Property owner Stewart Lind was one of thousands of Aucklanders who awoke to bad news on Wednesday.

Lind's rates bills on his three Remuera properties including his home have risen between $900 and $1880 for 2015/16.

Lind, who suffers from a long term illness and is unable to work, fears the extra costs will drive him out of the house he has lived in all his life.

He can't pass on the full costs via rent increases, he says.

"I am furious about this but completely powerless to do anything but leave Auckland," he said.

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Ten years ago Lind had to give up work at the business he was part owner of due to complications from cancer treatment.

He is now almost unable to speak, and the rent from his two tenanted properties is his only income.

The rates on one of the properties adjacent to his home in the southern part of Remuera have gone up $1776 or 36.5 per cent.

On the other rental the rates have increased $898, or 35 per cent.

At his own 100-year-old bungalow which he purchased from his father 26 years ago the rates have risen $1107, or 27 per cent.

The hikes were mainly because the large but "not flash" properties were worth so much more now, he said.

"When you add increasing insurance and maintenance costs to this equation I can assure you the rent I receive is falling hopelessly behind my increased costs," Lind said.

He decried Auckland Council's spend of up to $90,000 on contacting ratepayers including himself to tell them about the impending rises.

It was clear the "arrogant fools" had lost touch with the value of a dollar.

"While they continue to squander our hard earned money like drunken sailors Auckland is doomed," Lind said.

While Aucklanders pay less in rates than owners of comparably valued properties in Christchurch or Wellington, commentators point out that water charges are included in the rates of other cities whereas in Auckland they are charged on top.

Around 9000 Auckland homeowners have been hit with annual rates rises of more than $1000, as higher valuations and a new transport levy bite.

The individual property details were available online from Wednesday.

Its website had held up well to the demand, the council said.

At 10am on Wednesday, 1760 people were on the site and of those 1366 were on the rates section.

The Auckland Chamber of Commerce questioned whether the hefty rises were necessary, and called for a line-by-line review of council costs and capital expenditure plans.

"Without such a review Auckland ratepayers will struggle to accept the need for the increases," chief executive Michael Barnett said.

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