First published 30 Oct 2026, 2:44pm
Warrawee rents have increased by more than $100 a week.
Rents have soared across Australia for a number of years, but asking rents seem to have a fresh rocket under them since the federal government’s budget night changes in May.
The latest quarterly rent figures, released in an exclusive research report by realestate.com.au, show strong price increases over the three months to September at a national level.
Senior economic analyst for realestate.com.au Megan Lieu said rents aren’t expected to moderate without a large increase in new supply.
“With the new budget policies coming into play, we could see investor activity decline and that could have an impact on rent prices too,” Ms Lieu said.
The severity of rental increases has differed by city and state, but the clear trend is that they are on the rise.
MORE: Bank blow set to rule out RBA rate hike
Senior economic analyst Megan Lieu.
The Treasury released estimates in May projecting that the negative gearing and capital gains tax reforms would only push rents up by $2 per week.
In Sydney, rents have shot up by $200 a week in some areas, with the median rent sitting at $800 per week at the end of last quarter.
Apartment rents climbed by more than the $2 a week claimed on budget night in about 60 per cent of Greater Sydney’s suburbs over the past three months, the first full quarter of rent measurements since the budget.
Rents for houses went up by over $2 a week in 55 per cent of the city, with most seeing rises well above $20 a week in total.
MORE: See the full NSW rental increase analysis
Renters in 801 Queensland suburbs have been hit with punishing price hikes of up to $170 a week over the past three months, as the state’s rent crisis runs on despite the nation’s housing downturn.
The data reveals the sheer scale of rent pain, with 92 per cent of all house or unit markets notching up annual increases.
Greater Brisbane’s median weekly rent pushed to $680, up $40 over the past year, while the rest of Queensland was close behind, jumping $35 to $625.
MORE: Qld’s quarterly suburb breakdown for rent increases
Queensland tenants have seen strong rent increases.
In Victoria, 116 suburbs had an at least $50-a-week hike in their advertised rents in the past year, with some more affluent areas seeing increases of more than $200 a week.
Their analysis also shows an at least 4.5 per cent up tick in 207 of the 386 suburbs where the cost of renting a house was assessed, well above the 4 per cent CPI figure recorded in the same period for the Victorian capital in the 12 months to September.
Angus Moore, realestate.com.au chief economist, said the data tracked advertised rents, so predominantly covered those signing up for a new lease — and that historic data indicated that these were typically higher than rises for established tenancies.
Mr Moore said this often meant that as rents rose quickly, many tenants stayed put if they could — suggesting many found some form of relief by negotiating with their landlord.
MORE: See the full Victorian rental analysis here
SA’s biggest rental winners and losers have been revealed, with some suburbs’ median weekly rent increasing by almost a third over the past 12 months.
Hawthorn house renters have been dealt the biggest blow, with median weekly rents increasing by 30.8 per cent over the past year, from $650 to $850.
Research from national housing campaign Everybody’s Home found four in 10 households would be unable to absorb a rent increase of even $20 a week without sacrificing essentials like food and healthcare.
MORE: SA’s valuer-general data shows fastest falling suburbs
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize.
Everybody’s Home CEO Maiy Azize said tenants reported paying record amounts for properties that were often poorly maintained, freezing in winter or riddled with mould.
“Renters are being given the worst deal in living memory,” Ms Azize said.
“Not only do rents continue to spiral out of reach, the condition of many homes is shoddy and making renters sick.”
Help us improve your reading experience
Got a minute? Your feedback will help us build a better experience for you.
