Demand for top rental homes high in Wanganui

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Renters in Wanganui are having to fork out more for a home, fresh statistics show.

Trade Me's Rental Price Index shows the asking price for median weekly rent in Wanganui/Manawatu was $210 in March - an 11 per cent increase on the $190 asked for in March 2014.

Ross Watson, of Ross Watson Realty Wanganui, said there was strong demand for good-quality rental properties in Wanganui.

"There is a reasonably strong demand for good-quality, tidy, well-presented, three-bedroom homes at the moment.

"Provided they meet the requirements of the tenants - and that is things like garage, heating, insulation, weather tightness - there is strong demand."

Mr Watson said tenants now had more choice about where they could live and were more savvy about choosing good-quality homes.

"If we turn the clock back 10 years - if you were a permanent tenant - you probably didn't get much choice about where you could rent.

"What you wanted to rent and what was on offer were miles apart.

"Tenants' expectations have certainly grown over the years and education, about things like water tightness and insulation, has been a big part of that."

The bottom end of the housing market was a tenants' market while the top end of the market was a landlords' market.