Australians are increasingly turning to share housing amid the cost of living crisis, according to new data from a share accommodation platform that says it’s also seen a rise in homeowners renting out a spare room.
Flatmates.com.au recorded higher than usual growth in demand for October, with an 11.2% increase in members joining the platform in the past month, up from a busy September and 15.6% higher than October 2022.
It comes as the housing advocacy group Everybody’s Home called for more protection for renters, including limits to rent increases and stricter minimum condition standards for rental dwellings.
Flatmates data to be released on Thursday showed new property listings on the platform jumped significantly in October, up 9.7% over the month and 38% in the past year, as the rising cost of living has driven people to look at new ways of generating additional income.
Half of all property listings are from homeowners, with the majority of these being live-in landlords renting out a spare room in their home, the platform said.
People leaving share houses during the pandemic lockdowns in search of more space are touted as one key reason behind the rise in low vacancy rates and high rents.
But community manager at Flatmates.com.au, Claudia Conley, said the trend is reversing.
“The volume of traffic we’ve seen in October we don’t usually see until December, indicating that demand for share accommodation is heating up well ahead of our peak season,” Conley said.
As the housing crisis continues to push people into homelessness, Everybody’s Home is calling for an ambitious plan of making one in 10 dwellings social housing over the next decade.
Everybody’s Home has recommended a 10% target in its submission to the National Housing and Homelessness Plan, which is expected to be released next year.
Spokesperson Maiy Azize said about 4% of Australia’s total housing stock was social housing.
“The proportion of social housing in Australia has been falling off a cliff for years, all while rents, housing stress and homelessness have shot up,” Azize said.
“Renting has never been less affordable. The number of available rentals has hit an all-time low. Housing stress has become the fastest-growing cause of homelessness.”
Azize also called on the government to increase the amount of rent assistance, change the capital gains tax and negative gearing tax provisions and build more social housing to end homelessness.
“The private market simply won’t deliver the affordable homes that the nation requires,” Azize said. “We need one million public and community homes over the next 20 years to meet soaring demand.”
