Suburbs you're most likely to find a rental home

Where you are most likely to find a place to rent on the Sunshine Coast.

The "no vacancy” signs are well and truly up for coast areas of the Sunshine Coast, but there is a place where renters may still be able to find a place to live. Picture: Erle Levey

RENTAL vacancy rates in the Sunshine Coast hinterland are the highest in Queensland at 5.2 per cent, well in excess of tight markets on the coast.

Caloundra, at 0.9 per cent, represented the tightest rental market in the region while the Maroochy coastal area at 1.8 per cent and Noosa 2.4 per cent were also tight according to Real Estate Institute of Queensland's definitions and latest data.

The institute defines markets to 2.4 per cent vacancy as tight, from 2.5 to 3.5 per cent as healthy and from 3.9 to 5.2 per cent as weak.

It said the Sunshine Coast rental market had fallen to 2.3 per cent overall from 3 per cent in March and compared with a 1.7 per cent vacancy rate in December, last year.

Average rents for three-bedroom houses, two-bedroom units and three-bedroom town houses have increased by about 1.95 per cent in the year leading up to March.

The hinterland, taking Noosa and the Sunshine Coast, had been at 3.4 per cent vacancy in December, improving to 3.2 per cent in March and then fading to 5.2 per cent by June.

Kevin Annetts of Kevin Annetts Property in Mooloolaba said the figures were strong given June was normally the quieter period for the year.

He said people moving into the area were looking for houses and units in good locations to rent ahead of making any decision to buy.

Mr Annetts said his rental roll was left with only a single bedroom unit for $280 a week after 10 groups had inspected a $575-a-week Mooloolaba home which was now occupied.

Originally published as Suburbs you're most likely to find a rental home