Despite delivering 4,358 homes since 2020, the waiting list grows to 5,277 applicants with some priority cases stuck for over a decade.
Tasmania’s housing crisis shows no signs of easing, with 5,277 households on the social housing waitlist as of August 2025, despite government efforts that have delivered more than 4,300 homes in under five years.
The stark reality facing the state’s most vulnerable residents is laid bare in newly released data showing that even priority applicants classified as having urgent housing needs are waiting an average of 80.8 weeks, or more than 18 months, for placement.
Most alarming is that 138 priority applicants have been waiting five years or longer, with some enduring waits approaching a decade despite being deemed in greatest need.
While Homes Tasmania* has made significant progress toward its target of 10,000 social and affordable homes by 2032, completing 4,358 homes to date, demand has surged even faster. The waiting list has grown 10.1 per cent in just the past year, from 4,792 applicants in August 2024 to 5,277 in August 2025.
Of those waiting, 3,880 are classified as priority cases requiring urgent housing, including 1,040 families with children. The southern region faces the greatest pressure with 1,901 priority applications, more than double that of other regions.
The data reveals a significant mismatch between available housing stock and actual demand.
Some 3,069 applicants require one-bedroom properties, yet the existing social housing portfolio is dominated by three-bedroom homes, many of which are underutilised with 13.8 per cent housing fewer people than their capacity.
Single people and couples seeking smaller dwellings face particularly long waits, with 83 per cent of all Housing Register applicants seeking one or two-bedroom homes.
The correlation between private rental affordability and social housing demand is stark. As median rents climbed to $495 per week in June 2025, a 4.2 per cent annual increase, applications to the Housing Register rose in lockstep. Vacancy rates across Tasmania’s major centres remain critically low at just 0.4 to 0.5 per cent.
Housing Connect** is assisting approximately 120 households per month into affordable rentals through Private Rental Assistance, while expanded programs now provide 253 subsidised rental properties through the Private Rental Incentives Scheme and Family Violence Rapid Rehousing program.
Homes Tasmania points to steady progress, with 131 households assisted in August alone through home ownership, social housing, affordable housing and land sales. The organisation has a pipeline of 5,642 additional homes underway, including 1,204 social housing units.
Recent completions include 65 new units at Queens Walk and five backyard units for at-risk youth aged 15 to 25. The MyHome shared equity scheme has helped 1,036 households purchase homes with just a two per cent deposit.
However, with 16,500 people across 4,866 households waiting for social housing, the scale of the crisis remains daunting.
Tasmania is allocating 91.6 per cent of available social housing to priority applicants, well above the national average, yet thousands remain in temporary accommodation, staying with family and friends, or facing homelessness while they wait.
*Homes Tasmania is listed as a Statutory Authority, similar to Stadiums Tasmania and the Macquarie Point Development Corporation and is established under the Homes Tasmania Act 2022 with a core purpose to deliver social and affordable housing, giving priority to those most in need, which is a key characteristic of a statutory authority.
**Housing Connect is funded and strategically managed by Homes Tasmania, as a government-funded, community-delivered service model that acts as the single point of entry for the state’s housing and homelessness assistance.
Media release – Vica Bayley MHA, Greens Housing Spokesperson, 8 October 2025
Rents Rising as Landlords Pocket Profits
The new Quarterly Rental Review from Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) shows that rents are continuing to rise and vacancy rates lower, while landlords’ profits go up. Despite this, the Liberals continue to reject rental reforms and are focussed on a billion-dollar stadium instead of building homes for vulnerable Tasmanians.
Rents in Hobart rose by 6.2% in the last year – the second largest increase in the nation. Meanwhile, landlords have pocketed a 4.3% increase in profits. The vacancy rate has dropped to 1.2% this quarter, compared to 2.4% twelve months ago.
The Liberals have done nothing over the last decade as rents have gone through the roof.
Finding an affordable place to live is becoming impossible. Tasmanians are doing it tough in the housing and cost of living crises.
The Liberals have sat on their hands while Tasmanians’ rentals have been converted to short stay accommodations. They’re focussed on building a stadium instead of homes for Tasmanians. It’s no wonder vacancy rates are so low.
This state has some of the weakest rental laws in the country. It’s allowed landlords to jack up rents unfairly and pocket more profits.
This Parliament, more progressive and collaborative, presents a new opportunity to address some of these issues and restore some balance in favour of renters.
Media release – Meg Brown MHA, Shadow Minister for Housing, 30 September 2025
Building approvals low, housing waitlist climbs, while Liberal Government spins
Tasmania’s housing crisis is worse than ever under the Liberals, according to new figures from Homes Tasmania and the ABS.
Homes Tasmania’s latest dashboard report shows there are now 5,277 primary applicants on the social housing register, which is the ninth successive monthly increase and 10 per cent higher than this time last year.
With each primary applicant potentially representing multiple family members, it is estimated almost 18,000 Tasmanians are now waiting for a secure home.*
Today’s building approvals data from the ABS shows new home construction is at worryingly low levels, underlining just how far behind the Government is in addressing demand.
The Government continues to mislead Tasmanians about what it’s doing to address the ballooning crisis. Despite the growing wait list, the Liberals repeatedly talk about being on track to deliver 10,000 homes by 2032 – but regularly fail to mention they are counting vacant lots, shared equity purchases and existing rentals in their target.
The housing crisis won’t be solved with creative accounting; it will only be solved by building more homes for Tasmanians who need them.
The truth is after 11 years they’ve had every chance to fix housing, and they haven’t.
Access to safe and secure housing is the foundation of a better future, and it must be treated as a genuine priority. This government’s record shows you can’t trust the Liberals when it comes to housing.
*Extrapolation of attached Homes Tasmania RTI – “As at 31 December 2024, there were 16,500 people within Housing Register applications waiting for social housing. There were 4,866 primary applicants on the Housing Register”.
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