Invest
20 capital city markets where conditions favour renters
Rental markets may be tightening in many places, but suburbs remain where renters have somewhat of an upper hand, and according to new research, they’re all in Victoria, NSW and the ACT.
20 capital city markets where conditions favour renters
Rental markets may be tightening in many places, but suburbs remain where renters have somewhat of an upper hand, and according to new research, they’re all in Victoria, NSW and the ACT.
RentRabbit.com.au has identified the top 20 capital city rental markets where conditions have most turned in favour of renters over the past 12 months.
The company’s quarterly Better Renting Report identified where vacancy rates have increased by at least 1 percentage point over the past year and where median weekly rents have either fallen or remained unchanged during that period.
To make the list, they also needed to be large enough – containing at least 1,000 properties – and within 200 kilometres of the capital city CBD.
The only suburbs that qualified fell within Victoria, NSW and the ACT, which RentRabbit.com.au co-founder Ben Pretty said indicated “the two-tier nature of Australia’s rental market”.
“The RentRabbit.com.au Better Renting Report highlights that renters are able to find tenant-friendly suburbs in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, but are really struggling to find suitable locations in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin,” he said.
“This is all about supply and demand. Where supply is relatively low and demand relatively high, it’s hard for tenants to find accommodation, which leads to falling vacancy rates and rising rents.
“For the sake of families and people on average incomes, I’d like to see a more balanced rental market. For that to happen, supply needs to increase, which means we need more investors to enter the market and more new builds to come online.”
Ultimately, the top 20 ranking included 12 house markets and eight unit markets. All the suburbs had a vacancy rate of at least 2 per cent, while weekly rents ranged from $310 to $850.
The top 20 renter-friendly locations, along with their property type and rental vacancy, are:
- Derrimut, Vic, House, 10.30 per cent
- Mount Duneed, Vic, House, 7.10 per cent
- West Pymble, NSW, House, 5.50 per cent
- Campbell, ACT, Unit, 8.50 per cent
- Hughes, ACT, House, 4.10 per cent
- Girraween, NSW, Unit, 4.00 per cent
- Heckenberg, NSW, House, 2.00 per cent
- Coolaroo, Vic, House, 5.00 per cent
- Pendle Hill, NSW, House, 4.50 per cent
- Cabramatta West, NSW, House, 3.90 per cent
- Dingley Village, Vic, Unit, 2.60 per cent
- Berala NSW, Unit, 3.70, per cent
- McKellar, ACT, House, 3.00 per cent
- Emu Plains, NSW, Unit, 2.60 per cent
- Bannockburn, Vic, House, 2.90 per cent
- Notting Hill, Vic, Unit, 3.20 per cent
- Campbellfield, Vic, House, 3.10 per cent
- Kingsville, Vic, House, 2.60 per cent
- Oak Park, Vic, Unit, 3.70 per cent
- Ivanhoe East, Vic, House, 3.10 per cent
RELATED ARTICLES
About the author
About the author
Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more
Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more
Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more
Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more
Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more
Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more
Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more
Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more
Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more
Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more
Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more
Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more
Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more
Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more
Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more
Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more
