Housing
Tens of thousands of households in arrears on council rates
The latest consumer price index data revealed rates are up 8.8 percent year-on-year.
Boom in DIY building expected as rules eased
Builders are anticipating an uplift in DIY with new rules around the construction garden shed, sleepout and garage coming into effect.
Weekend Stuff: How to make sure you get lighting right
Interior designer Sylvia Sanford joins Jesse to talk lighting - and how to make sure you get it right in your home. Audio
It'll soon be easier to build granny flats in the backyard, if they're small
Legislation changing the Building Act passed its third and final reading in Parliament on Thursday morning with unanimous support from MPs.
How to get investors to help you buy your first house
Housies claims its model should work better than previous versions that have struggled to get off the ground in NZ.
Why home loan preapproval may get easier
First-home buyers may get a boost through the summer months, a property research firm says.
Where have all the children gone? The dropping numbers of kids in cities
The number of children living in central Auckland and Wellington has dropped sharply - is the housing market to blame?
'Hundreds of flies': Auckland rental left covered in urine, dog poo and rubbish
The property manager could barely enter the home due to the smell.
How much is a house in a desirable school zone worth?
Want to live close to a popular high school? Expect to pay a lot more for it.
Why rising house prices are a bad thing
New research shows that renters' wellbeing has fallen as property prices have risen.
Study: Increased housing costs linked to low life satisfaction
A new study has revealed increasing house prices are linked with lower life satisfaction amongst renters but not home owners. Professor Arthur Grimes, the study's co-author, spoke to Charlotte Cook. Audio
Building cost growth slows in third quarter
Costs are still rising - just not as steeply as before.
Govt should sell state homes and give tenants rent vouchers, think tank says
A New Zealand Initiative report says large-scale government housing ownership is wasteful and not the most effective way to help people into homes.
Borrower challenges adviser's $2500 fee for switching banks
A borrower who complained that his mortgage adviser wrongly charged him $2500 when he changed banks has been told the broker acted appropriately.
What will LVR changes mean for the housing market?
Changes might be welcome for people with small deposits, but they are unlikely to make a difference to the housing market overall.
Reserve Bank proposes easing loan-to-value ratios
The chances of first-home buyers getting a mortgage may improve with a proposal to allow banks to lend more to low-deposit borrowers.
Housing market continues to slide - and some areas are bit hit harder
Major cities are leading the decline, amid hopes that lower interest rates may spark some kind of recovery.
How much home loan rates have really dropped
The official cash rate has fallen from a peak of 5.5 to 2.5 percent but some longer-term fixed rates moved by less than half the drop.
Soil may hold the answer to stormwater solutions
An expert in water-sensitive design urges us to think harder about what lies beneath our feet
Stormwater solutions lying in the soil
An expert in water-sensitive design urges us to think harder about what lies beneath our feet. Audio
