Number of vacant homes in Hobart, Glenorchy, Launceston revealed in new data

The Greens have backed the Tenants’ Union of Tasmania’s call for an empty homes tax to be introduced in the state after new data revealed over 500 local properties are sitting vacant.

The Greens have backed the Tenants’ Union of Tasmania’s call for an empty homes tax to be introduced in the state after new data revealed 563 residential properties are sitting vacant across Hobart, Glenorchy, and Launceston.

Figures obtained by the Tenants’ Union, released by TasWater under Right to Information laws, showed that 192 private dwellings across the Hobart municipality (0.86 per cent of total private dwellings in the city), 115 in Glenorchy (0.58 per cent), and 256 in Launceston (0.91 per cent) had a high chance of vacancy across the entirety of the 2018-20 period based on their annual level of water consumption.

The data captured residential properties that consumed less than 10 per cent (19kL) of annual average residential water consumption (193kL).

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said a tax on empty homes would be “sensible policy”.

Greens leader Cassy O'Connor.

“The state’s housing crisis desperately needs a circuit-breaker,” she said. “A vacant resident tax, along with curbs on short-stay accommodation, have the potential to bring thousands of homes into the market.”

Tasmanian Residential Rental Property Owners Association president Louise Elliott rejected the idea of a new tax, saying homes may be vacant for numerous reasons, including owners being unwilling to take on the risks associated with renting out a property on a long-term basis.

“A government-funded short-term program which provides owners with a guarantee that they won’t be left financially out of pocket if they offer their property for rent could bring more rentals to the market,” she said.

Revealed: Number of Tasmanian homes sitting empty

New data has shown that there are nearly 200 vacant residential properties in the City of Hobart, sparking calls for a tax on empty homes.

According to figures obtained by the Tenants’ Union of Tasmania, released by TasWater under Right to Information laws, 192 residential properties across the Hobart municipality (0.86 per cent of total private dwellings in the city) had a high chance of vacancy based on their annual level of water consumption during the 2018-20 calendar years.

The data captured residential properties that consumed less than 10 per cent (19kL) of annual average residential water consumption (193kL), taking into account leaking pipes and dripping taps.

Sandy Bay

Meanwhile, 115 homes in the Glenorchy municipality (0.58 per cent) and 256 (0.91 per cent) in the Launceston City Council area had a similarly high chance of vacancy, the data showed.

There are approximately 22,320 private dwellings in Hobart, 19,966 in Glenorchy, and 28,175 in Launceston.

In a Talking Point published in today’s Mercury, Tenants’ Union principal solicitor Ben Bartl argues that empty homes should not be allowed to “gather dust” and that owners should be encouraged to return their properties to the long-term rental market.

Tenants’ Union of Tasmania's Benedict Bartl. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE.

“The 563 residential properties that sat empty during 2018-20 is a conservative figure and the true number of empty properties is almost certainly higher,” he writes.

“Returning entire investment properties that are currently rented out to tourists on the short-term accommodation market and a tax on empty homes will free up homes for Tasmanians whilst putting downward pressure on rents.”

Pattie Chugg, chief executive of Shelter Tasmania, the peak body for housing and homelessness in the state, said it was unfortunate that so many properties sat empty when there were more than 4000 households on the waiting list for social housing.

Pattie Chugg, CEO of Shelter Tasmania. Picture: Supplied.

But independent economist Saul Eslake said the TasWater data actually suggested that there were not a lot of empty homes in Tasmania.

“I don’t think these figures make a compelling case for any kind of vacant land tax because the numbers are so small and it would probably cost more to administer it than the revenue you’d get,” he said.

Housing Minister Michael Fergson flatly ruled out imposing a tax on empty homes, saying the government’s priority was boosting housing supply.

“Our record investment of $615 million into social and affordable housing and homelessness initiatives will help around 5000 Tasmanian households out of housing stress or homelessness,” he said. “It will include the delivery of a total of 3500 new homes by 2027 to eligible Tasmanians on low incomes.”

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