Flats for rent neither cheap nor cheerful

A 3 bedroom 1 bathroom house/flat in Greenlane advertised on Trademe with a rental price of $360 per week. Photo / Supplied

House-hunters are shocked by the condition of some properties and the prices their landlords are expecting.

Alice Dalton said she was disgusted when she came across a listing on Trade Me for a three-bedroom apartment above a lunch bar in Greenlane asking $360 a week.

"It's pretty gross and I can't believe the price of it either ... The fact that they've even put those photos up and thought they would sell the place as well is terrible. I'm not sure if that's tin-foil on the kitchen wall or what. It's revolting."

The agent, Jessie Jao from Queen Street Realty, said no one had looked at the apartment since it was listed on Trade Me last Friday.

Asked if it was too expensive for what it was, Ms Jao said: "Actually, I don't know, it depends on the condition, quality, everything."

She declined to comment further.

Ms Dalton, a 25-year-old interior designer, has spent six weeks searching for a three-bedroom flat to share with two other women in their mid-20s.

While they are trying to find somewhere to live, all three are staying with Ms Dalton's mother.

"As you can imagine, it's pretty cramped so we're getting kind of desperate to find somewhere."

Ms Dalton said the Greenlane apartment was an example of landlords taking advantage of the rental crisis for Auckland city-fringe properties.

She had looked at one Ellerslie property which was advertised as a three-bedroom apartment.

"The top two bedrooms were beautiful and sunny, and it had a new bathroom and kitchen. Then the third bedroom had the supports of the house down the middle of the room. It had no windows and a curtain for a door. It was shocking."

Another two-bedroom unfurnished apartment in Queen St opposite the Ferry Building is listed on Trade Me for $560 a week.

One person said they had seen dozens of flats in the city for less than $450 which were much better value than that property.

"To be fair, the agent said the rent was negotiable - but I'm really not sure how anyone could justify the initial price.

"It's poorly decorated, looks out on to an inner-city 'motorway' amid roadworks, and during the World Cup will be yards from 5000 screaming fans."

The agent, Bev Lamb of Lamb Rents, said the rent being asked had been the same since August 2008.

Real Estate Institute chief Helen O'Sullivan said home-hunters were lowering their standards because of the city-fringe rental crisis.

"It's supply and demand - when supply is tight, you're more likely to consider things you wouldn't have done before."

Nationally, prices have risen 3 per cent since last year but in Auckland they have more than doubled to 7 per cent. The rent for a three-bedroom house in Epsom and Newmarket has risen 24 per cent to an average of $585.

After viewing the listing for the Greenlane property, Mrs O'Sullivan said the $360-a-week rent was much cheaper than the average of $450 for a three-bedroom house in that area.

"So it's obviously quite cheap for a three-bedroom in that part of town ... but it obviously comes with some drawbacks.

"But the price is probably in line with the quality of the property."

Mrs O'Sullivan said three-bedroom homes were the most sought-after because they appealed to families, professionals and students.