Average Australian renter paid $3,000 more last year, research finds

Across 2.2 million rental properties, rent rises have resulted in a windfall of $7.1bn for landlords between June 2021 and June 2022. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Australians paid an extra $7.1bn in rent over the past 12 months, with the average renter spending $62 more a week than they did a year ago, or more than $3,000 a year.

The figures are contained in research from the parliamentary library commissioned by the Greens, as they ramp up their calls for a national rental freeze, saying the increase could instead have been kept in people’s pockets to provide cost of living relief.