New research commissioned by RentRabbit.com.au has found the top 10 Adelaide rental markets where conditions have most turned in favour of renters over the past 12 months.
The quarterly RentRabbit.com.au Better Renting Report identifies Adelaide’s top 10 suburbs that are both suitable for renters and where conditions have turned in favour of renters over the past 12 months.
To make sure suburbs were tenant-friendly, they needed to be large enough (at least 1,000 properties) and close enough to the Adelaide CBD (within 200km).
To make sure conditions in those suburbs had turned in favour of renters, their vacancy rate needed to have increased by at least 1 percentage point over the past 12 months.
All the suburbs in the top 10 ranking are house markets. Vacancy rates ranged from 1.6% to 6.3%, while weekly rents ranged from $280 to $550.
RentRabbit.com.au co-founder Ben Pretty said the research shows how tough life can be as a tenant in Adelaide.
“The RentRabbit.com.au Better Renting Report shows that Adelaide renters are able to find some tenant-friendly suburbs where vacancy rates have increased over the past year. That said, in all those suburbs, rents also increased during that period,” he said.
“This is all about supply and demand. There’s a shortage of decent rental accommodation at the moment, which means tenants are having to fight hard to find somewhere to live.
“For the sake of families and people on average incomes, I’d like to see a more balanced rental market. For that to happen, supply needs to increase, which means we need more investors to enter the market and more new builds to come online.”
Top 10 ranking
| Rank | Suburb | Postcode | Property type | Vacancy rate (1 year ago) | Vacancy rate (now) | Vacancy rate (change) |
| 1 | Bellevue Heights | 5050 | House | 2.1% | 6.3% | 4.2 percentage points |
| 2 | Hindmarsh Island | 5214 | House | 1.2% | 3.6% | 2.4 percentage points |
| 3 | Ferryden Park | 5010 | House | 0.0%* | 2.3% | 2.3 percentage points |
| 4 | Morphettville | 5043 | House | 0.0%* | 1.9% | 1.9 percentage points |
| 5 | Loxton | 5333 | House | 0.6% | 2.2% | 1.6 percentage points |
| 6 | Paradise | 5075 | House | 0.0%* | 1.6% | 1.6 percentage points |
| 7 | Pooraka | 5095 | House | 0.4% | 1.7% | 1.3 percentage points |
| 8 | Blair Athol | 5084 | House | 0.4% | 1.7% | 1.3 percentage points |
| 9 | Brighton | 5048 | House | 0.9% | 2.1% | 1.2 percentage points |
| 10 | Elizabeth Grove | 5112 | House | 0.6% | 1.7% | 1.1 percentage points |
*When a suburb has a vacancy rate of 0%, that doesn’t mean the suburb literally has no vacant rental properties. Rental properties are regarded as ‘officially’ vacant when they’ve been on the market for 21 days or more. When a suburb has a vacancy rate of 0%, it means all rental properties are being filled in less than 21 days of being listed for rent.
Key stats on the top 10 suburbs
1. The house market of Bellevue Heights (Mitcham)
‘Inner city’ suburb
| Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
| Vacancy rate | 2.1% | 6.3% | 4.2 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent | $500 | $550 | 10.0% |
2. The house market of Hindmarsh Island (Fleurieu – Kangaroo Island)
‘Long commute’ suburb
| Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
| Vacancy rate | 1.2% | 3.6% | 2.4 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent | $355 | $395 | 11.3% |
3. The house market of Ferryden Park (Port Adelaide – West)
‘Middle city’ suburb
| Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
| Vacancy rate | 0.0%* | 2.3% | 2.3 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent | $400 | $425 | 6.3% |
4. The house market of Morphettville (Marion)
‘Middle city’ suburb
| Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
| Vacancy rate | 0.0%* | 1.9% | 1.9 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent | $440 | $490 | 11.4% |
5. The house market of Loxton (Murray and Mallee)
‘Long commute’ suburb
| Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
| Vacancy rate | 0.6% | 2.2% | 1.6 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent | $275 | $290 | 5.5% |
6. The house market of Paradise (Campbelltown)
‘Middle city’ suburb
| Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
| Vacancy rate | 0.0%* | 1.6% | 1.6 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent | $385 | $450 | 16.9% |
7. The house market of Pooraka (Salisbury)
‘Middle city’ suburb
| Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
| Vacancy rate | 0.4% | 1.7% | 1.3 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent | $345 | $375 | 8.7% |
8. The house market of Blair Athol (Port Adelaide – East)
‘Inner city’ suburb
| Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
| Vacancy rate | 0.4% | 1.7% | 1.3 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent | $395 | $420 | 6.3% |
9. The house market of Brighton (Holdfast Bay)
‘Middle city’ suburb
| Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
| Vacancy rate | 0.9% | 2.1% | 1.2 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent | $475 | $500 | 5.3% |
10. The house market of Elizabeth Grove (Playford)
‘Outer city’ suburb
| Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
| Vacancy rate | 0.6% | 1.7% | 1.1 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent | $250 | $280 | 12.0% |
