A new report from Anglicare WA has laid bare the severity of Western Australia's housing crisis, revealing that not a single rental property in the state—including rooms in share houses—is affordable for unemployed individuals or students relying on welfare payments.
Rental Affordability Snapshot 2024-2025
The Rental Affordability snapshot, released on Wednesday, shows that the already dire housing situation from last year has deteriorated further. Housing is now completely out of reach for those dependent solely on JobSeeker or Youth Allowance. The report indicates that only a handful of rentals—13 out of 3,314 properties—fall within an affordable price range for minimum wage earners or certain welfare recipients.
Anglicare WA Chief Executive Mark Glasson has called for rent caps to stabilise prices in Perth, following a 10 per cent increase since last year, bringing the median weekly rent to $747—a staggering 74 per cent jump from 2021.
“What we need to do is ensure that rents are controlled,” Mr Glasson said. “We need to intervene in the market. The private market is failing.”
Key Findings
The report highlights that affordable and appropriate rental housing for welfare recipients constitutes less than 0.5 per cent of total stock. Only 4 per cent of total stock—128 properties—were both appropriate and within the price range for minimum wage households. However, this limited supply of cheap rentals faces fierce competition from higher-income earners across the state, further diminishing the chances of securing housing for those in need.
“More and more people are falling through the cracks,” Mr Glasson said. “What we’re seeing is people paying all their income on rent and being unable to meet other costs. Consequently, more people are seeking food and emergency assistance, help with utility bills, and other expenses that are being neglected.”
The report also notes that even a room in a share house has a median rent of $280 per week, placing it out of reach for most welfare recipients.
Calls for Government Action
Mr Glasson urged the Federal Government to be “brave” in changing tax incentives for investors, a move expected in the May 12 Budget. “We need to make some structural shifts to our housing system,” he said. “As long as housing is treated as an investment, we will see properties price people out of the market due to supply and demand forces. We must recognise that a house is more than an investment—it’s someone’s home. We need protections for renters so they don’t get caught up in this maelstrom.”
Affordability Breakdown
- Only one rental in Perth is affordable for a single parent with one child receiving welfare or for someone on a disability pension.
- No affordable properties exist for a single parent on minimum wage and the Parenting Payment with two children, nor for a couple on one minimum wage and Parenting Payment with two children.
- Ten properties are affordable for a single person on minimum wage.
- Forty-nine properties are affordable for a couple with two children where both parents earn minimum wage.
- Pensioners can afford five rentals in Perth, but only if they also have children.
The report reveals a shrinking number of private rentals in Perth, now 209 fewer than last year, with only 3,314 homes available. A household would need to earn nearly $130,000 annually (or $2,490 per week) to afford the median rent while keeping housing costs below 30 per cent of income. Since 2021, renters need an additional $55,000 per year to keep pace with median rent increases.
Currently, 23,000 people are on the waiting list for a state house.
