Rental prices across WA’s north up 48 per cent over three years

New analysis of WA rental data has found rental costs in WA’s north have surged an average of 48 per cent over three years. Data collated by the Everybody’s Home campaign to coincide with Homelessness Week has revealed the WA regions where renters were hardest hit by surging costs and stagnant wages. Renters in WA’s northern region — the Pilbara and the Kimberley — were by far the hardest hit, with an average annual rental increase of 16 per cent per annum over three years. The figures saw the average rental cost rise to $643.18 per week — the highest in the State. The South West was second hardest hit, with an average increase of 12.8 per cent per annum across the same period, although it remains one of the cheaper regions with a $452.64 average rental price. Perth City saw the lowest growth in rental costs, up just 4.8 per cent per annum for an average price of $523.70. North West Perth saw the largest metropolitan growth, with rentals up 11 per cent per annum across three years and the average price sitting at $598.89 — the most expensive in the metro region. Everybody’s Home national spokesperson Kate Colvin said the compounding impact of spiking rents and stagnant wages was smashing living standards and putting people at risk of homelessness. “We know that rental stress is the gateway to homelessness,” she said. “When you combine surging rents with flat wages, you put people in a financial vice. For the past three years that vice has been tightening. “Homelessness providers are reporting stories of families with full time breadwinners being forced to live in tents. In a wealthy nation like Australia, this is nothing short of a national disgrace.” The figures come after the 2021 census highlighted a drop in rental stock in the Kimberley, down 429 dwellings on 2016 census numbers.