It is cheap to lodge an application with the Tenancy Tribunal, and resolution can be very speedy via the mediation option. The Residential Tenancies Act may not be 100% comprehensive but does have a lot of detail and generally seems to be working pretty well for all parties. (Most applications to the TT are from landlords, BTW).

Good tenants are highly valued by landlords of course, So are unlikely to be turfed out for no reason at all.

Not sure about the law being mainly for 'accidental landlords'. Who in any case are required to have a local agent if out of the country for more than a short time. Why do you think that?

Don't be like that! It just looks like you run away in the face of some actual real world info. I'm sure you are not like that really. (Serious, not being sarcastic.)

Have you looked on TradeMe. I did. Today.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/property/residential-property-to-rent

And of course by no means all rentals are advertised on TradeMe.

Actually I was commenting on the proposition that overcrowding was caused by shortage of supply, and pointing out that there are thousands of properties available to rent in Auckland and NZ overall. So that maybe there are other factors to be considered.

If that's the case, then increasing supply may well be a good thing - probably hard to argue it is not at least in Auckland and Christchurch - but may not solve the overcrowding problem.

Which 'real problem' are you referring to?

Even if only half the places advertised are actually vacant (unlikely, but just say), good tenants will eventually find a place of their own to live since thousands of properties are available across Auckland and of course thousands more elsewhere in NZ. And there is significant taxpayer top up for rent.

Some overcrowded family situations will be just temporary while they apply for their own rentals. In which case, that is not a permanent problem for them.

Longer term overcrowding probably has causes other than supply. Let's face it, some would be tenants will find it hard to rent regardless of supply.

Certainly could be the case, but I was replying to the post that said household crowding is caused by lack of supply, pointing out there seem to be a lot of vacant properties about.

Could also be that some families are not going to be top of the landlord's list of applicants.

Where do you get the info that there are just not enough properties available? I had a look on TradeMe this morning and there are over 450 rentals listed in Manukau City and about 350 in Waitakere City with 2 or more bedrooms.

That might not be enough to completely solve overcrowding in those areas, but it would probably make a big dent in it. So why aren't these overcrowded folk conditions moving in to these places?

I accept that new housing has not kept pace with population growth, but not that all people in overcrowded conditions are there solely because there are no properties available.