HIgh Vacancy Rates In Perth Rental Market
New data on Perth Real Estate Rentals from the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia show that while the vacancy rate in Perth dropped slightly from 4.7 per cent in the December quarter to 4.1 per cent in March, the overall rental median is static at $370 per week.
REIWA President Alan Bourke said the slightly lower Perth Rental Real Estate vacancy rate was due to diminished stock and not to increased demand by tenants.
“What we are witnessing is that many investors who found it hard to sell in the last couple of years put their properties into the rental system to ride out the downturn.
“Now that things have improved, some owners are listing these dwellings for sale which accounts for the increased stock for sale and the lower vacancy rate,” Mr Bourke said.
Mr Bourke said this dynamic also helped to explain why rents were stable.
“Currently, there are no pressures that will increase demand and so cause Perth Real Estate rentals to increase dramatically, and typical rents in Perth have only increased by around $10 per week since the December quarter of 2008,” Mr Bourke said.
REIWA data show that the median rent for a house in Perth is $380 per week, up by a modest $5 on the December quarter, while the median rent for units, apartments, villas and townhouses was steady at $350 per week.
Despite no movement in Perth’s overall median rent, some sub-regions did experience rises and falls.
REIWA rental property data indicates rents grew by 6 per cent in the Bayswater-Bassendean region, to $350 per week, and also grew by 5.7 per cent in the north west region of Wanneroo ($370).
Conversely, rents fell by around 3 per cent in Gosnells ($330), and the Western Suburbs ($440).
Mr Bourke suggested a vacancy rate of 3 per cent for Perth Real Estate and would provide the ideal equilibrium between supply and demand.
“The current vacancy rate is therefore about 36 per cent higher than Perth’s long term average, but this can change quickly if jobs pick up strongly on the back of a resurgent resources sector,” Mr Bourke said.
In March 2007 the Perth vacancy rate plunged to just 0.8 per cent.
For more information on Perth Real Estate please visit http://www.reiwa.com.au - The Real Estate Instutitue of Western Australia.
Rental Income Patterns - WA & Perth Rental Trends
Median rents in regional areas of Western Australia have been reasonably stable during the March 2010 quarter, however there have been some exceptions.
Regional rent figures released today by the Real Estate Institute of WA (REIWA.com.au), show the median rentals in the Pilbara region are still more than triple the price of metropolitan Perth.
Median rents in The mining areas of Port Hedland and Karratha were $1200 and $1600 per week, as reported by Alan Bourke, REIWA President.
“Karratha saw median rents increase by $200 per week during the first three months of this year, while Port Hedland saw them drop back by around $250 per week” Mr Bourke said.
Busselton was the only other region to show a sharp increase in median rents, with typical prices rising by around $20 from $280 to $300 per week during the quarter.
Most other regional centres saw a steady rental market, with places like Geraldton-Greenough, Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Greater Bunbury recording no change.
“Although the Geraldton region saw no fluctuation in its median rent, the vacancy rate of available properties did increase from 4.2 per to 5.2 per cent, a trend that may see some downwards pressure on median rents if it continues”.
“By contrast, the vacancy rate in Kalgoorlie-Boulder tightened from 5.8 to 4.6 in the March Quarter. .
If this trend is maintained, this could influence rents to increase in the medium term.
Although Bunbury showed no overall change, there was a big rise in median rentals for units, which jumped from $265 per week to $290 per week, during the March quarter.
Closer to Perth in the Peel region, Mandurah-Murray saw its median rent increase by $5 to $290 per week, while the vacancy rate dropped by 0.2 per cent to 2.3 per cent. A rate Mr Bourke described as “quite low” .
The vacancy rate in the Mandurah region has tightened considerably from the 3.7 per cent it was showing in the September quarter last year. This may be due in part, that the more affordable rents in Mandurah are attracting some Perth residents, happy to move to the seaside, and are then able to commute to Perth by train for work,” Mr Bourke said.
In Albany, the vacancy rate has grown from 3.8 per cent at the end of last year to 4.2 per cent in the March quarter. Median rents reduced by between $10 - $280 per week.
Mr Bourke said the rental system in the regions was more sensitive to employment conditions and seasonal work opportunities.
