REA Group’s PropTrack reveals how much every Central QLD suburb pays in rent

As the rental market tightens and prices soar, new data has revealed how much each Central Queensland suburbs pays and how much prices have increased. See how your area fared.

New data has shown just how much rental prices have increased across Central Queensland. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

As rental prices continue to soar across the region and vacant properties become few and far between, a peak body has called for removal of detached houses from the holiday and short-term rental market.

The Australian Resident Accommodation Managers Association, which represents resident accommodation managers, has called on governments to ban detached houses from the tourism market.

It comes as data revealed just how much rental prices have gone up around Central Queensland in the last year.

The vacancy rate for houses is sitting at 1.9 per cent, tightening from 3.9 per cent in February 2019.

Meanwhile, the vacancy rates for units has halved from 12.42 per cent in February 2019 to 6.46 per cent in February 2023.

According to data from REA Group’s PropTrack, rent on houses in Taranganba has gone up $85 from an average of $500 in February 2022 to $585 in February 2023.

In Agnes Water the rent went up $75 from an average of $500 per week to $575 per week.

Meanwhile in West Rockhampton, the average house rental price has gone up from $368 to $420, an increase of $53.

The Gladstone region also saw the biggest increase in rental prices for units.

In Boyne Island the rent price hiked from $288 a week in February 2022 to $370/week, an increase of $83.

Meanwhile in Lammermoor unit rental prices have gone up $78 in the last year from $395 to $473.

ARAMA CEO Trevor Rawnsley said the current housing crisis was largely caused by a combination of overseas-owned online travel agencies, such as Airbnb, taking family homes out of the long-term rental or owner occupation mix.

He said harsh new rental tenancy laws were also part of the problem.

“The data reveals that there were 251,000 short-term rental properties registered across Australia in September 2022, and most of these are empty most of the time,” he said.

“It is becoming harder for investors to rent out their houses to long-term residential tenants because of new laws in different states swinging all the power towards the tenant.”

Mr Rawnsley said some of his members who managed unit blocks used OTA platforms to market their holiday apartments, but this was far different to listing traditional suburban family homes on Airbnb and other OTAs.

“Unit blocks must have short-term letting as part of the mix because tourism is also important, and most units that have holiday letting are in tourist areas,” he said.

“High-rise apartments are perfect for short-term letting and long-term letting and can segue between the two types depending on market demands.”

On Tuesday Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a move to cap rent increases to just once a year under new reforms.

Under the new reforms, it’s understood property owners and landlords will only be allowed to increase the rent on their property once every 12 months.

The shake-up was announced as housing stakeholders gathers to look at the progress from last year’s housing summit, which the Premier called following The Courier-Mail’s Hitting Home series.