Report – Anglicare, 27 April 2023

Rental Affordability Snapshot Tasmania 2023

Key findings

The Rental Affordability Snapshot has been published since 2007, when Anglicare Tasmania first tested whether it was possible for people on low incomes to afford to rent a home in the private rental market. It has since been taken up nationally by Anglicare Australia and runs annually in agencies around the country.

The Snapshot looks at all properties listed for rent on realeastate.com.au and gumtree. com.au on a weekend at the end of March every year. We then assess whether each property is affordable and appropriate for 14 types of households on low incomes, including young people, single parents, working families, older people and those dependent on Centrelink benefits. For more details on our methodology, please see the FAQ (p. 29).

The report also presents case studies that show the experiences of people on low incomes searching for housing in Tasmania’s private rental market today. They are all real people who are clients of Anglicare services. Names and some details have been changed to protect their privacy. This year’s Snapshot also explores trends from our data over the past decade.

Read the full report here: https://www.anglicare-tas.org.au/research/anglicare-tasmania-rental-affordability-snapshot-2023/.

Media release – Shelter Tas, 27 April 2023

Anglicare report highlights Tasmania’s dire shortage of affordable rental homes

Shelter Tas, Tasmania’s peak body for affordable housing and homelessness services, welcomes the release of Anglicare’s annual Rental Affordability Snapshot and supports it key findings. Today’s Snapshot confirms the expanding affordability gap between people’s incomes and the rising cost of rents in Tasmania.

“The 2023 Rental Affordability Snapshot highlights the critical shortage of rental properties that people can afford, and provides important data to help track housing trends over time,” Shelter Tas CEO Pattie Chugg said.

The latest Census data shows a 45% increase in the number of Tasmanians experiencing homelessness from 2016-2021 – the highest of any state – and that the largest cohort of all homeless Tasmanians (at least 25%) are aged between 12-24 years, with an additional 14% being under 12 years old.

“We know that the number one reason people seek assistance from homelessness services is due to the lack of affordable housing available in Tasmania, and the Anglicare Snapshot confirms what we hear from our members and what other reports tell us – the private rental market in Tasmania is increasingly failing people earning low incomes.

“The Rental Affordability Snapshot highlights that rent in Tasmania is rising up to ten times faster than income support payments, with young people disproportionately affected. It also shows that there are no properties available anywhere in Tasmania that would be affordable to a person receiving Youth Allowance or Job Seeker payments.

“The report clearly shows that the current rate of social security payments is an inadequate income for renters. Shelter Tas endorses the call for the Federal Government to increase JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy, Abstudy and parenting payments to at least $73 per day.

“It is alarming that not one single young person on income support payments could find a home to rent, not even a room in a share house is affordable. Spending more than 30% of income on rent places people in rental stress and housing hardship, and we know that many people are forced to pay well over their budget in order to put a roof over their head,” Ms Chugg said.

“There is a deeply entrenched problem with Tasmania’s housing system, as the private rental market does not offer homes at rents people can afford and there is not enough social housing (public and community housing) for those who have been priced out of the private rental market, living in housing stress or people experiencing homelessness.

“Many low-income earners must make impossible choices between essentials such as food and heating or having a home. Single parent working families, young people and aged and disability pensioners are some of the worst affected. But social housing can provide affordable rent and the security people need, by charging only 25% of people’s income to live well in a long-term home,” Ms Chugg said.

“An effective solution to this housing crisis is a targeted increase to the supply of affordable rentals. The Rental Affordability Snapshot shows that despite an increase of around 600 properties advertised for rent across Tasmania in 2010, this did not translate to one single property in a price range people on low incomes could afford.

“Shelter Tas calls for at least 10% (currently 6%) of Tasmanian dwellings to be affordable social rentals. When the private rental market is clearly failing low income renter households, the State and Federal Governments need to take urgent action to reverse this widening affordability gap between rents and people’s incomes,” Ms Chugg said.

Media release – Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader, 27 April 2023

Rental Affordability Snapshot an Indictment on Rockliff Liberals

Anglicare’s annual Rental Affordability Snapshot, released today, has again highlighted the depths of the state’s rental crisis. It paints an all too clear and depressing picture of the desperation felt by so many Tasmanians.

The report reveals Tasmania is the least affordable place in the country to rent and has the fastest growth in homelessness. Yet Premier Jeremy Rockliff is more interested in pandering to the suits in the AFL and spruiking a billion dollar stadium than tackling the deepening rental crisis.

The Premier can’t feign compassion for homeless Tasmanians or those in housing stress, when he is making a deliberate choice to prioritise the profits of wealthy property investors.

Tasmania’s frontline housing services and renters are calling for real action. Like the Greens, they want limits on short stay accommodation, an empty homes levy, and a ban on no cause evictions and unreasonable rent hikes. Yet the Liberals refuse to even consider any of these common sense, evidence-backed policies.

There are exactly zero affordable rentals available for most Tasmanians, with young people among the hardest hit.

The Liberals are allowing investors to rip hundreds of homes out of the rental market and convert them into largely unregulated commercial operations, in the form of short stay accommodation.

Of course, the Premier and Deputy Premier are two of those short stay investors.

Thousands of houses sit empty around the state for no good reason, while the Liberals also refuse to consider a vacant homes levy.

Premier Rockliff’s refusal to address the rental crisis is driving more people into homelessness and financial hardship.

There are real solutions that could be put in place right now if Jeremy Rockliff was serious about making a difference to the rental crisis, but the Premier is simply a bystander to the crisis, doing Gill McLachlan’s billion dollar bidding and cheering on a stadium while Tasmanians suffer.

He should be utterly ashamed of himself.

Media release – Nick McKim, Greens Senator for Tasmania, 27 April 2023

Albanese’s warped priorities show he is out of touch

As today’s Anglicare Rental Affordability Report shows Tasmania has the least affordable rental market in the country, Prime Minister Albanese is planning to drive straight past single parents living out of their cars on his way to announce a cash splash for an AFL stadium Tasmania doesn’t need.

“Anglicare’s report out today shows that rents have never been less affordable in Australia, and that Tasmania has the least affordable rents and the fastest increase in homelessness in the country.”

“But instead of adopting the Greens plan to fix housing and renting, Anthony Albanese is going to swan in on Saturday and announce $240 million dollars for a footy stadium that Tasmania doesn’t need.”

“On his way to the announcement with AFL bigwigs, the Prime Minister will drive straight past single parents living out of their cars.”

“He should stop his car and try explaining to homeless Tasmanians why he thinks an AFL stadium is more important than them having a home.”

“This is a Prime Minister with warped priorities who is completely out of touch.”

“If he’s got the money for a footy stadium then he’s got the money to fix housing.”

“He is happy to use his personal story when it suits him, but unless it drives what his government does it means less than nothing.”

“His government is planning to spend more than four times as much on a footy stadium as they are on affordable housing in Tasmania.”

“Labor can’t find any more than $55 million for affordable housing in Tasmania, but it can rustle up $240 million for a football stadium at the drop of a hat.”

“Tasmania’s public housing waiting lists will get longer under the PM’s pitiful plan.”

“This is a travesty.”

“National cabinet should agree to a rent freeze at tomorrow’s meeting, and the government needs to double rent assistance and commit to build 225,000 houses nationally over the next decade.”

“And this can be done by getting rid of tax breaks for property speculators.”