‘Extreme’: Where your suburb ranks on the rental pain scale

The Queensland communities where tenants are buckling under the most severe rent stress have been revealed, with the Sunshine State ranked as one of the worst places to have a lease. SEARCH YOUR SUBURB

The nation’s most stressed rental suburbs have been revealed

The Queensland communities where tenants are buckling under “extreme rental pain” have been revealed, with the Sunshine State ranked as one of the worst places to have a lease.

Suburbtrends’ latest Rental Pain Index (RPI) shows the escalating crisis for renters in a majority of suburbs, with Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland leading the nation’s distress.

This two-bedroom Queenslander is for rent in Emu Park for $450 a week

Emu Park on the Capricorn Coast and Currumbin Waters on the Gold Coast were among suburbs experiencing the severest strain, with RPI scores at the maximum limit of 100.

Suburbtrends founder Kent Lardner said these communities were at “breaking point”.

“With rental affordability consuming upwards of 30 per cent of household incomes and vacancy rates at critically low levels, the situation for many Australian renters is becoming untenable,” Mr Lardner said.

Communities ‘at breaking point’

It comes as PropTrack’s inaugural Rental Affordability Report revealed close to two-thirds of homes were now officially out of reach for the typical Queensland family.

The PropTrack analysis found Aussie households earning the median income of about $111,000 could afford to lease the smallest share of rental properties since 2008, when records began.

REA Group chief product and audience officer Melina Cruickshank labelled the outlook “unfathomable”.

“Surging rents and a lack of affordable housing over recent years have pushed the situation for renters to its worst level in recent history,” Ms Cruickshank said.

“We are in a crisis that seems unfathomable for a country like Australia.”

21 Mimi Ct, Mount Warren Park is up for rent at $725 a week

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The Suburbtrends report highlighted “critical affordability” in Queensland, where tenants were spending an average of 31.87 per cent on rent. Rent prices across the state were up 9.92 per cent over the past 12 months to March as vacancy stagnated around 1 per cent.

A staggering 77 per cent or 378 of the 490 Queensland suburbs surveyed received an RPI score of 75 or more — placing tenants in these areas in “extreme pain”.

Suburb Trends founder Kent Lardner.

Mr Lardner warned the steep rise in rents would result in more homelessness, as families were priced out of the market altogether.

“The affordability squeeze is triggering a domino effect, potentially rendering the most vulnerable households homeless at an unprecendented rate by year’s end,” Mr Lardner said.

“The data demands not just our attention but immediate action to prevent a social disaster.”

Mr Lardner said alternative solutions to affordable housing such as prefabricated homes could be explored to combat the crisis.

Weekly rent for this five-bedroom house on Michel Dr, Currumbin Waters is priced at $1,500

The RPI considers the average 12-month rent increase, rental affordability as a percentage of income, and the vacancy rate of each suburb with more than 100 private rental properties.

The report’s round-up of the nation’s 25 worst suburbs for renters included 15 in Queensland: Emu Park, Reedy Creek - Andrews, Worongary - Tallai, Ashmore, Mount Warren Park, Bethania - Waterford, Peregian Beach - Marcus Beach, Caloundra Hinterland, Bundaberg Surrounds - North, Nanango, Point Vernon, Maryborough Surrounds - South, Sippy Downs, and Inala - Richlands.

A three-bedroom Ashmore home listed for rent at $780 a week

Originally published as ‘Extreme’: Where your suburb ranks on the rental pain scale