New research commissioned by RentRabbit.com.au has found the top 20 rental markets in Western Australia that are desperate for more stock.
The quarterly RentRabbit.com.au Rental Crisis Report identifies the top 20 suburbs in Western Australia where tenants desperately need more rental accommodation to come onto the market, because the suburbs:
- Have incredibly low vacancy rates
- Have low average weekly household incomes
- Are below-average in terms of socio-economic status
The research began by analysing every rental house market in Western Australia, before filtering out suburbs that:
- Contained more than three vacant rental properties
- Had a vacancy rate above 1.5%
- Were above-average in terms of socio-economic status
That left a small list of West Australian suburbs. To establish a top 20 ranking, these suburbs were then ranked based on their average weekly household income (from lowest to highest).
All but three of the suburbs were located outside Perth. All suburbs had a vacancy rate of 1% or less, while almost half had a vacancy rate of 0%.
(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.)
RentRabbit.com.au co-founder Ben Pretty said a lot of tenants are facing desperate conditions right now.
“Many renters in Western Australia are being faced with a triple whammy – they live in socio-economically disadvantaged areas, they have low household incomes and it’s incredibly hard for them to find rental accommodation,” he said.
“Some of these renters are living in suburbs that have a vacancy rate of 0%, which means rental properties are being snapped up the moment they become vacant. Unsurprisingly, in the vast majority of these suburbs, rents have increased over the past year, often by double-digit percentages.
“The RentRabbit.com.au Rental Crisis Report is designed to highlight the rental crisis facing significant numbers of people. Yes, it really is a crisis. For the sake of renters living in those suburbs, we hope that more rental stock comes onto the market soon.”
Top 20 ranking
| Rank | Suburb | Postcode | Vacancy rate (1 year ago) | Vacancy rate (now) | Average weekly household income |
| 1 | Coodanup | 6210 | 1.5% | 0.5% | $830 |
| 2 | Busselton | 6280 | 0.0%* | 0.0%* | $837 |
| 3 | Denmark | 6333 | 2.4% | 0.0%* | $847 |
| 4 | Erskine | 6210 | 1.9% | 0.0%* | $888 |
| 5 | Bridgetown | 6255 | 1.1% | 0.0%* | $931 |
| 6 | Spencer Park | 6330 | 1.4% | 0.5% | $944 |
| 7 | York | 6302 | 0.0%* | 0.0%* | $947 |
| 8 | Carey Park | 6230 | 1.0% | 0.7% | $986 |
| 9 | Koondoola | 6064 | 0.0%* | 0.0%* | $1,009 |
| 10 | Wonthella | 6530 | 1.8% | 0.9% | $1,009 |
| 11 | West Busselton | 6280 | 0.2% | 0.2% | $1,021 |
| 12 | Hopetoun | 6348 | 5.2% | 0.0%* | $1,045 |
| 13 | East Bunbury | 6230 | 2.5% | 0.0%* | $1,060 |
| 14 | Pinjarra | 6208 | 0.9% | 0.5% | $1,090 |
| 15 | Dudley Park | 6210 | 2.5% | 0.8% | $1,099 |
| 16 | Falcon | 6210 | 1.3% | 1.0% | $1,103 |
| 17 | Girrawheen | 6064 | 1.4% | 0.9% | $1,104 |
| 18 | Manjimup | 6258 | 1.4% | 0.5% | $1,118 |
| 19 | Merriwa | 6030 | 0.8% | 0.8% | $1,121 |
| 20 | Jurien Bay | 6516 | 1.1% | 0.0%* | $1,123 |
Key stats on the top 20 suburbs
1. The house market of Coodanup (Mandurah)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 1.5% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.5% |
| Vacancy rate – change | -1.0 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $295 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $360 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 22.0% |
| Average weekly household income | $830 |
| SEIFA score | 1 |
2. The house market of Busselton (Augusta – Margaret River – Busselton)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – change | 0.0 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $360 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $430 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 19.4% |
| Average weekly household income | $837 |
| SEIFA score | 2 |
3. The house market of Denmark (Albany)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 2.4% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – change | -2.4 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $350 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $420 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 20.0% |
| Average weekly household income | $847 |
| SEIFA score | 3 |
4. The house market of Erskine (Mandurah)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 1.9% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – change | -1.9 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $350 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $400 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 14.3% |
| Average weekly household income | $888 |
| SEIFA score | 4 |
5. The house market of Bridgetown (Manjimup)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 1.1% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – change | -1.1 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $330 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $350 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 6.1% |
| Average weekly household income | $931 |
| SEIFA score | 3 |
6. The house market of Spencer Park (Albany)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 1.4% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.5% |
| Vacancy rate – change | -0.9 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $345 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $370 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 7.2% |
| Average weekly household income | $944 |
| SEIFA score | 2 |
7. The house market of York (Wheat Belt – North)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – change | 0.0 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $300 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $350 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 16.7% |
| Average weekly household income | $947 |
| SEIFA score | 2 |
8. The house market of Carey Park (Bunbury)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 1.0% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.7% |
| Vacancy rate – change | -0.3 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $290 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $340 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 17.2% |
| Average weekly household income | $986 |
| SEIFA score | 1 |
9. The house market of Koondoola (Wanneroo)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – change | 0.0 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $290 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $360 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 24.1% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,009 |
| SEIFA score | 1 |
10. The house market of Wonthella (Mid West)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 1.8% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.9% |
| Vacancy rate – change | -0.9 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $240 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $275 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 14.6% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,009 |
| SEIFA score | 1 |
11. The house market of West Busselton (Augusta – Margaret River – Busselton)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 0.2% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.2% |
| Vacancy rate – change | 0.0 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $390 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $480 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 23.1% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,021 |
| SEIFA score | 3 |
12. The house market of Hopetoun (Esperance)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 5.2% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – change | -5.2 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $300 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $350 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 16.7% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,045 |
| SEIFA score | 4 |
13. The house market of East Bunbury (Bunbury)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 2.5% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – change | -2.5 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $330 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $350 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 6.1% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,060 |
| SEIFA score | 3 |
14. The house market of Pinjarra (Mandurah)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 0.9% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.5% |
| Vacancy rate – change | -0.4 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $320 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $360 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 12.5% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,090 |
| SEIFA score | 2 |
15. The house market of Dudley Park (Mandurah)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 2.5% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.8% |
| Vacancy rate – change | -1.7 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $350 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $410 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 17.1% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,099 |
| SEIFA score | 3 |
16. The house market of Falcon (Mandurah)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 1.3% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 1.0% |
| Vacancy rate – change | -0.3 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $310 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $370 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 19.4% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,103 |
| SEIFA score | 4 |
17. The house market of Girrawheen (Wanneroo)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 1.4% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.9% |
| Vacancy rate – change | -0.5 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $300 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $360 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 20.0% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,104 |
| SEIFA score | 1 |
18. The house market of Manjimup (Manjimup)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 1.4% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.5% |
| Vacancy rate – change | -0.9 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $300 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $310 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 3.3% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,118 |
| SEIFA score | 2 |
19. The house market of Merriwa (Wanneroo)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 0.8% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.8% |
| Vacancy rate – change | 0.0 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $330 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $400 |
| Median weekly rent – change | 21.2% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,121 |
| SEIFA score | 2 |
20. The house market of Jurien Bay (Wheat Belt – North)
| Vacancy rate – March 2021 | 1.1% |
| Vacancy rate – March 2022 | 0.0%* |
| Vacancy rate – change | -1.1 percentage points |
| Median weekly rent – March 2021 | $380 |
| Median weekly rent – March 2022 | $370 |
| Median weekly rent – change | -2.6% |
| Average weekly household income | $1,123 |
| SEIFA score | 4 |
