Yahoo Finance Rent crisis: Suburbs where hundreds of Aussies are fighting over a single room
There are some suburbs in Australia with no rooms available in share houses at all.
Many Aussies have looked towards house sharing as the cost of living skyrockets and the rental market is squeezed, but some suburbs are more sought after than others.
And demand for share houses has soared as well, with hundreds of people fighting over single rooms, according to new data from Flatmates.com.au.
The suburbs with the highest ratio of property seekers to room listings include:
East Perth, WA – 255 seekers, one room available
Northbridge, WA – 164 seekers, one room available
Sydney, NSW – 133 seekers, zero rooms available
"There has been a significant increase in demand for share accommodation across Australia over the past six months,” Flatmates.com.au community manager Claudia Conley said.
“Traffic started to increase in October last year … and has not died down, even after our usual ‘peak season’ ended in February.”
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Top 10 most competitive suburbs
Suburb | People seeking | Rooms available |
East Perth WA | 255 | 1 |
Northbridge WA | 164 | 1 |
Sydney NSW | 133 | 0 |
Cremorne VIC | 120 | 0 |
Holland Park QLD | 119 | 1 |
Barangaroo NSW | 106 | 0 |
Henley Beach SA | 102 | 1 |
Milton QLD | 288 | 3 |
Highgate WA | 95 | 1 |
East Melbourne VIC | 277 | 3 |
Older Aussies looking for share houses
The Flatmates data revealed younger Aussies were choosing to move back in with their parents, while those aged between 45 and 65 were making the switch to share houses.
“For our younger demographic who have the option, many are choosing to stay at home for longer due to the rising cost of living. Our older demographic may be looking to rent out their spare room for extra cash as the cost of living bites,” Conley said.
"We’re also seeing our older demographic sign up for Flatmates.com.au for reasons other than financial. Companionship, fighting loneliness, the safety of having someone around and someone to share household chores with are just some of the many benefits associated with shared living.
“Homeowners and empty nesters renting out their spare rooms could also help take some pressure off the rental crisis."
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