Wellington City Council is fast changing its approach to social housing.

Rent prices in the capital are up almost ten per cent compared to this time last year and the average property value has increased by more than $100,000.

In 2007 the council made a deal with the government to secure over $200 million of funding for the upgrade of social housing.

Deputy mayor Paul Eagle said there's still time to fix the problem.

"We're not Auckland, we're not in a crisis, but we are staring down the barrel of one if we don't start looking at housing as a whole- and that's everything from homelessness at one end of it, to private ownership issues at the other."

Eagle said the council is now moving from stock upgrades to new social and affordable housing.

"What we're saying now is because we want to avoid a housing crisis, there's an opportunity to look at that land slightly differently, and with a wider lens on saying 'hey is there an opportunity to build some other types of housing'"

He said this may mean demolishing existing buildings to make way for the new housing.