A press conference will be held at 11am AWST at the Shelter WA office, Suite 2, Level 3/256 Adelaide Terrace, Perth
Regional data breakdown available here
Perth is now the least affordable capital city in Australia with low-income renters bearing the brunt of the crisis, according to the tenth annual National Shelter-SGS Economics and Planning Rental Affordability Index released today.
The index, which compares average rents to incomes, finds Perth’s rental affordability has dropped 13% in the past year. It is now less affordable than Sydney for the first time.
Affordability in regional WA has also hit an all-time low as incomes have failed to keep pace with rent increases over the past four years.
The situation is most dire for low income renters. For single JobSeekers and pensioners, Perth and regional WA are classed as critically unaffordable. For part-time workers receiving a parenting payment, both Perth and the rest of WA are extremely unaffordable. For single hospitality workers, Perth is extremely unaffordable, while the rest of the state is severely unaffordable.
“Renters in WA are struggling more than ever before as relentless price hikes vastly outpace income growth,” said Shelter WA CEO Kath Snell.
“Families who have never experienced homelessness before are sleeping in cars and tents because they can not afford the rent.
“The rental market is out of control and needs to be fixed fast. Not only is Western Australia the worst in the country for rental affordability, WA lags behind most states and territories when it comes to rental standards and protections.
“It’s past time the WA government provided a better deal for renters - that means introducing a cap on unfair rent increases, banning no-grounds evictions, and having minimum standards for rental homes.”
The index finds that the median Perth weekly rent of $629 takes up 31 per cent of the median rental household income, exceeding the threshold for rental stress and overtaking Sydney on 30 per cent.
In regional WA, median rents of $572 take up 26% of median rental household income, and this figure would be even higher for many renters outside the highly paid mining industry.
“A household renting at the median rate now faces paying 31 per cent of its income on rent. Just four years ago, in mid-2020, rent represented 20 per cent of income.
“In regional WA, the average rental household paid 19 per cent of their income if renting a median rental in 2020. This has now risen to 26 per cent in 2024.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: The rental affordability index scores areas based on median rental prices and average income of rental households within the capital city or rest of state area. A score of 100 indicates households spend 30 per cent of income on rent, the critical threshold level for housing stress. A lower score is worse. This year’s release saw the category of ‘critically unaffordable added, highlighting households paying 75% of their income or more on rent.
Contact details:
Charlie Moore: 0452 606 171
Sofie Wainwright: 0403 920 301