New rental listings on Realestate.co.nz hit a record high in August

The number of residential properties becoming available to rent surged in August.

Property website Realestate.co.nz received 7257 new rental listings in August, the most the website has received in any month of the year since it began collating the data in January 2016.

August's new listings were up 8.3% on August 2025 and up 25.7% on August 2024.

New listings rose year-on-year in all main urban centres, with Auckland up 3.8%, Waikato up 1.8%, Bay of Plenty up 23.5%, Wellington Region up 15.8%, Canterbury up 14.2% and Otago up 19.2%.

The only districts to record a decline in new listings in August this year compared to August last year were the Central North Island (mainly Taupo) -26.3%, Wairarapa -23.2%,  Marlborough -15.7%, Nelson/Bays -10.8%, Southland -15.3% and West Coast -14.3%.

However, while the number of rental properties becoming available moved mostly higher, there was no clear direction in asking rents.

The national advertised weekly rent on Realestate.co.nz was $637 in August, up $9 a week (1.5%) compared to August last year.

Advertised asking rents were up in Marlborough 8.2%, Canterbury 5.7%, Otago 5.6%, Waikato 4.1% and Auckland 0.7%. They were down in West Coast -6.5%, Gisborne -5.2%, Southland -4.8%, Manawatu/Whanganui -4.5%, Wairarapa -3.3% and Bay of Plenty -0.9%.

The latest bond data from Tenancy Services, shows the number of tenancy bonds received in the June quarter (Q2) was up 11.7% compared to Q2 last year, although there was no movement in the actual rents agreed between tenants and landlords over that period.

The bond data from Tenancy Services and the new listings data from Realestate.co.nz suggest there is an adequate supply of rental properties on the market, giving tenants plenty of choice heading into spring.