The rental crisis is real. But don’t scapegoat the wrong cause.

Australian tenants have experienced torrid conditions since the pandemic, with advertised rents soaring by around 40% nationally over the past five years, according to Cotality.

“Weekly rents have risen by about $200 over the past five years across the country”, noted Cotality research director Tim Lawless last month. “This has been a period of unprecedented rental growth that has stretched rental affordability to the worst levels on record”.

“Anecdotally, renters are likely to be looking for any way possible to minimise their rental costs, such as larger households, multi-generational housing options or looking for smaller or further afield rental options”.