Australia rents up 7.6% as vacancy rate rises to 1.4% in September 2026

Australian advertised rents averaged A$704.76 a week in mid-October 2026, 7.6% higher over twelve months, while the national vacancy rate edged up to 1.4%.

The facts

National advertised rents averaged A$704.76 a week over the 30 days to 12 October 2026, +7.6% over twelve months and 0.3% higher on the month.
House rents rose 8.4% over twelve months and unit rents 6.3%; across the capital cities the combined average was A$794.57 a week, 5.1% higher over twelve months but 0.1% lower on the month.
The national residential vacancy rate was 1.4% in September 2026, against 1.3% in August and 1.2% in September 2025, with 42,290 dwellings vacant.
Vacancy was tightest in Hobart at 0.5% and in Adelaide, Perth and Darwin at 0.6%, and loosest in Melbourne and Canberra at 1.9%.
Twelve-month rent growth by capital city: Darwin 13.9%, Hobart 9.5%, Brisbane 7.2%, Melbourne 5.7% and Adelaide 4.5%.
Advertised prices for units nationally were 10.8% higher over twelve months in early September 2026, measured by the same research house.

What it means for your money

Rental income is growing: advertised rents are 7.6% higher over a year nationally and 13.9% higher in Darwin.
Entry prices are growing faster than rent. Unit asking prices were 10.8% higher over twelve months against rents 7.6% higher, so a new buyer pays more for the same rent.
Landlords on the ground feel the other edge: vacancy at 1.4% against 1.2% a year ago stretches the gaps between tenants, and unit rents fell 1.6% on the month.

What to watch

The split between the capitals and the rest: capital-city rents fell 0.1% on the month while the national figure rose 0.3%.
Sydney's vacancy rate reached 1.8% against 1.3% a year earlier, even as Sydney house rents rose 2.3% in a single month.

Sources: SQM Research, National Vacancy Rates September 2026, released 13 October 2026 https://www.sqmresearch.com.au/uploads/13-10-26-National-Vacancy-Rates-September-2026-2042.pdf

Market data: Australia