Colin in the middle

To those new to the country is probably is cheap to you but to those of us who own our own home and have run out of UK pounds this is not.

We got our Rates Bill today, to be exact two of them one Ruapehu District Council the Other Horizons Regional Council.
$20 increase in Horizons bill and $173 from RDC nearly $200 :curse:

Just trying to work out where that extra $200 is coming from now just as you think you have got things sussed bang an extra $200 from nowhere.
Of course if you renting you can be sure your Landlords will be passing this on

reecefam

Just like Council Tax over here though...went up from £1380 to £1503 a year...and what do you get for your money???
Just take the p - - over here!!!

Colin in the middle

Someone from New Zealand replies I might say what we get and how much we pay. Then let you know where this money looks like its being spent.

cypherpunk

Not round here we won't be, market rents are static or falling and so many cheap rentals around we are thinking of asking for a reduction.

Colin in the middle

Wont be so cocky in your reply aafter reading this

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/...459924&ref=rss

cypherpunk

That's Auckland and one average figure for the rest of the country, which mostly represents big increases in places like Invercargill where crazed investors have been buying up large. It doesn't reflect the situation on the ground in Christchurch, where there is an oversupply of rentals. Also it shows that in spite of large property and rates increases in Auckland landlords are unable to pass most of the costs on, with an average increase of only 6%.

Colin in the middle

Yes well your seeing it from the confines of "JUST" Christchurch, the bigger picture is differant.
Now since this post was about Rates which do affect Rents then some Tenants are going to find a big increase in rents very soon.

From what I understand our rates increase was not that much compared to where we lived in Southern Ruapehu Area, $200 is going to hurt us they are paying $400 more along with a nice big static Power Line Rental charge. Hate to still be renting a house in Ohakune rents are like Auckland minus the wages

neilw71

Phew! Thank goodness we live in Auckland city then Council rates only up by $100 and ARC rates DOWN by $25 !

Neil

teambwr47

Can't see the rent going up much when the weekly increase in rates is just $3.25 ($16 a month)?

I know we're all on different budgets but is that really going to break the bank....

teambwr47

Rents in Auckland seem to be a stab in the dark for some landlords/agents...

Some places that were asking frankly stupid rent when we were here in May are still on the market now just at lower prices...

Having looked around some of the sh*t heaps on the rental market at the 650-900$ bracket i more and more get the impression that many people just put a price tag on the rental as an attempt to snare someone with plenty of cash and little common sense.

FishermansFriend

The correlation between rents and house prices can be quite loose.
Generally people renting have to pay the rent out of earned income, which often limits the ammount of rent which they are willing to pay, or can be charged.
Many other factors come into play when a property is purchased.

If property prices have stopped rising(?) the difference between weekly rent and weekly mortgage payments on equivalant properties would seem to make renting financially advantageous.

Or does it?

teambwr47

We're much happier at the moment, with the high interest rates and the slowing and possible down turn of the housing market to rent........certainly can't buy a multi million $ property for $800 a week but you can rent one

Colin in the middle

Renting is dead money unless your not really planning to stay put for to long? Of course takes away the worry of Rates though

Dandy Dan

Can I just ask why you chose NZ? The way of life here seems to me to be about unshackling from the 'must have' and 'keeping up with' that's so rift in UK and western world. My only experience here tells me that people are interested in people here, not what they have or don't have, and no-one here really gets jealous if others have more. I'm just curious why you would chose NZ as in nearly all the threads you post on you like to mention your $800 a week rental, or your pool, or your wife's top 1% pay, etc. It ain't about that man, and it ain't impressive or causing jealous, it just sounds a bit, I dunno, sad that you feel you have to keep mentioning it. I ain't having a dig, it just seems an odd choice of country for yous given the lifestyle here.

FishermansFriend

Rather a sweeping statement? Surely it depends on which part of the business cycle you either rent or buy?
I'd suggest at this time (late in the cycle if it conforms to norm) it may be wiser to rent and wait to buy.
Of course if you're knocking on a bit you may never see the long term advantages of buying no matter when you buy.