Tasmanians are being priced out of the private rental market with stock in short supply, new data shows.
TasCOSS, in partnership with Anglicare Tasmania, have released two, new rental affordability indicators on the Tasmania’s State of Housing Dashboard, which highlight the challenges that persist in the private rental market.
TasCOSS CEO, Ms Adrienne Picone, said Tasmania is experiencing a rental affordability crisis and called on parties and candidates to prioritise solutions to bring it under control during the election campaign.
“The dashboard shows rental affordability is at an all-time low in Tasmania, with rental costs increasing by 43% since 2020,” Ms Picone said.
“With rent as a proportion of income continuing to blow out — far more than the 30% ‘rental stress’ threshold — Tasmanians are being forced onto the social housing waitlist or into unsuitable and unsafe lodgings, and in the worst cases, homelessness.
“Finding a rental in a tight market remains near impossible, with Burnie’s rental vacancy rate sitting at 0.7% and Launceston and Hobart not far behind, well short of a healthy vacancy rate of up around 3%.
Anglicare Tasmania’s Social Action and Research Centre Coordinator, Ms Mary Bennett, said available properties remain scarce, which is only increasing competition for rentals and putting upward pressure on rents.
“For the second year running, Anglicare Tasmania’s Rental Affordability Snapshot 2025, found that 0% of properties listed in late March 2025 were affordable for people on the lowest incomes,” Ms Bennett said.
“The lack of affordable rental properties is a barrier to addressing issues, such as domestic and family violence, bed-block in the public hospital system and persistent disadvantage.”
Ms Picone said Homes Tasmania’s progress towards their KPI to deliver more affordable rentals is lagging, with take-up of the Private Rental Incentive Scheme and Family Violence Rapid Rehousing programs going backwards.
“A combined total of 258 homes affordable rental homes have been delivered by these two programs, but with around 44,000 private rentals in Tasmania it will have little to no impact on improving rental affordability in Tasmania and more must be done,” she said.
“We need the next state government to commit to introducing more ambitious policy reforms, starting with urgently bringing forward the review of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 to provide better protections for renters.
“As highlighted by the Tenants’ Union of Tasmania and others, many Tasmanians are also putting up with substandard rental conditions, such as poorly insulated homes or mould, or taking out loans simply to keep a roof over their heads.
“Tasmanians deserve better. Without government intervention to limit rent rises and increase the availability of appropriate, affordable rental properties, more and more Tasmanians will face homelessness.”
The Tasmania’s State of Housing Dashboard can be accessed at tascoss.org.au/state-of-housing.