Rents in Perth are soaring faster than any Australian capital city, while parts of regional
WA are experiencing the largest rent rises in the country, alarming new analysis shows
ahead of a crucial meeting to help fix the crisis.

Shelter WA has analysed the latest SQM Research Weekly Rents Index and found
advertised rents in Perth have risen 19% in the past year and 4% in the past three
months – the highest of the capital cities.

Perth also has the tightest vacancy rate of the capitals at 0.4%.

Meanwhile, two WA regions are among the country’s top ten areas for rent rises in the
past year.

The Goldfields region takes second spot (with a 30.8% increase.) At ninth place (24.4%
increase) is the region that SQM calls Central Coast WA, which covers the Mid West
and Wheatbelt.

Shelter WA says the record increases in rents, low vacancy rates and an
unprecedented demand on homelessness services is caused by a chronic shortage of
affordable housing supply.

Full media release here