New research commissioned by RentRabbit.com.au has found the top 20 Sydney rental markets where conditions have most turned in favour of renters over the past 12 months.
The quarterly RentRabbit.com.au Better Renting Report identifies Sydney’s top 20 suburbs that are both suitable for renters and where conditions have turned in favour of renters over the past 12 months.
To make sure suburbs were tenant-friendly, they needed to be large enough (at least 1,000 properties) and close enough to the Sydney CBD (within 200km).
To make sure conditions in those suburbs had turned in favour of renters, their vacancy rate needed to have increased by at least 0.4 percentage points over the past 12 months, while their median weekly rent needed to have either fallen or remained unchanged during that period.
The top 20 ranking included 10 house markets and 10 unit markets.
All the suburbs had a vacancy rate of at least 1.7%, while weekly rents ranged from $285 to
$850.
RentRabbit.com.au co-founder Ben Pretty said the research shows how tough life can be as a tenant in Sydney.
“The RentRabbit.com.au Better Renting Report highlights that Sydney renters are able to find some tenant-friendly suburbs where vacancy rates have increased over the past year and rents have either fallen or held steady – which, in an inflationary environment, is a fall in real terms,” he said.
“That said, those tenant-friendly suburbs are very much a minority of the market right now.
“This is all about supply and demand. Where supply is relatively low and demand relatively high, it’s hard for tenants to find accommodation, which leads to falling vacancy rates and rising rents.
“For the sake of families and people on average incomes, I’d like to see a more balanced rental market. For that to happen, supply needs to increase, which means we need more investors to enter the market and more new builds to come online.”
Top 20 ranking
Rank | Suburb | Property type | Postcode | Vacancy rate (1 year ago) | Vacancy rate (now) | Vacancy rate (change) |
1 | West Pymble | House | 2073 | 1.8% | 5.5% | 3.7 percentage points |
2 | Girraween | Unit | 2145 | 1.7% | 4.0% | 2.3 percentage points |
3 | Heckenberg | House | 2168 | 0.0%* | 2.0% | 2.0 percentage points |
4 | Pendle Hill | House | 2145 | 2.6% | 4.5% | 1.9 percentage points |
5 | Cabramatta West | House | 2166 | 2.1% | 3.9% | 1.8 percentage points |
6 | Berala | Unit | 2141 | 2.2% | 3.7% | 1.5 percentage points |
7 | Emu Plains | Unit | 2750 | 1.1% | 2.6% | 1.5 percentage points |
8 | Tempe | House | 2044 | 1.3% | 2.2% | 0.9 percentage points |
9 | Marayong | House | 2148 | 1.5% | 2.4% | 0.9 percentage points |
10 | Enmore | Unit | 2042 | 2.0% | 2.8% | 0.8 percentage points |
11 | Werrington | House | 2747 | 1.6% | 2.4% | 0.8 percentage points |
12 | Sefton | House | 2162 | 3.3% | 4.1% | 0.8 percentage points |
13 | Matraville | Unit | 2036 | 2.6% | 3.3% | 0.7 percentage points |
14 | Caringbah South | Unit | 2229 | 1.0% | 1.7% | 0.7 percentage points |
15 | Dundas | House | 2117 | 1.6% | 2.3% | 0.7 percentage points |
16 | Smithfield | Unit | 2164 | 1.9% | 2.5% | 0.6 percentage points |
17 | Elizabeth Bay | Unit | 2011 | 1.8% | 2.3% | 0.5 percentage points |
18 | Greenfield Park | House | 2176 | 2.3% | 2.8% | 0.5 percentage points |
19 | Carramar | Unit | 2163 | 2.0% | 2.5% | 0.5 percentage points |
20 | Paddington | Unit | 2021 | 1.8% | 2.2% | 0.4 percentage points |
*When a suburb has a vacancy rate of 0%, that doesn’t mean the suburb literally has no vacant rental properties. Rental properties are regarded as ‘officially’ vacant when they’ve been on the market for 21 days or more. When a suburb has a vacancy rate of 0%, it means all rental properties are being filled in less than 21 days of being listed for rent.
Key stats on the top 20 suburbs
1. The house market of West Pymble (Ku-ring-gai, NSW)
‘Middle city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 1.8% | 5.5% | 3.7 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $870 | $850 | -2.3% |
2. The unit market of Girraween (Parramatta)
‘Outer city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 1.7% | 4.0% | 2.3 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $450 | $450 | 0.0% |
3. The house market of Heckenberg (Bringelly – Green Valley)
‘Commutable’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 0.0%* | 2.0% | 2.0 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $400 | $380 | -5.0% |
4. The house market of Pendle Hill (Parramatta)
‘Outer city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 2.6% | 4.5% | 1.9 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $470 | $450 | -4.3% |
5. The house market of Cabramatta West (Fairfield)
‘Outer city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 2.1% | 3.9% | 1.8 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $450 | $450 | 0.0% |
6. The unit market of Berala (Auburn)
‘Middle city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 2.2% | 3.7% | 1.5 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $345 | $320 | -7.2% |
7. The unit market of Emu Plains (Penrith)
‘Commutable’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 1.1% | 2.6% | 1.5 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $420 | $420 | 0.0% |
8. The house market of Tempe (Marrickville – Sydenham – Petersham)
‘Inner city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 1.3% | 2.2% | 0.9 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $650 | $650 | 0.0% |
9. The house market of Marayong (Blacktown)
‘Outer city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 1.5% | 2.4% | 0.9 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $400 | $400 | 0.0% |
10. The unit market of Enmore (Sydney)
‘Inner city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 2.0% | 2.8% | 0.8 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $400 | $400 | 0.0% |
11. The house market of Werrington (Penrith)
‘Commutable’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 1.6% | 2.4% | 0.8 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $420 | $420 | 0.0% |
12. The house market of Sefton (Bankstown)
‘Outer city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 3.3% | 4.1% | 0.8 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $470 | $470 | 0.0% |
13. The unit market of Matraville (Eastern Suburbs – South)
‘Inner city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 2.6% | 3.3% | 0.7 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $540 | $490 | -9.3% |
14. The unit market of Caringbah South (Cronulla – Miranda – Caringbah)
‘Middle city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 1.0% | 1.7% | 0.7 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $760 | $730 | -3.9% |
15. The house market of Dundas (Carlingford)
‘Middle city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 1.6% | 2.3% | 0.7 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $520 | $520 | 0.0% |
16. The unit market of Smithfield (Fairfield)
‘Outer city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 1.9% | 2.5% | 0.6 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $400 | $400 | 0.0% |
17. The unit market of Elizabeth Bay (Sydney)
‘Inner city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 1.8% | 2.3% | 0.5 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $490 | $480 | -2.0% |
18. The house market of Greenfield Park (Fairfield)
‘Outer city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 2.3% | 2.8% | 0.5 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $450 | $450 | 0.0% |
19. The unit market of Carramar (Merrylands – Guildford)
‘Outer city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 2.0% | 2.5% | 0.5 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $290 | $285 | -1.7% |
20. The unit market of Paddington (Eastern Suburbs – North)
‘Inner city’ suburb
Category | Feb 2021 | Feb 2022 | Change |
Vacancy rate | 1.8% | 2.2% | 0.4 percentage points |
Median weekly rent | $495 | $450 | -9.1% |