If rentals are cheaper than housing, then people should rent ?

On average, everyone is neutral with significant nonconsensus between 45 voters.

Reasons To Disagree

Its a maths thing - if you can afford the extra for housing then go for it. You will always be better off in the long term if you own your own home. You can leverage off the equity for other investments and you feel better about where the money is going rather than into someone else's pockets. However, another voter is also correct in saying that there will always be fluctuations and corrections in markets - however long they may take. If you can wait then rent and save the extra for the deposit.

Home ownership stabilises the resident population and increases residents commitment to the local community

Who would be providing the rental houses?

Renting just makes people who can afford to buy houses richer and people who cant afford to own their own home poorer. its not a long term sustainable business moto for an entire counrty

Reasons To Agree

This is market forces at work... In times of low interest rates in the last 10 years, people have taken this opportunity to get out of rentals and into the property ladder. At the same time, investors have made use of the low interest rates to buy up more property. Both of these factors have increased demand for buying property which will be met with higher purchase prices. At the same time, investors may find they have too many properties to let, and so rents have stayed lower proportunately. Anybody who can do the mathes should rent. In a year or so, while interest rates stay high, and people begin to exit the investment properties, then rentals will again be in demand, and sale properties will be more available at lower prices. Stop complaining, rent now, and save for a bigger deposit.

always been the case

I think the real estate market are greedy and wanting more money because of the high property prices at the moment. And besides, there are not a lot of options in Auckland.