A Queenstown-based couple have been told that landlords might be hesitant about renting to them because of the smell from cooking curries.

An Indian couple looking for a Queenstown home were warned that cooking curries may lead landlords to refuse to rent to them.

The couple, who Stuff has agreed not to name, moved to New Zealand from India in February 2012 and had been searching for a home to rent in the tourism hotspot for more than a year.

Despite holding full-time jobs in the building and hospitality industries, the couple have had to rent a room in a home they share with a four-person family.

When they came across a house available to rent in Lake Hayes Estate on Trade Me recently, they thought their search was over.

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"Everything was going well when we looked through the house, but the one thing [the landlord] mentioned was: 'how do you guys cook?' We explained that we were very clean and we always kept the windows open when cooking," the man said.

DASHA KUPRIENKO/HOMED After a year-long search, the couple have secured a rental home in Queenstown.

Are you a tenant or landlord with a story to tell on this topic? Email us at homed@fairfaxmedia.co.nz.

"Then she said 'I'm just worried because sometimes when you rent a place to Indians there is a smell left behind from curries'.

"I just looked at my missus and she looked at me and she told me as soon as we got outside that she didn't think we'd get this house."

The day after viewing the property the couple received an email from the landlord advising their application was unsuccessful. The email included a few suggestions on how they should present their future rental applications.

The email read:

"I am sorry, your application for [redacted] was unsuccessful.

"There were many very good applicants and you were at the very top, but unfortunately, I could only rent it to one group, so I prioritised my choice by the order in which people came through.

"You have very good credentials and a landlord would be lucky to have you as tenants.

"May I suggest that you write a cover letter for prospective landlords that explains how long you have been here, what your jobs and income are, what the status of your visas are and that you enjoy an active lifestyle, that you will keep the house very clean and that you enjoy varied cuisine, both western and Asian and that you understand they may be hesitant about renting to you because of curries being cooked and the smells remaining. Explain that you will keep their house well ventilated etc.

"As you know, I am not at all predjudiced [sic] in this area, but many landlords and property managers are, but they will not discuss this with you, so it is up to you. A cover letter goes a long way to helping a landlord understand how very keen you are and that you understand what their concerns may be, and that you will be very good tenants.

"Good luck and I really hope my input can help you find somewhere nice very quickly."

The couple, who had lived in Queenstown for five years, were shocked by the contents of the email.

"We've never had a complaint from any landlord about cooking," he said. "We've actually never had any type of complaints."

The landlord, who declined to comment to Stuff but agreed to discuss the couple's situation anonymously, said she never intended to upset the couple in her email.

"They were such a lovely couple that I wanted to help them get a place and I didn't choose them because another group appeared ahead of them with much more information that I needed," she said.

"I simply don't have any prejudices, but I know people do. What I was saying is that the people that are getting the properties are the people who are writing cover letters and explaining to those who might have prejudices that you'll keep their property pristine. I'm the least racist person you could hope to meet . . . It's not me that has the prejudice, it's other property managers and landlords."

The New Zealand Property Investors Federation's executive officer, Andrew King, said a landlord discriminating against someone because of food smells was "outrageous".

"A landlord is definitely not allowed to discriminate on the basis of race, age, sexual preference, anything really," King said. "As a landlord, you're bound by the Human Rights Act."

The landlord said she simply wanted to alert the couple to potential prejudices some property managers might have.

"All these lovely kids are coming over from Asian countries and they are absolutely unaware that people have that prejudice, obviously they wouldn't even consider thinking it, and what I wanted to point out to them was that if they cover their bases and address these problems headlong, it could help them get a leg up in this market," she said.

"I'd love to sing it from the rooftop that people are prejudiced in this country and that we need to overcome it. In this case, it's not about skin colour or anything, it's about food. Nothing more and nothing less. It isn't even racism, it's foodism. We're used to a bland diet here, as opposed to their fragrant one. So, saying it's racism is disingenuous."

Tenants Protection Association Christchurch manager Di Harwood said it was not the first time she had heard of such situations.

"We're aware that these situations exist but proving discrimination is really difficult because, if you take the rental market at the moment, landlords have a big choice in tenants," Harwood said. "So, they don't have to say 'we aren't going to offer you the tenancy because we are concerned that you are going to cook curries', all they have to do is say 'we've got a whole lot of tenants and unfortunately you were unsuccessful'."

Things are looking up for the couple though. A week after they received the email, they managed to find a permanent rental home in Shotover Country.

"It was really hard for us," he said. "We almost gave up hope for finding a house here and we were actually planning to move out of Queenstown in a couple of months but luckily we've got something and they were nice people."

The couple said they were not the only ones who had trouble renting in Queenstown.

"It's not just us. I've seen a lot of people move out of Queenstown because they can't find a house to rent. If you go on the Airbnb app you can see pretty much every room on every street is being used for holiday accommodation and it's just harder and harder for people living here permanently to find a home."