Australia's rental market is increasingly defined by enormous demand that far exceeds supply. Guardian Australia talks to tenants who find themselves at the back of long queues as rejections mount, morale plummets and homelessness looms
18 October 2025
Evicted and dying of cancer, Tammie spent her final months desperately house-hunting in Brisbane
‘I’m suffering from as much rage as I am grief, because for so long I had managed to keep her in her own home,’ her mother says
11 May 2025
Australia’s rental crisis is not what you think it is
The rapid rise in advertised rents grabs headlines but it’s only a small part of the market, an expert says, and for most renting households there is no crisis
9 February 2025
Retirees who rent ‘really struggling’ financially, researchers say – and the problem is getting worse
Two-thirds of retirees in private rentals live in poverty, Grattan report finds, with more than half reporting net worth of less than $25,000
20 December 2024
The renters caught in Byron Bay region’s housing crisis: ‘I feel like there’s a fire under my arse’
The impact of a new cap on short-term lets on sites like Airbnb is not yet clear but campaigners say it’s no silver bullet for the shortage of places to live
29 July 2024
Fears NSW renters could be mass-evicted ahead of proposed law change
Advocates welcome premier Chris Minns’ move to ban no-grounds evictions but worry about renters in the meantime
6 March 2024
Greens MP warns 'political class' is set for reckoning with 'screwed over' renters – video
Max Chandler-Mather says his generation has been told it will be 'thrown to the wolves' when it comes to housing policies
29 January 2024
Australian properties for lease fall to record low as rents soar
PropTrack report finds number of December listings 30.2% below past decade’s monthly average as housing advocates say government policies are failing
15 January 2024
Renters know they are the losers in Australia’s housing system – and as their anger rises, so will their protest vote
Emma Dawson
The Greens are looking to recruit a generation of young people who have been utterly failed by successive governments
13 January 2024
‘I was livid’: Sydney single mother pressured by landlord to leave rental just nine months into lease
Fiona was told that the landlord needed to move into the flat, which was then relisted for $300 more a week when Fiona moved out
18 September 2023
NSW budget: Labor points to ‘decade of neglect’ but lack of housing showstopper may leave voters underwhelmed
NSW treasurer Daniel Mookhey points to ‘largest debt any incoming state government has ever inherited’ as he hands down party’s first budget in more than a decade
12 September 2023
Greens vow to ‘keep fighting’ on housing as party takes aim at Labor’s help-to-buy scheme
Adam Bandt says Greens will continue to ‘use our power’ in parliament to push for rent caps despite agreeing to future fund
1 September 2023
Indigenous voice referendum AMA: are Anthony Albanese’s intentions pure?
Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo believes focusing on the prime minister’s intentions is incorrect when, “[the voice] isn't Albanese's idea”. Journalist Dr Amy McQuire says she does not “have a lot of confidence in the intentions of politicians” and that Albanese should be judged on his ability to “deliver justice”.
26 June 2023
I am in love with my rental. It’s a doomed romance, but fulfilling all the same
Briohny Doyle
When Briohny Doyle moved into her ramshackle apartment, she knew the lease had an expiry date. But she loved it so much she set her novel there
4 June 2023
Australia's rental and housing crisis: why is it happening and what can we do about it? – video
How Australia's rental crisis has exposed a broken, investor focused housing system
29 May 2023
Guardian Essential poll: majority of Australians support rent freezes and migration cap amid housing crisis
Poll finds respondents support policies of the Greens and Coalition, posing a potential risk to the Albanese government
28 May 2023
Australia’s rental affordability drops to worst levels in nearly a decade
New report shows average households are spending a third of income on rent while lower income families pay more than half their earnings
8 May 2023
Commonwealth rent assistance has no effect on Australia’s housing affordability, Anglicare says
Report finds that not only is CRA inadequate in alleviating rental stress, but that the way it’s calculated neglects those most in need
26 April 2023
Bandt: 'I want to hear less talk about missiles and more about fixing the housing crisis' – video
The Greens leader tells the National Press Club that with 'wall-to-wall Labor state governments' they cannot wash their hands off the rental crisis
6 December 2022
Not ‘desirable’ tenants: mother of five told to lie about number of children when applying to rent accommodation
Submission to inquiry into Queensland Greens rent-freezing bill says family is now homeless
1 November 2022
Refurbishing not demolishing Port Melbourne public housing estate could save Victoria $88m, study finds
A not-for-profit firm has found building could be added to Barak Beacon estate and residents wouldn’t be forced to relocate
![Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo believes focusing on the prime minister’s intentions is incorrect when, “[the voice] isn't Albanese's idea”. Journalist Dr Amy McQuire says she does not “have a lot of confidence in the intentions of politicians” and that Albanese should be judged on his ability to “deliver justice”. ](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b9478c99a693abf4b6df44fc252432d7891c7408/23_0_1800_1080/master/1800.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=5%3A4)
![Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo believes focusing on the prime minister’s intentions is incorrect when, “[the voice] isn't Albanese's idea”. Journalist Dr Amy McQuire says she does not “have a lot of confidence in the intentions of politicians” and that Albanese should be judged on his ability to “deliver justice”. ](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b9478c99a693abf4b6df44fc252432d7891c7408/23_0_1800_1080/master/1800.jpg?width=460&dpr=2&s=none&crop=5%3A4)
