Real estate giant Barfoot & Thompson has hiked some tenant change fees by more than 140 percent

The fee is levied on renters when they decide to bring a new flatmate into the property.

Spokesperson Samantha Arnold says the fee is an "industry standard" to meet the cost of occupancy changes.

She says it's not simply a case of filling in a form - they have to treat it as the end of a tenancy, and the beginning of a new legal agreement.

Earlier this year an Auckland lawyer warned renters to look out for questionable property management fees - amid fears the charges would be used as a loophole to avoid the new ban on letting fees.