12:26 pm today
Rents have risen at a national level for the first time since November - but places such as Wellington are still recording drops.
Trade Me said the national median weekly rent advertised on its site dropped month-on-month in April by $5, to $625.
Rents rose 6.7 percent in Otago, 8.2 percent in Marlborough and 3.2 percent in Hawke's Bay but were flat in Auckland and fell 3.2 percent in Wellington. Canterbury was up 1.8 percent.
Overall, the median asking rent is still $5 cheaper than the same time a year ago but Trade Me spokesperson Casey Wylde said there was increasing demand in some areas that was unmet by supply.
