The rental squeeze in Perth has gotten even tighter, with vacancy rates dropping below one per cent in the June quarter.
Only 0.9 per cent of rental properties in the Perth metropolitan area are vacant, down from 1.4 per cent at the same time last year, as prices for rental properties continue to climb.
Housing availability remains an issue around the country with the national vacancy rate sitting at 1.2 per cent.
Rents in Perth have increased by 2.6 per cent compared to the March quarter and a whopping 6.7 per cent over the past 12 months, according to the latest report by property data firm CoreLogic.
The cheapest suburb to rent a unit in the Perth metropolitan area is Orelia, south of Perth. But even in that suburb, rents are almost 11 per cent more expensive than they were last year.
Coupled with the highest inflation rate around the country at 7.6 per cent, renters are not the only ones struggling.
After the Reserve Bank raised interest rates by 0.5 per cent points to 1.35 per cent yesterday, mortgage-holders are also facing further financial pain.
Scrambling to make up additional rent
As cost-of-living expenses soar, vulnerable West Australians are relying on support services to make ends meet.
Pensioner Alexis Rogers already spends more than half her income on rent, and she's been told rent will go up within the next six months.
"It's due to go up in January and then my lease is due for renewal at the beginning on March so I imagine it will go up again," she said.
She said covering her household expenses was a daily struggle.
"It holds me back. It's huge," she said.
"I pretty much can't afford to go anywhere. I wouldn't survive without Foodbank."
Ms Rogers is a retiree who privately rents in Bunbury, in regional WA, where vacancy rates had dropped to 1.3 per cent from 1.5 per cent in the March quarter, according to a CoreLogic spokeswoman.
She said due to low housing availability and her attachment to her home, moving elsewhere is off the cards.
"My daughter has agreed to put $30 a week into my account to help me [with rent] for the time being," she said.
"I have to watch every single cent I spend now. I already had a pretty reduced lifestyle, and now I seem to have to survive off even less."
Ms Rogers is part of the National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS), which is aimed at addressing the shortage of affordable housing.
While not classed as social housing, NRAS houses are privately rented and cost 20 per cent less than market value in the area.
She said she used to live in a cheaper unit but ended up suffering from depression.
"I was in a one-bedroom dog box before this," she said.
Rental shortage has reached 'crisis' point, says researcher
Steven Rowley is the director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute at Curtin Research Centre and labelled WA's rental market a "crisis".
He pointed to an imbalance in supply and demand to explain the increase in prices.
"Demand is much higher than supply, meaning landlords are able to increase rents and many tenants are trapped into paying higher rents because of a lack of other accommodation options," he said.
"Rising rents are always a concern for renters, especially difficult when you reach your affordable limit but there are no cheaper options available."
The competitiveness of the market was also amplified despite WA's prices being relatively affordable compared to the eastern states, according to Mr Rowley.
"Any significant increases in population growth will place even further pressure on the rental market."
