Why Gold Coast is renters’ new London

Securing a rental home was the biggest challenge of making the move from overseas for this couple.

Ryan Davies and his wife Chloe Cowan, with their dog Hugo, have just moved to the Gold Coast from the UK. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Ryan Davies and his wife Chloe Cowan knew snagging a home in the Gold Coast’s tight rental market would be one of the biggest challenges of their move from the UK.

After landing in Sydney and staying with friends for the first few weeks, Mr Davis flew up to Queensland for a day to view five available properties.

The 33-year-old sales professional said the couple was “very fortunate” to secure a three-bedroom Burleigh Waters duplex through Jessica Melling, of Harcourts Property Hub, from among 100 hopeful tenants who attended the inspection.

The couple had great support from property managers at Harcourts Property Hub. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“I’d joined a lot of Facebook groups before we came out, and we were warned the rental market here is really difficult to get into and extremely competitive, so we knew we would have to look at a lot of places and be flexible to secure a rental,” Mr Davies said.

“We made sure we had all our documentation in order, and especially evidence of savings since we didn’t have a job at the time.”

Their weekly rent is $875 for a single-level home with a yard suitable for their dog, Hugo.

“The rental prices here are significantly high. We thought our housing in the UK was expensive and I’d say the Gold Coast prices are equivalent to London,” he said.

“Not all the properties accepted pets, so we were limited on that. The one big compromise we made so that this home was unfurnished, which meant every weekend and night we’ve been assembling flat-packed furniture because we had nothing.”

This Burleigh Waters house is for rent at $1,400 a week

But the duplex was a relatively affordable option given its location, he said.

“I think that’s why there was so much interest in this one, because it was relatively affordable compared to the other properties I saw.”

The couple settled on the Gold Coast due to the active outdoor lifestyle on offer.

“We got married in the UK in 2023 and we weren’t living the lifestyle we wanted,“ Mr Davies said.

“We’re very much into fitness and taking the dog out for early morning walks, getting in as much as we can before work.

“I don’t think we will ever get tired on the early morning walks on the beach.”

A duplex in the beachside suburb, advertised at $890 a week

MORE NEWS

Rent crisis continues: ‘Some of the worst numbers we’ve seen’

Inside union’s controversial new move

Broncos legend Corey Parker is selling his renovated home

He and his 30-year-old social worker wife are among a growing wave of international arrivals since the reopening of Aussie borders post-Covid.

Net overseas migration was the biggest contributor to population growth in Queensland, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of new arrivals in the 12 months to July 2024, according to latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures.

The housing market has struggled to keep pace, with rental vacancy rates hovering around 1 per cent, and rent prices for units and townhouses in Burleigh Waters tipped to surge by 7.5 per cent in the next 12 months, according to Suburb Advice data.

Originally published as Why Gold Coast is renters’ new London