A three-bedroomed house in the Bay of Plenty listed at $600 per week received 95 enquiries in just two days, revealing further signs of a rental crisis in the region as demand for houses continues drive up prices and competition among prospective tenants.

The most popular rental property on Trade Me in the Bay of Plenty last month was a three-bedroomed house on Dickson Road, Pāpāmoa Beach. The $600-per-week rental received 95 enquiries in its first 48 hours on the site, said Trade Me Property sales director Gavin Lloyd.

Another property currently for rent on the site – a two bedroomed unfurnished unit – has already received 143 enquiries in a week.

“Demand is still outstripping supply in the region and putting pressure on the market, resulting in growing rents,” said Lloyd. “It’s certainly not an easy time to be a renter.”

Janine Evans, of Evans Property Management in Tauranga, said tenants can make themselves stand out by treating the process like a job interview,

“Put yourself out there and communicate well, showing up to view the property and follow it up the next day,” said Evans. “It’s tough out there as properties are limited, but try to stay on your A game, keep going, and it will happen.”

She said she understands tenants’ frustrations when there are a limited supply of properties and multiple applications for the same house.

“We always reply to each person if they are not successful and tell them it was nothing wrong with their application, it is usually just the sheer number of applicants,” said Evans. “You can tell some are just exhausted in their search and I really sympathies with their situation.”