Key takeaways
Capital city home rental vacancy rates generally tightened over August with most remaining at historically low levels. Despite low and tightening vacancy rates, rents for both houses and units however were mostly lower over the month.
Hobart was the only capital to report higher monthly house rents, rising sharply by 2.4%. Perth rents were steady with Sydney down 0.3%, Melbourne fell 0.8%, Brisbane and Adelaide each down 1.1%, Darwin fell 1.9% with Canberra house rents down 2.7% over August.
Unit rental vacancy rates also generally tightened over August however, also similar to houses, rents were however mainly lower over the month.
Darwin was the top monthly performer with unit rents rising by 2.3% followed by Perth up 0.9%. All other capitals reported lower unit rents with Melbourne down 1.2%, Canberra falling 1.3%, Hobart lower by 1.6%, Adelaide and Sydney each fell 1.8% with Brisbane sharply lower by 2.9% over August.
Capital city home rental vacancy rates generally tightened over August with most remaining at historically low levels. Despite low and tightening vacancy rates, rents for both houses and units however were mostly lower over the month.
Hobart was the only capital to report higher monthly house rents, rising sharply by 2.4%. Perth rents were steady with Sydney down 0.3%, Melbourne fell 0.8%, Brisbane and Adelaide each down 1.1%, Darwin fell 1.9% with Canberra house rents down 2.7% over August.
Sydney continued to report the highest capital city house rents over August but marginally lower at $873 per week with Melbourne the most affordable and lower at $615 per week.
Most capitals continue to report solid to strong annual house rent growth with Darwin remaining the top performer up by 11.2% followed by Sydney up 9.1%, Hobart higher by 8.1% and Perth up 7.1%.
Median Weekly Asking Rents August 2026 - HOUSES
| Rent | Month | Year | Vacancy Rate | Change | |
| Sydney | $873 | -0.3% | 9.1% | 1.4% | ↓ |
| Melbourne | $615 | -0.8% | 4.7% | 1.2% | ↓ |
| Brisbane | $701 | -1.1% | 4.7% | 0.7% | ↓ |
| Adelaide | $660 | -1.1% | 4.8% | 0.8% | ↓ |
| Perth | $750 | 0.0% | 7.1% | 0.8% | ↓ |
| Hobart | $633 | 2.4% | 8.1% | 0.7% | ↓ |
| Darwin | $834 | -1.9% | 11.2% | 0.2% | ↔ |
| Canberra | $725 | -2.7% | 4.3% | 1.4% | ↓ |
Units
Unit rental vacancy rates also generally tightened over August however, also similar to houses, rents were however mainly lower over the month.
Darwin was the top monthly performer with unit rents rising by 2.3% followed by Perth up 0.9%. All other capitals reported lower unit rents with Melbourne down 1.2%, Canberra falling 1.3%, Hobart lower by 1.6%, Adelaide and Sydney each fell 1.8% with Brisbane sharply lower by 2.9% over August.
- Also read:National Property Listings Ease in August but Remain Well Above Last Year | Latest SQM Listing Data
- Also read:Latest Property Price Forecasts. Australian Property Market Outlook 2026-2027: Navigating a Market Correction
- Also read:Home Prices Slide Further Downwards Over August | Latest Property Market Stats
- Also read:National Weekly Auction Report – August 29th 2026 | Auction Clearance Rates Rise as Winter Ends
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Annual unit rents have increased strongly in Sydney, Darwin and Perth - up by 11.3%, 10.8% and 8.7% respectively.
Sydney remains the clear leader for weekly unit rents but lower at $835, with Hobart still clearly the most affordable and also lower again at $525 per week.
Median Weekly Asking Rents August 2026 - UNITS
| Rent | Month | Year | Vacancy Rate | Change | |
| Sydney | $835 | -1.8% | 11.3% | 1.6% | ↓ |
| Melbourne | $623 | -1.2% | 5.5% | 2.2% | ↓ |
| Brisbane | $660 | -2.9% | 1.5% | 1.8% | ↑ |
| Adelaide | $550 | -1.8% | 3.8% | 0.9% | ↓ |
| Perth | $706 | 0.9% | 8.7% | 0.8% | ↓ |
| Hobart | $525 | -1.6% | 1.9% | 1.0% | ↓ |
| Darwin | $665 | 2.3% | 10.8% | 0.6% | ↑ |
| Caberra | $590 | -1.3% | 2.6% | 2.3% | ↓ |
Although the recent surge in home rents eased over August, increased demand following the usually quiet mid-winter period placed downward pressure on vacancy rates in most capitals.
Rental markets remain tight generally with strong competition for available homes set to continue to place upward pressure on rents.
New taxation polices designed to significantly reduce investor numbers will likely exacerbate already drastic low supply of rental properties and result in higher rents.
