Unpaid rent is becoming a bigger problem nationwide

Landlords are chasing close to $1.3 million in unpaid rent for residential tenancies that ended or were on the brink of ending in the first two months of this year.

One Auckland tenant fell 33 thousand dollars behind in 3 weeks.

Another lay dead in their council flat before a landlord's agent went to check on why rental payments had stopped.

Auckland Property Investors' Federation's Peter Lewis says unpaid rent is an ongoing issue, and tough economic times are making things worse.