Soaring rents have dramatically outstripped increases to the commonwealth rent assistance (CRA) payment, with house rentals in capital cities rising by an average of 13.8% over the last two years while rent assistance has risen by a maximum of 4.52%, leaving low-income renters hardest hit by the national rental crisis.
The pressure in regional areas is even more severe, with rent increases of 20.2% across the board. Almost half of low-income renters now experience rental stress, spending more than 30% of their income on rent, even with government support.
