Living in Forest Lake: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 935 live property titles in Forest Lake, Hamilton City are mostly freehold (71%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 243 (26.0%), well above the national share of 8.7%.
Forest Lake cross-lease titles
- Cross-lease titles
- 243
- Share of live titles
- 26.0%
- Live titles in total
- 935
- Hamilton City share
- 11.2%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Hamilton City
- 2 of 28
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 54 of 644
Forest Lake at a glance
Where Forest Lake differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: cross-lease share of titles (higher than 91% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Forest Lake is listed under Hamilton City.
- 935 live titles are recorded here, including 243 cross-lease titles (26.0%).
- The page includes 2023 Census context for the statistical area that represents this suburb.
- The page includes MBIE new-tenancy rent figures for April–June 2026.
Contextual observations
- Cross-lease titles make up 26.0% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.2% of recorded titles, so title structure can vary within the suburb.
- Coast distance is a suburb-level map measure, not a flood or hazard assessment.
Questions worth investigating
- For any cross-lease property you consider, do the current title, flats plan and lease match what is built today?
- What do the LIM, council property file and a suitable inspection add for the specific address?
No data held for this suburb
- Mapped public-transport context is not available for this suburb.
Title mix in Forest Lake
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 668 | 71.4% |
| Cross lease | 243 | 26.0% |
| Unit title | 2 | 0.2% |
| Leasehold | 20 | 2.1% |
| Other record types | 2 | 0.2% |
| Total | 935 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Forest Lake compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Forest Lake is about 3.0 times the national share (8.7%).
Across Hamilton City as a whole, the share is 11.2%; Forest Lake is about 2.3 times the overall Hamilton City share (11.2%).
Its cross-lease share is 2nd highest of 28 in Hamilton City (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Forest Lake are set up
Fewer schemes have four or more flats on one section (4%, against 11% nationally), up to 12.
Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (2% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
Carports appear in fewer leases (6% of schemes, against 13% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Forest Lake | Hamilton City | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 109 | 3,528 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 86.2% | 81.5% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 10.1% | 9.5% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 3.7% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 1,031 m² | 1,006 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 506 m² | 465 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 35.8% | 31.0% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 6.4% | 11.9% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 1.8% | 2.9% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 44.0% | 39.0% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1987 | 1987 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 93 | 2,831 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Forest Lake
20 titles (2.1%) are leasehold.
Most stated terms have more than 50 years to run.
Stated lease terms, as at 30 September 2026:
| Stated lease term | Titles |
|---|---|
| Stated term has ended | 0 |
| Under 10 years left | 0 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 0 |
| More than 50 years left | 19 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 1 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 0 |
New titles in Forest Lake since 2020
137 of Forest Lake's current titles (15%) were first issued since 2020, slightly above Hamilton City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (13%) and above New Zealand (12%).
That rate is in the highest quarter of 28 in Hamilton City.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 135 | 70 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 2 | 2 |
| Leasehold | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 |
New titles include cross-leases converted to freehold and titles re-issued; they are not a count of new homes. Sources and limits
The lie of the land in Forest Lake
The typical building in Forest Lake stands on ground sloping 2.1° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), in the steepest quarter of 28 in Hamilton City.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Forest Lake
Forest Lake is inland: the typical title is 25 km from the sea or harbour edge, and none is within 1 km of it.
Measured in a straight line from the centre of each title's land to the coastline on LINZ's 1:50k topographic map, which follows harbours and estuaries as well as the open coast; lakes and rivers are not included. Distance says nothing about beach access, views or exposure to coastal hazards; council hazard maps and the LIM describe those.
Who lives around Forest Lake: 2023 Census
About 91% of Forest Lake's titles are in the census area Forest Lake (Hamilton City) (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Forest Lake exactly.
Fewer workers walk or cycle to work in Forest Lake (Hamilton City) than across Hamilton City: 3.5% against 6.0%.
More people live alone in Forest Lake (Hamilton City) than across Hamilton City: 34.7% against 21.8%.
More residents are 65 or over in Forest Lake (Hamilton City) than across Hamilton City: 18.5% against 12.5%.
| Measure | Forest Lake (Hamilton City) | Hamilton City whole council |
|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,622 | 174,741 |
| Change since 2018 | +5.4% | +8.6% |
| Change since 2013 | +14.5% | +23.4% |
| Median age | 34.8 | 33.2 |
| Households | 1,065 | 60,435 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 64.2% | 53.5% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 35.5% | 46.4% |
| Median household income | $72,400 | $96,500 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $500 | $465 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 6.4% | 6.5% |
| Ages | ||
| Under 15 | 20.5% | 20.9% |
| 15 to 29 | 20.7% | 23.4% |
| 30 to 64 | 40.3% | 43.2% |
| 65 and over | 18.5% | 12.5% |
| Where people came from | ||
| Born overseas | 21.9% | 30.4% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 19.5% | 26.6% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 50.8% | 50.7% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.1% | 5.0% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 22.7% | 23.9% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 24.0% | 29.0% |
| Employed full-time | 51.3% | 52.6% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.6% | 3.9% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 41.1% | 42.7% |
| Median personal income | $39,500 | $42,200 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||
| Work from home | 9.3% | 12.5% |
| Car, truck or van | 81.9% | 77.4% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 3.2% | 2.9% |
| Walk or cycle | 3.5% | 6.0% |
| Households and families | ||
| One-person households | 34.7% | 21.8% |
| Average people per household | 2.5 | 2.8 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 7.4% | 6.8% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 5.8% | 7.5% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 41.5% | 43.3% |
| Couples without children | 37.7% | 35.8% |
| One-parent families | 20.8% | 21.0% |
| Homes | ||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 66.9% | 73.5% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.8 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 76.7% | 77.6% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 18.9% | 18.8% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 15.0% | 15.3% |
Rents around Forest Lake
New tenancies in Forest Lake (Hamilton City) in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $633 a week (up 13.0% on a year earlier). That is slightly above the typical suburb in Hamilton City ($580), and close to the national median ($600); in the highest quarter of 24 in Hamilton City.
| April–June 2026 | Forest Lake (Hamilton City) | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $633 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $573–$678 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +13.0% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 18 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Forest Lake
One school site lies inside Forest Lake: Forest Lake School (Contributing).
- Forest Lake School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Forest Lake School (0.4 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Fraser High School (1.5 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Waikato Hospital (4.5 km)
School enrolment zones in Forest Lake: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Forest Lake's titles: Hamilton's Fraser High School.
- Forest Lake School (primary, Years 1–6): all or nearly all titles
- Maeroa Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): all or nearly all titles
- St Andrews Middle School (Y9-10) (restricted composite): about 30% of titles
- Hamilton's Fraser High School (secondary): all or nearly all titles
A guide only: check the school's own zone map for any address. Zones as at 14 July 2026. Sources and limits
Places of worship near Forest Lake
OpenStreetMap maps 1 place of worship inside Forest Lake (1 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Holy Trinity Anglican Church Forest Lake, under 1 km away
- Hindu: Radha Krishna Temple, 5.9 km away
- Muslim: Jamia Masjid, 2.8 km away
- Sikh: Sikh Temple, 7.5 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Hamilton City with many cross-leases
- Nawton: 1,058 cross-lease titles (26.3%)
- Hamilton East: 1,027 cross-lease titles (15.9%)
- Frankton: 675 cross-lease titles (13.7%)
- Dinsdale: 643 cross-lease titles (17.9%)
- Fairfield: 473 cross-lease titles (17.8%)
- St Andrews: 411 cross-lease titles (17.4%)
- Hillcrest: 345 cross-lease titles (12.2%)
- Claudelands: 333 cross-lease titles (25.2%)
Suburbs like Forest Lake
The closest match on the measures on this site is Maeroa in Hamilton City, nearest on schools, distance to the coast, elevation. Closeness is arithmetic, not a rating. Sources and limits
| Suburb | Council | Cross-lease share of titles | Median weekly rent, new tenancies | Median age | Closest on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maeroa | Hamilton City | 24.9% | $590 | 32.2 | schools, distance to the coast, elevation |
| Beerescourt | Hamilton City | 20.8% | $600 | 36.2 | schools, distance to a hospital, population change |
| Dinsdale | Hamilton City | 17.9% | $580 | 35 | elevation, median age, children |
| St Andrews | Hamilton City | 17.4% | $620 | 40.7 | distance to the coast, heat pumps, commuting on foot or by bike |
| Glenview | Hamilton City | 9.9% | No data | 36.1 | commuting on foot or by bike, schools, unit-title share |
Questions
What is the rent in Forest Lake?
New tenancies in Forest Lake (Hamilton City) (the rent area for part of Forest Lake) had a median rent of $633 a week in the April–June 2026 quarter (MBIE bond data, all dwelling types). These are rents agreed for new tenancies, not asking rents. The middle half of those rents ran from $573 to $678.
What schools are in Forest Lake?
LINZ maps 1 school site inside Forest Lake: Forest Lake School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Fraser High School (1.5 km in a straight line). The secondary-school home zone covering most of its titles is Hamilton's Fraser High School; check the school's own zone map for any address.