Jacinda Ardern calls on Wellington landlords raising students' rents to do what's 'morally right'

February 27, 2018

Students have complained that some landlords increased rents right after the government announced increases to student allowances.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has urged landlords who raised rents after student allowances went up by $50 per week to do what is morally right.

The average rental price for an entire property in Wellington went up by $42 between November and December of 2017 - right as it was announced that student allowances would increase by $50 on November 21.

Speaking this morning to TVNZ 1's Breakfast, Ms Ardern said it seemed to be a Wellington-specific issue, and that she had heard feedback about landlords raising rents after the allowance increase.

"The question for landlords [is] whether that's morally right," she said.

Ms Ardern said tenants who felt their rent increase was unfair had the right to challenge it if they had an existing tenancy agreement when it was increased.

"When you see that action, call it out for what it is," she said.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment says rents typically rise at that time of the year as flats change hands.

Statistics show that Auckland average rent for new tenancies has had a slow, but steady increase, while Wellington rents fluctuate strongly based on the time of year.

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