Crunching the Numbers: Kiwis spending half their household income on rent

In RNZ's new series Crunching the Numbers we are out chatting to Kiwis about all things affecting their wallets. Our first story looks at renting, with research showing almost one-in-five New Zealanders are spending more than half of their household income on rent, while home ownership has fallen to below 60 percent.

Hayley Müller lives in Auckland's West Harbour with her husband and their three children.

It is $665 a week to rent their place.

Müller says that is a pretty great price - other rentals they looked at were around $850.

She is taking care of their nine-month-old baby and their six- and three-year-old boys.

In the winter it costs about $250 a month to heat the home, groceries are $300 a week and childcare is $220.

Thirty percent of their weekly household income goes towards rent.

"We can't necessarily look forward to saving a whole lot for buying our own home, so that's something that you struggle with if you're renting," Müller says.

"How much money do you have left to actually save to buy your own place."

While they are okay with that for now, it is confronting being at the mercy of someone else. This is their sixth home in six years.

"It's nerve wracking for us, the last time it was around Christmas and it yeah, it's you have to sort of start manifesting a sense of trust that it's going to be okay because it's really scary not knowing if you're going to have a home to live in.

"We actually moved out of that house on the day we had to."

Müller says they love their rental but being renters meant uncertainty hangs over them - and they never feel fully settled.

"There is always an inherent fear that the landlord, well within their rights, will decide I'm actually selling."

Hayley is part of a growing trend of New Zealanders who do not own their home.

Home ownership in New Zealand has dropped to below 60 percent, according to a recent report by Deloitte that was commissioned by Westpac.

It is now at its lowest rate in almost 80 years.

The report reflects Müller's reality - outlining how half of renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent.

For communications student Amani Sadique, the Mt Albert five-bedroom flat she has lived in since April last year swallows up almost 40 percent of her income.

She has only just become eligible for the student allowance due to immigrating from the UK. Previously she worked up 20 hours a week to make ends meet.

Now her budget is a bit more flexible.

"I get $100 a week from living costs and then I get $200 from student allowance, which I don't have to pay back and then from the 8 hours that I work at my part time job, I get around $170."

That brings her weekly income to $470 aside from rent, about $20 goes towards bills, $20 on public transport and $80 towards groceries. She also goes to a dance class once a week which costs $25.

That leaves about $150 left over.

The flat costs $950 a week, and they are happy with that price.

But the house is cold and costs a lot to heat. They also rely on dehumidifiers.

They are not sure whether the flat is fully insulated. In winter they wear their puffer jackets indoors.

"I do buy like just from a dollar store, a little damp rid now and again whenever they get too full.

"I have this specific pair of shoes which are leather and no matter how much I wipe them or like how I store them, they just keep getting mould growing on them.

"Some of the other flatmates have it worse, the one that's moving out, she said recently she did a clear out and a lot of her clothes had mould on them."

Just a few days after Checkpoint visited, the flat was given notice from their landlord that they needed to move out.

Now Sadique is facing a similar situation to the one she was in just a year ago - trying to find a rental that fits her budget.

"It was basically if I don't have a place within four weeks, I've got nowhere to go.

"I did feel really helpless at one point."