the same time.
"The market has picked up here and people are actually selling their houses and then renting temporarily while they are relocating, which has also driven up demand for rentals."
Nationwide, the median asking rent for properties in March 2015 increased by 7.7 per cent compared with March the previous year. The median rent sought by landlords soared to a record high of $420 per week, up from $390 per week a year ago.
Head of Trade Me Property Nigel Jeffries said the rental market was not great for tenants, with rent increases in 11 out of 15 regions countrywide.
"There is continued pressure on asking rents, with Auckland tenants being asked to pay almost 7 per cent more than a year ago, with the median rent at a new high of $480 per week," he said. "Weekly rents in the city have broken through new records in 22 out of the past 24 months and have continued to tick up from when they were $440 per week back in March 2013."
The strongest growth was in Canterbury, where median rents were up 14.1 per cent over the past year. This was followed by Northland where median rents increased by 12.5 per cent.
The median weekly rent across the country for a large house, five or more bedrooms, was $680, while for a medium house, it was $470 and for a small house, $320.