An ''acute shortage'' of rental properties in Wanaka is driving up rental prices and has property management companies crying out for listings.
Until recently, Housemart Wanaka had no rental properties on its books.
Of its three current listings, one involves a tenant wanting to terminate their lease and the others are not available for several weeks.
The company is offering free rental appraisals in a bid to attract more properties to let.
Housemart Wanaka owner Len Nightingale said it was an ''unusual'' situation.
''I haven't seen it anywhere in New Zealand before ... where there is a real shortage and we're letting a month and a-half in advance [of properties becoming vacant].''
Even real estate salespeople were being pressured to let properties, Mr Nightingale said.
''Everybody is [being pressure] at the moment. People are resorting to all sorts of methods to try and find a property that they can rent.''
As a result, rents were gradually rising, by up to 10%.
''This acute shortage of rental property has the on-flowing effect of rent increases ... The owners are starting to get wind of it.''
Last year there had been high occupancy rates and a high demand for rental property, but the pressure had increased further since Christmas.
''Obviously, we've got a building boom going on, so there's a whole lot of tradespeople wanting to come into town looking for places to live. There's also ... people who are moving into town and wanting somewhere to live while they build their houses,'' Mr Nightingale said.
''Then you've got your standard service industries which have always been there, for tourism etc, and those people are also obviously looking for places to live, as well.''
As long as the population growth continued, demand would increase and so would rent prices, albeit ''within reason'', Mr Nightingale said.
''Owners can't charge any more than the market can afford ... [but] when you've got people competing for property then you can have semi-auctions happening in your office as well.''
Accommodation and Reservations Wanaka co-owner Annette Barrow said the problem was twofold.
More people were moving to town and long-term rental properties were being sold to people who planned to live in them.
The company was trying to address the shortage by changing some of its short-term and seasonal rentals to long-term listings, although most of those were fully furnished, which presented problems for renters not wanting to pay to put their own furniture in storage, she said.
Rents for three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes in Wanaka had risen from about $350 a week to $400 as demand increased.
''It's sort of getting back to pre-2008, when people were forced to rent in Hawea and Luggate [because of a shortage of properties in Wanaka] and rents were reasonably high then,'' Mrs Barrow said.
Charlotte Simpson (38) spent several months searching for a property in Wanaka to rent with her partner, while living in a small apartment attached to her workplace.
''If you do find a place that you like and it becomes available, you either have 20 lots of people looking at the same place or the owners want to come back at Christmas,'' she said.
Most property owners also preferred families over couples, she said.
She had now found a house, but only after advertising.
''I just feel sorry ... week after week and seeing the same ads from the same families and the same couples, just desperate for accommodation.''
