'Just desperate': Rental shortage hurting renters, Auckland mum says

Papakura mum Dawn Robbie and her 10-month-old daughter were forced into a home that flooded when it rains because of Auckland's rental shortage. Photo / File

Papakura resident Dawn Robbie and her family know better than most how hard it can be to be a renter.

Robbie earlier spent weeks going to viewings searching for a rental property only to end up in an "undrained swamp house" that made headlines because it floods every time it rains.

Her cause was picked up by Manurewa-Papakura Ward councillor Daniel Newman who called the house "an undrained swamp, unhealthy ... mosquito infested, prone to flooding and unworthy of the $520 weekly rent".

Robbie, her partner Cameron and their two young children have since moved into a new home with Newman's help.

But the saga they went through highlighted how Auckland's shortage of quality rental homes was making it hard for renters.

She said before she found the "swamp house" in Papakura she had been driven to desperation because of how hard it was to secure a rental.

"It was crazy. I was going to viewings every day, even if it was for a rental you didn't actually like or want, you were just desperate to get into one," she said.

Papakura viewings often had up to 20 people competing for the house, she said.

It was even harder for families with pet dogs.

"When it says pets negotiable it more means a cat - it doesn't mean a dog at all."

Robbie said her family would like to own their own house but were intimidated by how much debt they would have to take on if they wanted to buy a KiwiBuild house.

A KiwiBuy scheme in which the Government co-owned a home by paying a share of the upfront cost was a good idea because it would make home ownership more affordable and put families into less debt, she said.

But, if families were going to risk putting their life savings into it, they would need to know the Government would be a trustworthy and reliable co-owner, she said.