Many landlords are quick to hike rents but slow to fix homes, a new survey has found.
The Green Party survey found renters are dealing with damp and mouldy houses, rent rises and insecure tenancy.
The party said successive governments have failed New Zealand's 1.4 million renters, and was promising a Renters' Rights Bill if part of the next government.
The survey found in Wellington, one in five renting households pay more than 50 percent of their weekly income on rent.
Tania, who previously rented in Aro Valley, told RNZ the state of one house was so bad she and her partner moved out. She said parts of the house were unstable, damaged and damp. The list of problems was numerous - a fireplace with cracks so big you could fit your fingers in them, a deck that was falling apart.
But their complaints were dismissed.
Tania said there was a leak in their bedroom which they advised the landlord of.
"Their response basically was like 'Oh, it seems intermittent and it's probably only happening when the wind blows in a different direction'," she said.
The bathroom was also in a state.
"There was a window in the shower basically, that was wood, that would get wet and grow mushrooms."
Tania said she took photos of all the different mushrooms that grew while she lived there.
She said landlords with multiple properties were making a lot of profit, so they needed to treat their houses like a business and invest.
In some cases, she said "it's quite apparent that rather than investing in repairing or maintaining these properties, they're just kind of degrading them".
The government's new Healthy Homes Standards for heating, insulation and ventilation came into effect in July 2021 - but landlords have until 2025 for existing tenancies to comply.
James, who had been renting for around a decade, said most of his leases were only for a year, with each renewal met with a rent increase. He said he was currently at a point where he could not afford another increase.
But cost was not the only stress for tenants. He said there was also the fear a landlord would not renew the lease - which led to tenants tiptoeing around their own homes to ensure there was no "just cause" to be kicked out.
"That can be extremely anxiety-inducing and debilitating, and I feel quite powerless at the end of the lease cycle."
He said very few landlords allowed pets these days, which added more stress on him as a pet owner. If he was not able to stay in his current flat, he would likely have to move back in with his family.
Wellington Property Investors Association president Peter Ambrose said rent hikes could reflect the costs landlords face. He said passing those costs onto tenants was how landlords kept their rentals to a high standard.
Conversely, Ambrose said landlords also needed to do whatever maintenance is required.
Ambrose said it was unacceptable for landlords to rent properties which should not be lived in, and maintaining them was ultimately basic human rights.
