Sarah Hunt, her partner, Sean and their child rent in Kelston, West Auckland.. She says she can't see how to improve their living situation because rents are so high.

Auckland mum Sarah Hunt despairs when she hears the median rent for a typical New Zealand house listed on Trade Me has now hit $500 a week.

"I just can't fathom that. How do people afford that?

"We currently rent, the property we rent is owned by my grandparents, a very small two-bedroom flat in Kelston, West Auckland.

"We are needing to move to larger home. We both do work but our wages can't spread to save enough yet to buy our first home.

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"However, we have looked at renting a three-bedroom home and the prices, even in our area, are horrendous. That's like 80 per cent of one of our wages – I only work three days a week – just to pay the rent, not to mention power, food, the running of the car."

She said she could not stretch to $500 a week. "How are families meant to move forward, or up, or get a better rental if they are charged so much? We are staying where we are for a long time – we can't afford to go elsewhere."

Trade Me Property counts a typical rental property as one with three or four bedrooms.

Head of Trade Me Property Nigel Jeffries said these rents have lifted more than 30 per cent in the past five years.

"Back in 2012, tenants were forking out $380 a week or just under $20,000 per annum for a place with three or four bedrooms. Fast-forward to today's rental market and tenants are staring down the barrel at an additional $6000 on their yearly bill," he said.

The largest five-year increase in median weekly rent for three- to four-bedroom properties was in the Bay of Plenty, where it rose from $340 to $465 – adding $6500 to the annual cost of renting. Auckland was not far behind, with a rise of $5460 over five years.

The annual change for median weekly rent across all property types stayed largely unchanged in February.

"Tenants are paying $450 a week across the country for a rental property, and that figure has remained steady for the past three months. Even so, it's a 5 per cent rise on a year ago, and they can expect to be paying an extra $20 a week," Jeffies. Said.

Areas around Auckland have also had a rent increase as tenants looked further afield.

The median rent in Northland hit a new record high in February of $360 a week.

This represents a lift of 12.5 per cent in the past 12 months, adding more than $2000 to the annual cost of renting a property in the region.

But the rental market in Christchurch is "struggling for traction" when compared to the rest of the country, Jeffries said.

"The situation in the Garden City could not be more different to the rest of New Zealand. For the past 12 months the rental market has been static, holding steady at $400 a week before slipping again last month to $395."

Median weekly rent in Christchurch fell by $100 a week (20 per cent) between February 2015 and February 2017. "The recent trough came after a rise of $95 per week between February 2013 and February 2015. It's been a rollercoaster ride for the city, as the rebuild activities continue to send ripples through the market," Jeffries said.

The most notable rises this month are in the South Island, with big lifts for the West Coast and Marlborough. Marlborough showed strength in February with median weekly rents lifting 19.7 per cent annually to $395.

"This boost is in large part due to the post-earthquake demand for contract workers in the region, and it looks like it will continue to be tough for tenants because of Marlborough's relatively small volume of rental stock," Jeffries said.

The West Coast is a small market with low turnover, contributing to the volatility in median weekly rents that were up 19.6 per cent year-on- year to $275.

Hunt said life had got harder for tenants.

"Five years ago we were renting a room in a four bedroom flat in St Johns for $240 per week as we were a couple. This included everything bar food. We even had enough left over to buy stuff each week the flat required.

"Now - I feel like there's no valid move as to where to go next. My partner and I can't see where to go next. How do people afford these rents and raise families? How do people try to make their lives better? We try really hard to save.

"It's going to be down to what my partner and I inherit, or down to what we can combine with savings and KiwiSaver and trying to desperately get into the home market. Why would anyone want to pay $500 per week to pay someone else's mortgage?"