Renters and low-income households are better off today than they were 2 years ago in 2021, even amid high inflation and our worsening rental crisis. The new Reserve Bank governor Michelle Bullock made the claim in her first speech since taking over the job, adding that strong employment and income growth help to shield the…
I’ve known about the value of professional property management for a long while now. I guess that’s what comes from being in the property industry for over 2 decades. Over my many years in the industry, I’ve come across plenty of good property managers but also some that you should give a wide berth. The…
Investors who rent their property out on short-stay accommodation platforms such as Airbnb and Stayz in Victoria or Queensland will soon face a tax surcharge. A 7.5% levy, imposed by the Victoria state government supposedly in an effort to help tackle the state’s rental shortage, will apply to revenue made on the platforms from January…
We know we’re in the middle of a rental crisis. According to PropTrack, national rental vacancy rates – the share of rental properties that are available for rent – inched down 0.04 percentage points to 1.43% in July. In fact, vacancy rates have halved since the pandemic as rental demand has increased. This severe shortage…
In the wake of Australia’s ongoing rental housing affordability crisis, policymakers have mooted a series of interventions, including a freeze on rents and various forms of rent controls. Of course, we know that one political party particularly of a particular colour is pushing for rental freezes. While this might seem attractive solutions to the immediate…
In recent months, the issue of rent control in Australia has been at the centre of intense scrutiny. The Victorian Government has sparked debate across the nation by indicating that it is considering both restricting the range of a rental increase and limiting rent increases to once every two years. The implications of these moves…
The pendulum is swinging in favour of tenants! The New South Wales government has appointed its first rental commissioner, Trina Jones, in an effort to “rebalance” the market and protect the rights of renters. Jones, the former chief executive of Homelessness Australia, is said to have a wealth of experience in the housing sector, and…
I once knew of a young tenant who was the epitome of an A-grade tenant. He paid his rent on time, rarely asked for any repairs or maintenance, kept the house in good condition, and was overall very pleasant to deal with. Things continued in this manner for several years, until one day, it slowly…
Far too many novice investors falsely believe that their property managers are entirely responsible for their investment properties. They adopt a “set and forget” mindset and blindly hand over the care of their investment to someone who probably is overworked and underpaid! Savvy investors, on the other hand, understand that while they might hand over…
An undersupply of rental accommodation and an increase in renters is deteriorating affordability, a new report from ANZ and CoreLogic has found. The ANZ CoreLogic Housing Affordability Report: reflections on the pandemic and the rental market unpacks the state of affordability in the Australian rental market and looks at the many ways in which the…
