Landlord: I won’t increase rent just because I can

PHOTO: SUPPLIED – Penny Hayes says she charges enough rent to cover the costs of owning the property.

Dunedin landlord Penny Hayes knows it’s common for tenants to be hit with a rent increase at least annually. But the rent on the house she lets out is still exactly the same as it was eight years ago.

The home is a sunny three-bedroom 1930s bungalow in South Dunedin, a part of the city she describes as a low-income suburb.

It’s rented now for $220 a week. According to rental bond data, the market median rent for that part of the city is $350. Trade Me indicates asking rents in the city are up more than 4 per cent, year-on-year.

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