Opinion: Renters suffer as property owners count their profits with rising house values

Rotorua mother of two Ashley Portland is living in a caravan because she cant find a rental. Photo/File

Today property owners will be rubbing their hands together with glee. Their Rotorua homes are still gaining in value - outstripping Auckland, Tauranga and Hamilton - and at long last people are seeing the magic that is our city.

I'll never forgetting weighing up buying the house I was renting in Rotorua just under 20 years ago. I asked advice from my dear late father.

"Dad, the mortgage repayments will be $10 more a week than rent, what do you think?".

His response was, "Sweetheart, I think you're aiming a bit high".

For first-home buyers, that would be gold nowadays. If only I'd bought a bunch of houses at that price.

While the latest quarterly valuations released by QV this week are good news for homeowners locally, it comes with a warning from local property experts that rent isn't keeping pace with soaring values.

Landlords will want to cash in on their wee goldmines and that only means the renters will be hit even harder.

We are already telling horror stories of locals not able to find places to live. In Saturday's Rotorua Daily Post we talked to Ashley Portland who hasn't lived in a real house for four months.

The mother of two has been living in a small, cold caravan on a family member's section unable to find a rental.

The solo mother is at her wits' end and feels like a "useless mother" because her children are getting sick living in their cold conditions.

The demand for properties that just don't exist in Rotorua, coupled with rising rents, isn't anything to celebrate for these people.

While it's good news our economy is striving forward, let's also keep the pressure on our politicians to speed up emergency housing.

As locals we can also do our bit. Help a stranger out in need or at the very least ensure your family and friends are safe and have a warm place to sleep.