Buyer's agency Propertyology found even prior to COVID-19 most of Australia had an under-supply of housing, with five out of eight capital cities now seeing vacancy rates below 1%.

Buying a home or looking to refinance? The table below features home loans with some of the lowest interest rates on the market for owner occupiers.

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LenderHome LoanInterest Rate Comparison Rate* Monthly Repayment Repayment type Rate Type Offset Redraw Ongoing Fees Upfront Fees Max LVR Lump Sum Repayment Additional Repayments Split Loan Option TagsFeaturesLinkComparePromoted ProductDisclosure
5.69% p.a.
6.16% p.a.
$2,899
Principal & Interest
Fixed
$0
$530
90%
  • Available for purchase or refinance, min 10% deposit needed to qualify.
  • No application, ongoing monthly or annual fees.
  • Flexibility to split your loan with both fixed and variable rates
Disclosure
5.99% p.a.
5.90% p.a.
$2,995
Principal & Interest
Variable
$0
$0
80%
Apply in minutes
  • No application or ongoing fees. Annual rate discount
  • Unlimited redraws & additional repayments. LVR <80%
  • A low-rate variable home loan from a 100% online lender. Backed by the Commonwealth Bank.
Disclosure
6.09% p.a.
6.11% p.a.
$3,027
Principal & Interest
Variable
$0
$250
60%
  • No annual fees – None!
  • Get fast pre-approval
  • Unlimited additional repayments free of charge
  • Redraw freely – Access your additional payments when you need them
  • Home loan specialists available today
Disclosure
Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

Base criteria of: a $400,000 loan amount, variable, fixed, principal and interest (P&I) home loans with an LVR (loan-to-value) ratio of at least 80%. However, the ‘Compare Home Loans’ table allows for calculations to be made on variables as selected and input by the user. Some products will be marked as promoted, featured or sponsored and may appear prominently in the tables regardless of their attributes. All products will list the LVR with the product and rate which are clearly published on the product provider’s website. Monthly repayments, once the base criteria are altered by the user, will be based on the selected products’ advertised rates and determined by the loan amount, repayment type, loan term and LVR as input by the user/you. *The Comparison rate is based on a $150,000 loan over 25 years. Warning: this comparison rate is true only for this example and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Rates correct as of . View disclaimer.

Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

Propertyology Head of Research Simon Pressley said their claim was in contrast to the majority who thought little to no overseas migration would cause a downturn in the Australian property market. 

"The reality is that Australia does not have enough housing supply for its existing 25.6 million population," Mr Pressley said.

"Propertyology is predicting that these next couple of years will produce the biggest increase in rents that Australia has seen in living memory.

"To secure a standard rental property over the next couple of years, it will not be uncommon for households to need to find an extra $2,000 to $5,000 per annum."

Sydney and Melbourne are a stark contrast to the rest of Australia, currently sporting a surplus of rental stock and falling rents. 

Propertyology found as at the end of October 2020, there was a combined 53,525 dwellings advertised for rent for Sydney and Melbourne’s combined population of 10.5 million people.

The remaining 15.1 million are competing for just 20,696 dwellings in the other six capitals and increasingly popular regional locations.

prophighrents01

Mr Pressley said the pandemic couldn't be blamed for everything, with the demand for housing in Sydney and Melbourne simply shifting to other locations. 

"Fact: It is becoming standard practice for property managers in every corner of the country to frequently receive numerous applications to rent a standard house," he said.

"The intense pressure affords property managers the luxury of being particularly fussy when assessing the quality of tenant applications.

"Propertyology’s buyer’s agents have seen firsthand proof of multi-offer tenant applications and the successful tenant paying $50 to $70 per week above the market’s median rent. It’s a frenzy."

He added the rock-bottom vacancy rates weren't confined to the capital cities. 

"From Maitland NSW, to Margaret River WA, Mount Gambier SA, Mackay QLD, and Mildura VIC, Propertyology is tracking an additional 50 individual towns across Australia with vacancy rates below 1%," he said. 

"It is the tightest rental conditions that Australia has ever seen. Anyone who forecast a downturn clearly has no clue what ‘housing demand’ truly means."

See also: What's in store for struggling renters in 2021? (In-depth)

Good news for investors 

According to data by SQM Research, Canberra ($648 per week), Sydney ($638) and Darwin ($580) have the highest capital city advertised medians rents for houses.

Hobart rents have increased the most over the last decade, although they are still relatively affordable at $456 per week.

However, the biggest rent increases over the last decade have been seen outside of the capitals, with the shift to working from home likely to accelerate this trend.

prophighrents02

Mr Pressley said rental supply was 98% determined by mum-and-dad investors, and decisions from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) had stifled this channel.

"The primary reason for Australia’s current rental supply crisis is traced back to a series of decisions between 2015 and 2019 by the banking regulator to restrain the activity mum-and-dad investors," he said. 

"Property investors were active participants during Sydney and Melbourne’s last boom, ending in 2017.

"But APRA’s credit tightening policies were applied with a broad brush that, instead of two cities, affected all of Australia."

What's the solution? 

Mr Pressley said the rental supply crisis was only going to get worse before it got better. 

He said there must be support for mum-and-dad investors, and outlined five ways to kickstart recovery: 

  • APRA must treat adults as adults and introduce a credit policy which supports responsible borrowers. Moreover, they must be proactive in helping to improve loan application efficiencies. With modern technology and so much information at the banks' fingertips, it beggars belief that something which could be approved within a couple of days 30-years ago today takes a few weeks.
  • Banks must stop charging investors a premium interest rate.
  • State governments must stop charging investors higher stamp duty and placing a wad of moratoriums and restrictions on what an owner can do with their asset.
  • City councils must stop charging investors a premium on council rates.
  • The federal government must conduct a serious investigation into the conduct of insurance companies. From charging excessive insurance premiums to hiding behind fine print when a policyholder makes a claim, rorting of real estate products is a national problem.




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