Invest
Beware ‘sharp rent price rises are inevitable’
Australians should prepare themselves for soaring rental prices once the COVID-19 pandemic passes due to the undersupply of rental properties, a property researcher has said.
Beware ‘sharp rent price rises are inevitable’
Australians should prepare themselves for soaring rental prices once the COVID-19 pandemic passes due to the undersupply of rental properties, a property researcher has said.
According to data released by Propertyology’s head of research, Simon Pressley, only four out of 52 major cities and towns have had a residential vacancy rate above 3 per cent, which is considered favourable for renters.
According to his research, 39 out of 52 Australian towns – 75 per cent of the country – have an undersupply of properties, while nine locations have a balanced market and just four are oversupplied.
“The only thing currently preventing an official declaration of an Australian rental crisis is the sedation effect of the coronavirus containment measures,” Mr Pressley said.
“Mark my words, sharp rent price rises are inevitable.”
Mr Pressley highlighted that the undersupply is not just regionally focused, with five out of the eight capital cities being undersupplied.
However, Australia’s two largest cities remain oversupplied, with Sydney and Melbourne both having above 3 per cent vacant properties.
The Gold Coast (4 per cent) and Geelong (3.5 per cent) are the other two areas that are oversupplied.
What is causing this shortage?
A lack of supply and mum-and-dad property investors buying their property of choice will cause rising rents, according to Mr Pressley.
“Large parts of Australia have seen several consecutive years of low volumes of properties purchased by investors. As local demand continues to rise, the pressure continues to push rents (and yields) higher.”
“Literally this week, the principle of a property management business told our buyer’s agents that they only have nine vacancies among a rent roll of 1,700. This situation is not unusual for most of Australia,” said Mr Pressley.
Grow your agency with Managed.
RELATED ARTICLES
About the author
About the author
Property
Australian property’s quiet pivot: resilience hides a new competitive map
Australia’s housing market remains sturdier than the macro noise suggests, but the sources of resilience have shifted. For operators, the profit pool is migrating from ‘volume at any price’ to ...Read more
Property
Gen Z’s 5% deposit rush: how policy‑driven demand is reshaping Australia’s housing value chain
A government-backed 5% deposit guarantee has triggered a surge in first-home buyer intent among Gen Z, pulling forward demand and resetting competition across banks, brokers and buildersRead more
Property
Cautious bidders, smarter sellers: a Queensland auction case study on repricing risk
Queensland’s auction market has hit a caution cycle as buyers price in higher borrowing costs, global uncertainty and cost-of-living pressure. Clearance softness is forcing agencies to re-engineer ...Read more
Property
Trust, technology and triage: what NSW’s ‘name and shame’ signals for real estate governance
NSW’s latest enforcement action on real estate trust accounts isn’t a one-off embarrassment; it’s a stress test of sector governance. With licences suspended and penalties applied, the message is ...Read more
Property
Vacancy is rising, demand is resilient: A case study in defending yield as Australia’s rental cycle rebalances
After a blistering run, Australia’s rental market is loosening at the edges. Vacancy is edging up off historic lows, rent inflation is set to moderate into 2026, yet underlying demand remains ...Read more
Property
Don’t lose the deposit: A case study in stopping real estate payment fraud — and the ROI for doing it
Deposit redirection scams are quietly eroding buyer savings and agency reputations in Australia’s property market. This case study unpacks how a mid-tier real estate group redesigned its settlement ...Read more
Property
The $12m threshold: Why portfolio value, not property count, now defines Australia’s investor elite
The old yardstick of six properties as shorthand for investment success has been overtaken by a harsher reality: in today’s market, elite status is defined by balance-sheet strength, not asset countRead more
Property
From intuition to instrumentation: How a "two-stakeholder" sales playbook lifted close rates and cut cycle times
High-stakes consumer purchases are increasingly joint decisions. When one partner is under-served, deals stall. This case study follows an Australian real estate group that rebuilt its sales motion ...Read more
Property
Australian property’s quiet pivot: resilience hides a new competitive map
Australia’s housing market remains sturdier than the macro noise suggests, but the sources of resilience have shifted. For operators, the profit pool is migrating from ‘volume at any price’ to ...Read more
Property
Gen Z’s 5% deposit rush: how policy‑driven demand is reshaping Australia’s housing value chain
A government-backed 5% deposit guarantee has triggered a surge in first-home buyer intent among Gen Z, pulling forward demand and resetting competition across banks, brokers and buildersRead more
Property
Cautious bidders, smarter sellers: a Queensland auction case study on repricing risk
Queensland’s auction market has hit a caution cycle as buyers price in higher borrowing costs, global uncertainty and cost-of-living pressure. Clearance softness is forcing agencies to re-engineer ...Read more
Property
Trust, technology and triage: what NSW’s ‘name and shame’ signals for real estate governance
NSW’s latest enforcement action on real estate trust accounts isn’t a one-off embarrassment; it’s a stress test of sector governance. With licences suspended and penalties applied, the message is ...Read more
Property
Vacancy is rising, demand is resilient: A case study in defending yield as Australia’s rental cycle rebalances
After a blistering run, Australia’s rental market is loosening at the edges. Vacancy is edging up off historic lows, rent inflation is set to moderate into 2026, yet underlying demand remains ...Read more
Property
Don’t lose the deposit: A case study in stopping real estate payment fraud — and the ROI for doing it
Deposit redirection scams are quietly eroding buyer savings and agency reputations in Australia’s property market. This case study unpacks how a mid-tier real estate group redesigned its settlement ...Read more
Property
The $12m threshold: Why portfolio value, not property count, now defines Australia’s investor elite
The old yardstick of six properties as shorthand for investment success has been overtaken by a harsher reality: in today’s market, elite status is defined by balance-sheet strength, not asset countRead more
Property
From intuition to instrumentation: How a "two-stakeholder" sales playbook lifted close rates and cut cycle times
High-stakes consumer purchases are increasingly joint decisions. When one partner is under-served, deals stall. This case study follows an Australian real estate group that rebuilt its sales motion ...Read more
