Canberrans are staying in rental properties for longer periods of time, new data reveals, with some real estate agents blaming extended tenancies on the high cost of moving house.
Data from the ACT Revenue Office, released in a question on notice in the Legislative Assembly, shows a significant increase in the time Canberrans are spending in rental properties over the past 10 years.
In 2015, the average time between the start and end of rental bonds, which are lodged with the revenue office, was 635 days. Ten years later in 2025, the average time was 818 days.
The median time the revenue office held bonds for also increased, from 442 days in 2015 to 532 days in 2025.
Archer real estate managing director Andrew Early said the cost of moving between properties and stronger laws for tenant rights had decreased the incentive to move house.
He said many families were preferring to stay in smaller homes and have children share rooms or sleep in bunk beds than deal with the financial cost of upsizing.
"We've personally noticed this happening for a couple of years, the biggest thing has come back to the cost of just moving properties. The cost of living, with removalists or taking time off work, and things like that has made a big impact," Mr Early said.
"The other thing is the legislation changes that the government has done with the Residential Tenancy Act has made tenants stay longer, because they have more rights."
Archer general manager Ashlea Cole said the demand for rentals had also dropped in the past year.
"You might have no one turning up [to open houses], you might have [up] to five groups ... there's no shortage of rentals in Canberra," she said.
ACT Shelter chief executive Corinne Dobson said a combination of factors, including stronger tenancy protections, high rents, and declining access to home ownership were contributing to longer tenancies.
In March 2026, industry lawyers warned of a rise in the number of ACT rentals in "states of disrepair", with tenants increasingly complaining of mould, pests and damaged facilities.
"Many renters are staying put because moving has become increasingly difficult and expensive. Longer tenancies can reflect greater housing security, which is positive, but it could also reflect a market where renters face fewer realistic housing choices," Ms Dobson said.
"In addition, because rent increases during an existing tenancy are constrained, a long-term tenant may end up paying substantially less than current market rent, making it financially difficult to move without facing a significant rent increase."
Dawson Moving and Storage sales manager Trent Miller said he had noticed cost had driven more people to move small items themselves, without the help of professionals, in the past six months.
"If [people] can reduce the volume [of items to move] and reduce the price by taking a few extra things themselves, they're certainly happy to do that," he said.
"It's certainly competitive. The price on a local move hasn't changed at all but if you're moving interstate or significant distances ... prices are 25 per cent higher than what they were four months ago, simply because of diesel costs."
Another removalist said most renters, if they were moving house, would move themselves due to costs.
He said cost had become a bigger concern across homeowners and renters moving house during recent months.
"You definitely do get a lull this time of year, but the lull's never been as big as it has been currently ... talking to guys that are only have one or two jobs a week," he said.
