Compare Real Estate Agents for Renters & Landlords in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Harcourts, Ray White and Barfoot & Thompson were compared on Overall Satisfaction, Communication & Advice, Contract Handling, Problem Resolution and Financial Paperwork.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Kiwis rate Harcourts the No.1 real estate agent for property management, dealing with the needs of renters and landlords.
Our review compares real estate agents on customer satisfaction, so you can discover what other Kiwis think about our compared real estate agents before you choose one to handle your property transaction. Think of it like asking hundreds of your closest friends which real estate companies they think deliver the best value and service to renters and landlords.
Canstar Blue surveyed 469 Kiwis who had used the services of a real estate agent to rent a home, either as a landlord or tenant, in the past three years for their feedback on the real estate agent that handled the lease process.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their real estate agents from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning real estate brand is the one that receives the highest Overall Satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall Satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
This is the first year that Canstar Blue has presented an award specifically for landlords and renters. And we have one clear winner: Harcourts. The real estate agent earns a perfect set of 5-Star ratings from the landlords and renters in our survey who have used its property management services. It’s a remarkable achievement given that the other two real estate agents in our award ratings only manage one 5-Star rating between them.
You’d be hard pressed to find a team more experienced than Harcourts, who have been selling Kiwi homes since 1888. As New Zealand’s largest real estate group, it offers a full suite of real estate services, from helping you to buy and sell, to managing investment properties and more. For more details, check out the Harcourts website.
Placing second on our table, Ray White scores predominantly 4-Star ratings, including for Overall Satisfaction. The real estate agents earns its top rating, 5 Stars, for its handling of the financial paperwork surround lease agreements.
Ray White is a fourth-generation, family owned and led business. Founded in Australia in 1902, it is now an international company, boasting over 930 franchised offices across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Here in NZ it has offices across the country. Click here to check out the Ray White website.
Barfoot & Thompson rounds out this year’s award table, and achieves a solid set of consistent 3-Star ratings across almost every category from its rental clients. While not a top score, a 3-Star rating is by no means a measure of dissatisfaction – rather it indicates a general level of happiness with the levels of service offered by Barfoot Thompson.
Barfoot & Thompson is New Zealand’s largest privately owned real estate agency, and claims a 100-year history in New Zealand. It has more than 95 branches throughout Auckland and Northland, over 1800 sales staff and 17,000 residential rental properties under management. For more details, check out the Barfoot & Thompson website.
Not all real estate agents in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are more NZ real estate agents to consider.
Bayleys is New Zealand’s largest full-service real estate company. Drawing on 50 years of experience, it offers expert advice across all property sectors, including residential, commercial, rural and property services.
Eves was founded in the Bay of Plenty in 1969, and now has 14 dedicated offices throughout the north, the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. It remains wholly New Zealand owned and operated.
Established here in 1985, First National has independently owned and operated franchises throughout the country, from Kaitaia in the north to Riverton in the south.
LJ Hooker is one of Australia’s largest real estate companies. Here in NZ, it has offices nationwide, all staffed by experts in their local markets.
Lodge Real Estate has been established in Hamilton for over 50 years, and prides itself on its local knowledge. There are eight Lodge offices based in and around the city.
Founded in Australia, the Professionals brand was established in New Zealand over 40 years ago. It now has a network of independently owned real estate businesses across the country, staffed by property experts with local knowledge.
Property Brokers is a Kiwi-owned family business that was founded in 1986. From just five original staff members, it now has over 85 branches across the country, employing more than 850 people. Property Brokers has a provincial focus, and prioritises building the kind of strong relationships that are integral to doing business in small-town New Zealand. Property Brokers is the current winner of Canstar Blue’s best-rated Real Estate Award.
Quinovic Property Management is a home-grown property management company that has over 30 owner-operated franchise offices across the country and manages over 125,000 tenancies.
The property rental process can be a stressful one for both renters and landlords. Renters want to find a well-maintained and comfortable home, while landlords want to ensure they have the best tenants. This is why many landlords use the services of property managers, to ensure the best experience for both sides of the landlord-tenant contract.
So it’s not surprising to discover that when we asked those in our awards survey about the biggest drivers of their satisfaction with their property managers, Problem Resolution came out on top. From leaky taps to non-payment of rent, property managers are there to ensure all queries and complaints are dealt with promptly.
Overall, here is what the renters and landlords in our awards survey highlight as the key drivers of satisfaction with their property mangers:
This report was written by Canstar’s Editor, Bruce Pitchers. Bruce has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in the UK and Australasia, including ACP, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. Prior to Canstar, he worked as a freelancer, including for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority, and for real estate companies on both sides of the Tasman.
Most important factors for landlords when choosing a property manager:
Reputation/personal recommendation: 39%
Local knowledge: 36%
Price: 20%
Canstar Blue surveyed 5108 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from respondents who had used the services of a real estate agent to rent a home, either as a landlord or tenant. In this case, 503 New Zealanders.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criterion.
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