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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Josh Nicholas

Australia’s borders were closed and population growth stalled – so why are houses so expensive?

Aerial view of houses in Perth
All capital cities including Perth have seen rental supply dip, pushing prices higher. Photograph: chameleonseye/Getty Images/iStockphoto

House prices in some areas of Australia are more than 20% above pre-pandemic levels, and several cities have seen greater than 8% annual rent rises, even as the nation’s population growth stalled amid two years of border closures.

Experts say the situation is the result of several contributing factors, many of which predate the pandemic, such as a lack of investment in social and affordable housing and an increase in shorter-term rentals.

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