April RentRabbit.com.au Tenant Opportunity Report reveals Sydney’s top 20 tenant-friendly suburbs

New research commissioned by RentRabbit.com.au has found Sydney’s standout suburbs for tenants who want to live in good locations but have only average incomes.

The quarterly RentRabbit.com.au Tenant Opportunity Report identifies the top 20 suburbs in Sydney where tenants can find affordable rents in decent suburbs that are within commuting distance of the CBD.

To make sure locations are tenant-friendly, suburbs are excluded if their SA3 is more than 100km from the CBD.

(The Australian Bureau of Statistics refers to a cluster of suburbs as a ‘statistical area 3’, or a ‘SA3’. SA3s often closely align to local government areas.)

Suburbs are also excluded if they have a low socio-economic status, as measured by having a SEIFA socio-economic score of less than 4.

(A SEIFA economic score is an Australian Bureau of Statistics measure that ranks areas in Australia according to relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage. If a suburb has a score of 4, it means it’s in the fourth decile [i.e. 31-40%] in terms of its socio-economic position.)

That leaves a small list of Sydney suburbs. To establish a top 20 ranking, these suburbs are then ranked based on weekly rental rates (from lowest to highest).

All the suburbs had a median weekly rent of $530 or below and were located within 35km of the CBD.

RentRabbit.com.au co-founder Ben Pretty said it’s encouraging to see that tenants still have some decent options, even if the odds are stacked against them in the current market.

“Sydney’s vacancy rate has fallen considerably over the past two years, which has made it harder for tenants to find accommodation and has led to sharp rental increases,” he said.

“It’s definitely a landlord’s market in many parts of Sydney, and I’ve been hearing some really harrowing stories of tenants doing it hard, especially families on lower incomes.

“The aim of the RentRabbit.com.au Tenant Opportunity Report is to show tenants that although conditions are tough right now, it’s still possible to find somewhere to live that’s affordable, desirable and commutable.”

Top 20 ranking

Key stats on the top 20 suburbs

1. The house market of Blacktown (Blacktown)

2. The house market of Seven Hills (Blacktown)

3. The house market of Prospect (Blacktown)

4. The house market of Mays Hill (Parramatta)

5. The house market of Pendle Hill (Parramatta)

6. The house market of Toongabbie (Parramatta)

7. The house market of Constitution Hill (Parramatta)

8. The house market of Wentworthville (Parramatta)

9. The house market of Westmead (Parramatta)

10. The house market of Kings Park (Blacktown)

11. The house market of Old Toongabbie (Parramatta)

12. The house market of Parramatta (Parramatta)

13. The house market of Greystanes (Merrylands – Guildford)

14. The house market of Rydalmere (Carlingford)

15. The house market of South Wentworthville (Merrylands – Guildford)

16. The house market of Northmead (Parramatta)

17. The house market of Casula (Liverpool)

18. The house market of Lidcombe (Auburn)

19. The house market of North Parramatta (Parramatta)

20. The house market of Dundas Valley (Carlingford)