Tenants who rent homes through a property management company are getting a worse deal than those with private landlords, a study shows.
Rental properties managed by property managers are more likely to have poor heating and persistent mould, according to a Consumer NZ survey.
"There's a much higher chance you'll get a bad deal if you rent through a property management company," Consumer NZ head of research Jessica Wilson said.
Compared to private landlords, property managers were more likely to take longer to get repairs done according to the survey of 1062 renters.
Only 35 percent of renters with a property manager were happy with their service, compared to 54 percent of renters with a private landlord.
Renters with property managers were also more likely to be fearful about making a complaint, worrying they'd be evicted or face a rent rise.
Across the board, regardless of their landlord, almost a third of renters said their property doesn't have adequate heating or insulation.
Over a quarter said their property had mould that was persistent or difficult to remove.
Nearly one in four reported their landlord would turn up unannounced, which is against the law.
The top problems identified by renters in the survey:
- 34 percent had problems with pests
- 29 percent had insufficient heating or insulation
- 28 percent had doors or windows that didn't shut properly
- 26 percent had persistent or difficult to remove mould
- 26 percent had water leaks
- 17 percent had faulty appliances
- 14 percent had broken locks
Newshub.
