Auckland's largest real estate company is recording a serious shortage of rental properties across the region in the wake of the recent cyclone and flooding.

Barfoot and Thompson has recorded a significant increase in enquiries for rental properties over the past few months.

It received 35,000 enquiries in Auckland and Northland last month, up from 31,000 the month before. It processed a further 9,500 enquiries in the first week of this month.

Barfoot and Thompson Property Manager Samantha Arnold said 100 people asked for a viewing of one West Auckland property.

She said the numbers suggest there is a real shortage of available properties.

Arnold said there are a range of factors involved including students returning after Covid restrictions kept many at home, and international students returning.

But the biggest demand is coming from immigrants on working visas, and people who have been forced out of their homes due to recent weather events.

One of those struggling to find a rental property is Carla Dizon, who is immigrating from Sweden with her partner Erik Pedersen and their 16-year-old daughter.

Dizon and her family have been looking for a rental property online since January when Dizon’s visa was approved.

She said when she looked for a rental back in January, an average two-bedroom house was going for $500 a week and now it's jumped to around $650.

“I’m feeling anxious and nervous especially because the flooding has affected the supply and price.”

Finding a property has also been a challenge as they cannot attend viewings in person and agents “prioritise others” who can make them.

She said her priority is finding a place close to a school so her daughter can walk or bike each day.

However, they are now likely to spend their first few weeks living out of an Airbnb, which she said are also hard to come by.

Auckland University Students Association is finding many students are also battling to find permanent accommodation as the academic year commences.

President Alan Shaker said the floods have significantly affected students, and many of them are “bouncing all over the place” between Airbnb properties as short-term solutions.

"It’s really hard starting or finishing a degree with all the uncertainty," Shaker said.

“Not only are you misplaced from your home, but you’re almost having to find a new way of life."

Shaker said finding travel options from a new place every week and cooking meals when many don’t even have kitchens or appliances is very unsettling and can distract students from study.

He said the campus is full of international and domestic students “all looking in the same area” — the central city.

Many students have requested accommodation support or advice, and that has increased in the past couple months.